“Sometimes you just wonder how the Turks don’t take care of themselves!” – This is how a traveler described the habits of locals in Turkey in her Yandex.Zen blog, listing seven points of their pernicious addictions. Having lived in the republic for more than a year, the tourist realized that many locals have the same habits, as the younger generation inherits them from the older ones.
First, the tourist stressed that the Turks eat a lot of bread. A small family buys at least five loaves and eats not as a snack with main dishes, but uses rolls as fast food: cut lengthwise, put cutlets or fish, add vegetables – and eat at once. According to the traveler, the eating behavior of the Turks may be an echo of poverty in the past, when everyone lived in poverty and bread helped to eat. The situation reminded the girl of the “hungry 90’s” in the CIS countries: the famine passed and the habit remained.
Secondly, the Turks do not know moderation in food and eat every time. Each meal is a whole feast: meat or fish with carbohydrates, plus soup, salad, of course bread or pizza and dessert. All this is fatty, fried and sweet. “It is not surprising that there are so many obese people in Turkey,” the author wrote.
Third, drink cola. Literally in every refrigerator of a Turkish family you can find “a battery of coke or other soda, which is firmly established in their daily diet – this is the fruit of large-scale advertising of the manufacturer in action. And children used to drink it instead of water. “Add to that the habit of eating a lot of bread and overeating – and you’ll understand why there are so many ‘sluggish’ school-age children in Turkey,” the blogger said.
Fourth, fast food is abused. Retail outlets with cheap food and free delivery are found in Turkey at every turn, so the usual homemade food is not often prepared in the country.
Fifth, try food in the markets without fear. “In Turkey, it is considered normal to go to any store and try fruit or vegetables,” the girl was indignant, because in the conditions of covid the habit of eating dumb causes a “slight shock”. At the same time, the sellers themselves are offended if a tourist refuses to taste, for example, cherries.
Sixth, watch TV around the clock. As the blogger noted, “no nation watches TV so often.” Men watch football, and women watch TV series and talk shows.
Seventh, lead a sedentary lifestyle. Almost every Turkish family has a car or an electric moped – all in order to move on foot as little as possible. “If the route involves more than 15 minutes of walking, they will usually use transport,” – summed up the observant traveler.