The Turkish Breakfast Club

This week we have our very first cross-pod collaboration as we got the chance to talk with the wonderful women behind Hayriye and Huriye's Dissertation on Turkish Pop Culture. On their show, they offer up hilarious and knowledgeable breakdowns of Turkish pop culture, past and present, through the eyes of two Turkish-Australian fans. In our conversation, we found out how they've managed to stay so in tune with their cultural roots from so far away. It involves a possibly dodgy Turkish bootleg...

This week we are wading into some controversial territory as we take on the topic of yogurt. For some, that may seem like a ridiculous statement. But questions about the best ways to eat yogurt, who makes it best, and where it comes from are all hotly debated in Turkey and across the region. But what is indisputable is how central yogurt is to Turkish cuisine. The word yogurt itself comes from the Turkish word yoğurmak, with a soft G, which means 'to thicken' or 'to curdle'. To help us...

Outside of Turkey, the name Zeki Müren might not ring a bell. But inside the country, he is one of the most beloved cultural icons who rose to fame as a singer in the 50s and has remained widely popular even after his sudden death in 1996. He is known as the 'Sun of Art' and has been compared to the Turkish version of David Bowie, Freddie Mercury or Liberace, because of his flamboyant outfits that included platform boots, mini skirts, sequined capes and feather boas (Seriously, if you...

This week, we're shaking it up şekerim by taking a look at Turkey's obsession with the Eurovision Song Contest. With its strong musical culture, Turkey has proven we could be the same as other powerhouses in the competition. But after a string of top 10 performances, including Sertab Eraner's win in 2003, Turkey suddenly withdrew from the competition in 2012. For the past 10 years, Turkish fans have dreamed of once again being 'Under the Same Sky.' Begüm from Eurovision Turkey -- an...

This week's episode will hopefully hit home with a lot of you. I've talked a lot about my experience as a Canadian expat who has spent most of my adult life outside of Canada and has chosen to put down roots halfway around the world in Turkey. My guest this week is Erkan Çakır [prono: ehr-kahn chuh-ker] and he has done the same but from the opposite side: After growing up and finishing university in Turkey, he moved to Canada, where over the past eight years he has slowly built up a...

Moving to Turkey was one of the best decisions of my life, but it was filled with a lot of challenges as I learned how to setup and settle into a brand new life in a completely foreign country and culture. One of the invaluable resources I still use to this day is Yabangee.com -- a play on the Turkish word yabancı, which means 'foreigner' or 'stranger'. The website is filled with thousands of helpful articles about life in Turkey, from practical guides and advice columns to a full on...

Hayırlı Ramazanlar! This year, April 2 to May 2 is Ramadan, the ninth and most sacred month of the Islamic calendar. I've mostly known it as the time when Muslims around the world fast from sunrise to sunset. But my guest this week explains why it's so much more than that. Sevde is from the Center for Cross-Cultural Communication, a group of volunteers that offers workshops and tours to better understand Turkish and Muslim culture. She invited me to their beautiful historic mansion just...

The hijab has become a political lightning rod recently, which has perhaps made some people shy about asking any questions, for fear of stirring controversy or offending the wearer. But our guest this week, Efnan Han, has very graciously agreed to not be offended by any questions and guide us through both the basics and intricacies of wearing a headscarf. On top of being very patient, Efnan is also a news presenter at TRT World and the first hijabi woman to present news on any international...

Studying history enables us to develop a better understanding of the world in which we live. But what about our herstory? According to our guest this week, there's still surprisingly little known about even the most famous and powerful women in Ottoman times. Professor Gülhan Balsoy teaches the history of women, labour and medicine during the late-Ottoman period at Istanbul Bilgi University. She helps us dive into the archives to understand the female figures who shaped society over the...

At every march and protest I've been to in Turkey, I've noticed there's always been a strong presence from the transgender community. It's maybe no surprise since they are constantly forced to fight for their rights, not only for equality but also just to be recognized and respected in public spaces. To understand more about what life is like for trans people in Turkey, my guest this week is Arya Zencefil -- a trans activist and a fellow podcaster who hosts the show Trans Saatler, or 'Trans...

