A Taste of Türkiye

I can't remember exactly when. But all I remember was Jeannie's wonderful energetic voice: " Come on Zeynep, let's have a nice day together. We are all curious about Turkish food and culture ." Of course I was very excited about that. I started to think about the events I attended for different countries before. Then we started planning this event with the International Cooking Demonstration Group of the WTIC. However, our program, which we started to plan in 2021, had to be postponed many times due to Covid-19. Almost all activities were suspended for a while. But we knew that these days will pass and we will continue from where we left off. The year 2022 has arrived and the effects of Covid-19 have begun to wane. That wonderful voice on my phone again, Jeannie's wonderful energy was like the first day: "Come on Zeynep, now is the time. Let's start again!! " A year has passed, but the day we have been waiting for has finally arrived.

The Taste

Yes, I know, if you want to promote the special tastes of your country, the food selection process is both difficult and very enjoyable. It's just like your friends from different countries coming to your house. You want to offer them flavors that they will love, and you make sure that this choice reflects your cultural taste.

So did I. My aim was to introduce flavors that appeal to everyone. But in the end, I realized that the list I prepared was a little fluffy. Jeannie was so kind that she turned to her friends and said, "If Zeynep is preparing so much, she must know something. Please add all the flavors to the list. Maybe this will be a lunch party, not a tea party, but I'm sure the result will be wonderful ." Then we prepared a wonderful combination with

Turkish soup, appetizers with yoghurt and special sauce, main courses, rice, rice pudding, baklava and Turkish tea. We served almost every taste, hot, sweet, salty, sour, on our plates. For this, we received special recipes and help from our Turkish chef in our residence.

We also made a short demo of how Turkish coffee and Turkish tea are made. In addition, we sent the recipes of all the dishes we served at the dinner to our guests by email. It was nice to see everyone happy at the end of the meal.

The Activities

It was enjoyable to listen to my husband B erdibek's introductory speech on Turkish culture. My husband talked about Turkish culture and how happy we are in Taiwan. Afterwards, special dance performances were held and traditional musical instruments were played by dear Violet and her team. Violet and her team are from Taiwan, but they know and promote Turkish culture as well as we do. We are proud of that.

On the other hand videos promoting Türkiye attracted the attention of the guests. And we have prepared a special corner to wear traditional Turkish clothes and take photos. Our guests had a lot of fun here.

In my opinion, one of the most striking points of the event was the mini Türkiye exhibition prepared by dear Ayşe at the entrance of the event hall.

Of course I should also mention the lucky draw. In this way, the lucky numbers won their gifts. By the way, this is the part that excites me the most at an event. I've only been able to win one sweepstakes so far. My hope continues.

This event will remain a very good memory for me. First of all, I would like to thank the President of WTIC Jeannie Tien, who proposed this valuable event. I would also like to thank my dear husband Representative Muhammed Berdibek. Thanks to Olivia, Teresa, Dear Violet and the team, my office colleagues, Ayşe, İbrahim and our esteemed guests and friends who held this meeting.

Teşekkürler.

By Dr. Zeynep Dinçer Berdibek Spouse of Representative Turkish Trade Office