Going home each year is a very important event on our calendar. It gives us a chance to see face to face all those people who we have only connected with on FB, email, Skype and on the telephone. Staying in touch is problematic, because out of sight is out of mind from our end and for friends and family in Canada. So it's wonderful to have the opportunity to go home and reconnect.
With going home in mind, the dinner table conversation lately has been about the food we're longing to eat. We get all the food groups here. The produce in particular is second to none. We all have our Turkish favourites too.
However, we are all looking forward to food from home. Ham and bacon are on the list of course. After 2.5 years, we've discovered some in country sources of bacon and Cam has a work colleague who brings us ham sausage from Ukraine. The kids are all looking forward to pizza. There's a pizza place in Gelibolu and we ate frozen pizza from the grocery store today, but it doesn't look or taste like home. It has corn on it for one thing! Cam would like a steak I think. Steak is available here, but you have to be on good terms with the butcher or he'll pound it flat while you're distracted. Sam would really like Mini Wheats once we get home. He still eats cereal most days. There are usually only three choices at our local grocery store: flakes with strawberries, plain flakes or round brown "chocolate" flavoured balls. Last week I found some bags of Cherrios at a different grocery store. They don't taste like home but they're a change. I'm looking forward to a bag of Cheezies ...
It'll be good to go home to touch base with family and friends, but I know it won't be long until the kids and I will be craving one of our Turkish favourites . . . pide anyone?