Date Night Part I (the first amazing thing)

Campbell Clansman and I go out on Friday nights. We eat, we dream, we talk, we map out the week. We unload stresses. And when there is something else going on, we don't go on our date. It seems this time of year there is always something on a Friday night...piano concerts, parties. So it had been several weeks since we'd had our date. I told CC that we really needed to finish our Christmas shopping. He told me we really needed to go on a date like we used to 15 years ago. When he told me he'd let me go by myself to the stores later to finish shopping, I said, "You're on."

We needed to get a quick, simple dinner. We decided to 1. get out of our neck of the woods, 2. eat Turkish, 3. try a new place. So we ended up at Kebabistan. We'd passed it several times, but never eaten there. I'd always wanted to. It's brightly lit with a wall of windows overlooking a busy street downtown. CC parked the car (after hearing "yasak" ...forbidden...at a couple of parking spots). I went inside and ordered 2 bowls of soup, 1 salad plate, and one grilled meat plate for us to split. Little did I know what was to come...first came a plate of pide bread. Then came a plate of a bulgar, then came ezme (salsa), then came yogurt with spices. Whew. Then came an enormous salad. When CC arrived, they served us our hot lentil soup. The mixed grill plate was HUGE. Then as if that might not be enough, they brought out lahmucun (see the 3rd photo). There was no way we could eat it all. Then out came another big bread. We packed up the salad and 1/2 the grilled meat to bring home. Actually, no, THEY packed it. It would be considered rude to ask us to pack our own doggy bag. We ended our meal with 2 cups of hot Turkish tea and a bill that reflected only our grilled meat, salad, and soup. Yes, I am sure that the motive for generosity is partially so we will come back. But I also think it is a reflection of the Turks' wonderful gift of hospitality. They WANTED to fill us up. They WANTED us to enjoy their food. And we did.