We're hitting the road tonight. This probably the single longest period that we have been in one place for about as long as I can remember. Travel is part of the work but I've been fortunate to have assignments here to keep the lights on. I didn't feel like this when we lived on the other side of Penang but now that we're happily ensconsed in George Town I'm finding it harder and harder to leave. The upside is that we'll be back in less than a month. In the meantime, just another set of reasons why I dig this place.
I had the good fortune to work with Ansel Mullins as we ate our way through Gaziantep meeting the Ustas behind that city's best kebabs. The results can be found in this month's Saveur.
Given the depth of the grilling tradition in Turkey to say that an Usta is a mere masters of their trade is a great understatement. The men (all men) we met had nearly all started their kebab careers early in life. They slogged, carrying wood or fetching tea for those that they were apprenticing with. They learned butchery, developed precise techniques,honed their patience and ultimately learned how to run a successful business. As Ansel put it 'a true Usta is a blend of celebrity chef, Zen master and humble servant". So true of everyone we met.
( Above: Usta Ali Gürbüz repurposed a baby carriage which he uses to transport his liver and lamb fat kebabs to his shop near the Gaziantep castle. His day typically starts at four o'clock in the morning where he serves workers and late night partiers).
(Above : Usta Sirvan Payasli of Sirvan Baklava. He also makes a mean baklava (below) served with sheep milk kymak).
(Above : Ali nazik (kepab in yogurt) at Iman Cagcas).
(Above and below : Usta Halil began working as a youth, sleeping in a butcher's shop where he learned the trade. He passes out free lahmacun everyday to kids that drop by his shop).
(Halil and his son, who is now part of the business).
(Above : A young butcher).
( Imam Cagcas is probably one of the most famous kebab restaurants in Turkey. Mr. Cagcas (above) the son of the shop's founder is unphased by the shop's notoriety).
(Above : Usta Ali Gürbüz and his repurposed baby carriage).
Whether from open air shops, street stalls or formal restaurants grilling in Gaziantep is king. At all times of day the air is fragranced with the aroma of the grill.
Probably the best time I have had on an assignment. 6 days cruising through the Aegean with little else on the agenda but food and markets. Check out the article here.
Although things are a little tense at the moment it is good to remember that Turkey is a beautiful country with warm friendly people and well, great food. I am headed back later this week. Just can't seem to get enough of the place.
Check out the journey with music from Mustafa Ozkent.
'Quick, some dude is getting pierced over here!' This is what I overhear as I'm watching preparations for Thaipusam, outside Penang's City Stadium.
I have attended many religious celebrations in my time, some that also involved piercing or similar physical acts of devotion. But I have always avoided Thaipusam like the plague. I figured it would be something like a circus with the devotees placed at the center of a freakshow.
And in many ways my fears were confirmed.
Rarely have I photographed at an event at which common courtesy was so absent. I was pushed and shoved. People who really should have known better (I'm looking at you Mr. 2 D800's) didn't think twice about stepping in front of my carefully framed shot, or on my foot, or even -- much worse -- stepping on the offering a devotee had laid on the ground to get that all important shot.
Yes, it really was the freakshow I had tried so long to avoid.
At one point I really contemplated pulling the plug and getting out of there. But I had committed to a fellow photographer to attend, and I felt an obligation to stick it out. So I did.
My approach was to get close and personal with the devotees. To show them in positions of power. To capture life and color, not just shocking scenes of physical extremes.
In other words, to treat people with dignity.
And I found that as the devotees finished their piercing rituals many of the gawkers moved on and the 'real' Thaipusam began, as participants - families, individuals, friends - made the walk from the stadium to the Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple (Waterfall Temple).
Will I attend next year? Maybe. My uncertainty is due partly to the fact that I don't know if work will take me elsewhere during the festival. But also, I feel that I need to get beyond the obvious, to go deeper and show all that Thaipusam is about.
I need a personal connection to the event -- ideally I would follow a devotee through the whole process from fasting and cleansing in preparation to the day's events and beyond.
After 19 months of renovating a turn of the century shophouse I/we can finally call George Town home. A new project has me digging through the archives reminding me why I wanted to live here in the first place. George Town is a little sleepy, a little rough and tumble, a little wacky and a little beautiful all at once. It's nice to be home.
Seven days of assignment work on the Aegean followed by three intense days of work in Istanbul. A Turkish friend once told me that tea tastes better by the sea. Right-O.
(Above : Nusretiye Mosque, Istanbul February, 2012)
Assignment along the Aegean coast and a stop in Sivas and Tokat. Returning to Penang April 23. Stay tuned to this page for updates on the trip and follow the food adventures over here. See ya!