Tekrar merhaba everyone! We took a bit of an extended summer/autumn/winter holiday, but we're back now with what we'll call 'season 2' of the podcast. And we're coming back in time for International Women's Day, which is on March 8th. This will be my fourth year spending this day in Istanbul, and during that time I've seen everything from huge raucous rallies filling the city's central Istiklal Street, to women being pepper sprayed and batoned by police. That range mirrors daily life here...

Our guest this week is Karin Johansson -- and by the time you hear this episode she will have swam 6.5 kilometres down the Bosphorus Strait as part of Istanbul's annual cross-continental swimming race. The Bosphorus has been treasured for centuries, as part of the crucial connection between the Black Sea with the Mediterranean, and the natural border dividing Istanbul between Asia and Europe. For those of you who are keen to swim the race too, Karin has some pro tips for training and...

As the 63rd Süper Lig Turkish football season gets underway this week, huge crowds of fans are again taking over stadiums and streets to show their love for their team. But this week's episode isn't for them. It's for those who aren't such devoted followers of the game. We asked Patrick Keddie -- the author of 'The Passion: Football and the Story of Modern Turkey' -- to explain how non-fans can get into the storylines, even if they don't love the sport. From war-time resistance and gun...

Given the situation in Turkey right now, we thought we would take a break this week. You could of course take the time to catch up on our past episodes. But we also encourage you to read up and reflect on some of the other stories happening right now around Turkey: The wildfires that have reduced massive stretches of natural habitat along the southern coast to ashes; the murders of more women through domestic violence; and the struggle to keep people vigilant against the latest Covid...

Now more than ever is the time show our gratitude and respect for nature. Our guest this week is Kate Clow -- the creator of Turkey's first ever long-distance trekking route, the Lycian Way. In this episode, she guides us through two thousand years of Roman road history and offers some helpful tips for those of us who have NOT hiked that many mountain ranges over the past year. Please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @TheTurkishBreakfastClub.

The Summer Olympics are underway and so we are getting sporty spice for this episode. Before I moved to Turkey, I had no idea professional volleyball leagues existed. But not only is there a highly-competitive international club circuit outside of North America -- Turkey's women reign supreme in it. Turkish clubs have won more world championships on the ladies' side than any other country in the world, attracting the best players and biggest crowds. Which to be honest, is a bit...

Gara Guzu is the literal black sheep of Turkey’s beer scene. The craft brewing company was founded by married couple Akgonca and Ataç Besi in 2011. Despite challenges from the big brands and the bigger government, they're proof that thinking outside of the box/barrel can change an entire drinking culture. For more updates and to share your own drinking stories, please follow on Facebook or Instagram @TheTurkishBreakfastClub. Bottoms up!

In Turkey, fortune-telling (aka 'fal') is both a cultural tradition, a social pastime, and a form of therapy. In this episode, we're spilling the tea -- or rather the Turk kahvesi grounds -- with Kaan from Symbol Cafe in Beyoglu. He'll take us step-by-step through a coffee cup reading and explain some of the other age-old superstitions. Most importantly, he'll teach us how we can protect ourselves from that infamous Evil Eye. Please subscribe to the podcast and follow us on Facebook or...

WE'RE BACK! After months under lockdown, and then a nightly curfew, Turkey has lifted most of its Covid restrictions on businesses and group gatherings. But are you ready to get back out into polite society? Do you still remember how to be social, or polite? To brush up on some of the basics, we've brought back our favourite Turkish teacher, Didem. She'll remind us about some of the etiquette we may have forgotten over the past year-and-a-half of quarantining at home on our own, and the...

Homosexuality has never been illegal in the Turkish Republic. And yet to this day, holding a picnic, waving a rainbow flag, or expressing your identity out loud can draw a violent police crackdown. This week -- the last week of Pride Month -- we talked to Öner Ceylan from Lambda Istanbul. They were the first LGBTQ+ organization in Turkey and have led the charge to give queer people in the country both a safe space and visibility. To support or join them, you can check out their website...