Popular bread waters down ethno-political, cultural disparities
Ethnic and traditional leanings aside, Turks and Kurds unite for one thing.
For either of the ethnic groups in Turkey, chilly winter morning and summer evening tea means little if served without a snack. Hold on, calling this crisp, circular bread a snack may offend many here. This indispensible pastry is called simit.
Hussein Shiraz, 22, runs a bakery – Simit Evi Shop – on an Üsküdar street near Istanbul’s Marmara Sea. Popularity of multi-flavored sesame-studded simit helps this 15-member family from southeastern city of Sirnak make both ends meet.
Unlike most shops in metropolitan Istanbul, the bakery has an English-speaking proprietor and a scarf-wearing account. Shiraz developed interest in English language since his secondary school days which he now perfects at the Kadir Has University where he attends graduate progam in international relations.
As Shiraz personally welcomes tourists in the busy street to savor freshly baked simit, his indifferent scarf-wearing sister Shirene focuses on her high school homework. When the shop gets crowded, she pours Turkish tea in cups. Popular songs of Tarkan play in the background as an Italian family enjoys simit with cheese, tea and good company.
Tradition, modernity and multi-culturism displayed at cozy Simit Evi Shop have been hallmark of rising Turkey.
“To keep the atmosphere friendly with a lone visitor, I share stories and legends associated with simit,” says Shiraz in a strong voice.
However, he offers no extra attention to a local in his bakery. "Turks cannot live without simit. And when they get it with tea, they need no company".
Price for one simit can vary anywhere between 50 kurush to 2 liras depending on the locality and flavor.
Elders and children alike can be seen carrying a simit and rushing to catch a bus or train. Fragrance of freshly-baked crispy bread envelops food markets in the early hours of day.
“For all the right reasons, Turkey chose simit as national food for 2010, the year when Istanbul served as UNESCO’s European Capital of Culture,” says Shirene in her broken English.
Sold everywhere in Turkey, simit islike a bagel but softer inside, a little sweet, and covered in sesame seeds. Often available in chocolate flavor, the crunchy bread erases divides of rich and poor.
"People love often the classic one but some love to change their taste too, so we add cheese or chocolate,” he says.
Hussein came four years ago from a far city in the east of Turkey to Istanbul to help his brother and feed his 13 brothers and sisters beside the old father and step mother who live in their city, Sirnak.
"My father is a construction worker but he is old now. So I have to help my large family," he explains to a query about 12-hour long shift at work. His younger brother substitutes him three days a week as Shiraz attends university classes.
While Shiraz’ brother manages to sell more than500 simits a day, expenses of rent, gas and electricity bills are much higher than ever before."We have to pay 9,000Turkish liras every month in rent" Hussein says with a worried face.
He concludes, “Life is not easy in Istanbul, you have to work 24 hours to live here".
Over the years, inflation has grown up to 8 per cent; with government refusing to lower taxes on petroleum product which remain the world’s highest.
Though Shiraz likes the family business, yet like any youth of his age, he desires an easy life and happy friends.
Being 10-minutewalking distance from home, he saves some precious liras every day for not having to avail public transport.
Official figure of Istanbul population resting at 14 million does not include non-registered internal economic migrants.
"I believe they are more than 20 million people in this historic city," says the young man.
Shiraz who grew up with a harsh step-mother says nothing stops him from educating his young brothers.
"Regardless of the fact that my life is getting more difficult, I am satisfied that all my siblings are studying,” says Shiraz.
Despite having a Kurdish name, Jiwan, he uses Hussein Shiraz in the wake of discrimination at the hands of some nationalists Turks in Istanbul.
"I don’t use real name as we may lose lots of some customers here," says Hussein while maintaining restraint in expression.
Amongst about75 million people in the country, Kurds are the largest non-Turkic ethnicity, estimated at about 16% to 18% of the population. Southeast region of Turkey remains relatively underdeveloped, thus feeling of deprivation prompting armed struggle since the 1980s. So far the Kurdish militant group, PKK, has claimed over 40,000 lives in act of terror.
On the other hands, local Kurdish politicians are criticized for using their language in official capacity. Recently, dozens of Kurdish youth, who demonstrated in anti-government protests, have been jailed for supporting the PKK.
Though at a slower pace, things have started to change after the Turkish government launched its first ever state-owned Kurdish language television station. And recently the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has indicted an initiative to correct things the relationship between Kurdish and Turks in turkey.
Shiraz favors a political solution to the Kurdish problem instead of a militant one. Like most Turks, Germany is his favorite country in Europe. He dreams to earn a Master degree from a German university as his relatives live there as well.
“In the end, I want to settle in my city, far away from expensive and politicized Istanbul,” he says, as Shirene nods in consent with her brother.
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