In which I make tea for the mayor

I don’t have too much more to say about our epic day trip, I guess. We pretty much went home and flopped into bed after the train station. It would be hard to top the train station, only ibises could really do it and we’d already done that.
The next day, in contrast, was very quiet and relaxing. Only my advisor and four women were left here, so it was very peaceful. I slept in (until 7 a.m., but time is kind of meaningless since that’s really midnight my time); then I did my usual routine that I haven’t gotten to do since being here of getting up gradually while reading & drinking lots of coffee.
Once fully awake, those of us left tramped over the hill from where we are staying to check out future dig house sites. It looks like we found a good one. Then we went to the “bakkal,” a tiny, tiny little market stuffed with a selection of food, snack foods, toiletries, toys, and even what looked like a box of those little tea glasses that they drink tea out of here. These hold about four tablespoons of tea and are kind of pear-shaped but with a flared top, and they come on a little saucer with a little spoon and a sugar cube or two. I might have to look into getting some to bring home with me.
On the way back, we ran into the mayor who was driving by (who as I mentioned is a big fan of our archaeological endeavours, and who is always popping up everywhere, no matter where we happen to be). He said he’d provide lunch for us, which is good because all we really had was eggs, stale bread, and assorted vegetables (in spite of having visited the enormous supermarket the day before, I guess thinking ahead isn’t really our thing).
Then we went back home, and I chopped veggies for the ubiquitous cucumber/tomatoe salad while one of the other girls made scrambled eggs with assorted vegetables. It was good. Then I discussed my dissertation with my advisor for a bit. If anyone has any ideas on what software might be useful (and how I might learn to use it) to create multiple 3-D models of various city gates, with decorations etc., please let me know! It seems that’s the way the wind is blowing now, dissertation-wise.
A few hours later, the mayor arrived with some delicious chicken-pepper-vegetable stuff and some Coke (kola) and bread (ekmek). Afterwards, remembering the whole tea ubiquity, I thought I might make some tea for everyone. Nobody knew how to use the double-decker tea thing, so I thought I’d have a go of it.
I mentioned my having purchased a double-decker tea thingy the other day. They seemed extremely cute, until I started trying to use one. I put the water in the bottom part, and the tea in the tea cartridge in more water in the top part, and then we all experimented with trying to get the gas stove to light/turn up high enough to actually heat the water. The thing is, the part on top takes forever to get hot because it’s like a foot away from the flame. Eventually, however, I did manage to produce a brown substance that would probably be identifiable to most people as tealike, and came out with the closest approximation of the usual tea equipment that I could find in our cupboards. Everybody drank the tea without too many signs of pain, so I counted it a success.
Today, I was in the kitchen making coffee for myself, and mentioned to the dig assistant director that I’d made coffee for the mayor the previous day. “Coffee?” he asked. “No, tea. With that thing,” I replied, indicating the tea pot thing. “That’s courage, making tea for a Turk,” he said.
The rest of the day was likewise peaceful, and in the evening we watched several episodes of Arrested Development, always a nice way to spend the day. Today I’m doing administrative work in-house. And, it’s my birthday! Happy birthday, me.

One Response to “In which I make tea for the mayor”

  1. Andy says:

    Happy birthday! 🙂

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