Raki Bar is a place to play chats out, take Yeni Raki, a typical Turkish drink with 45% alcohol content is special for sad moments or moments that friends need to share important matters. We went with a Turkish friend, Onur, who we met in Belgrade, Serbia to feel the Turkish culture and know some typical foods and the table of Raki. Besides him, I was with Pedro, a Brazilian travel companion and with a German that we met at #bunk hostel.
First, he negotiated the table, because usually in these places they normally do not bring a menu and you will negotiate more or less the value of each dish and ordering the appetizers.
We first tried Zeytinyağlı Yaprak Sarması a roll of vine leaves stuffed with rice and then a turkish cheese and some special sauces.
We learned some traditional rules as the youngest is responsible for serving the Yeni Raki to the people at the table. Another rule was related to cheers, glasses should be positioned according to age, indicating a sign of respect. That is, the youngest should cheers with the glass one level below and the oldest with the glass one level above.
The drink is mixed with water to not get so strong and it gets a white color as soon as it is mixed.
Later, some musicians began to arrive. Usually if they choose your table, you should contribute. They chose the table next door which had a group of girls. The first time they played were sad songs, later they returned and played more joyful songs.
I found the music very good and they played a lot of time, so I contributed generously with 10 Turkish Lira, which is about 3 EUR. In the end we still closed the evening with a Turkish beer, Turkish tea and a strong Turkish coffee. It was a very special day.
Onur, our Turkish friend, made a point of paying, showing great Turkish hospitality. We wait for you in Brazil! Thanks.
