My lunch friend

Today for lunch, we ate tavuk şiş (pronounced: tahvuk sheesh) which is chicken grilled on a skewer. It is our favorite Turkish meal so far. You can find it at almost any local restaurant. It's cheap (about $4!) and delicious! I think the reason the chicken is so tasty is that it is marinated for a long time before it's grilled. The seasonings are olive oil, pepper paste, cumin powder, dried mint, and paprika. The dish is also served with fluffy pita bread, rice, and vegetables. Try this at home...you won't be disappointed.

During most meals here, if you eat outside, your every move is watched by surrounding neighborhood cats who wait hoping you will drop a piece of food on the ground. Cats are everywhere, and today was no exception. At one point during the meal, I reached under the table cloth to get my napkin and felt what I thought was a paw touch me. I pulled my hand back and looked under the table and didn't see anything. I asked BC to look as well, but neither of us saw anything under the table. A few minutes later, I decided to reach under the table cloth again and when I did I was again "pawed." I stood up and lifted up the table cloth and there sat a cat on the chair beside me staring at me. I started laughing and the restaurant owner came over and BC pointed at the cat and said "Arkadaş," (pronounced Ark-a-dah-sh) which means friend in Turkish. The owner shooed him away but not before I snapped this picture of him.