Turkey had some of the best street food that I've ever seen. Some of it I already knew I loved, some of it I was too afraid to eat, and some of it I only experienced by proxy, via my children.
You can't see the actual spit in this picture, but the rotating roast chicken that is sliced and placed into sandwiches is ubiquitous in Turkey. I actually like the taste of that stuff, but I got sick from it once in Syria and then I also saw a guy with a really hairy back (and no shirt) tending the spit one time and I haven't been able to eat it since. Too bad, since it is delicious and cheap.
One thing I did love was the also-ubiquitous watermelon. If anything keeps me from buying watermelon on a regular basis here at home, it's that I hate trying to find a good one, and then slicing it properly, and then cleaning up the mess and finding a place to store the leftovers. HASSLE. It was heaven to have these random Turkish dudes do all of that for me.
Roasted chestnuts, mmm. Who knew that was a real thing that existed outside of a song? These were more atmospherically appetizing when we were in Istanbul during the winter of 2004, but it turns out they taste pretty good on a warm summer evening, too.
Popcorn, cooked over a coal fire. Yum.
More watermelon.
We stumbled upon this guy one afternoon in Sultanahmet park, near the Blue Mosque. I asked him what the heck this stuff was, and he gave the girls a free sample. They were hooked, and we went back as often as could for the rest of the time we were there.
But guess what? I still don't really know what this stuff is. Some kind of taffy, maybe?
Fresh-squeezed orange juice.
Notice the wheeled cart on the right foreground. These carts were also everywhere - they sold some kind of ring-shaped sesame bread. They were cheap, but not super delicious. Maybe you have to get them fresh for them to be really good.
Turkish delight! A Narnia fan's dream come true.
Ice cream cones were a big hit, and in Istanbul at least, you could find them for one lira, which was fantastic.
Ugh, then there were these dreadful snack kiosks that sold many varieties of chips and creme-sandwich biscuits/cookies, and that's IT. I only grimace at the thought because there were too many times on our trip when this was the only food available. Still, these Hello Kitty chips were a nice break from the monotony - we only ever saw them at this one kiosk, and Magdalena couldn't stop talking about them.
More assorted food kiosks in Sultanahmet Park.
But guess what? I still don't really know what this stuff is. Some kind of taffy, maybe?
Ah, corn on the cob, boiled or roasted. This was a favorite of Miriam's.
Hooray for yummy street food!