Şeker Bayram and the Honeybees

In just about an hour Ramazan will come to an end and the 3 day holiday of Şeker Bayram (Sugar Holiday) will kick off. Traditionally the young visit the old, kiss their hands and touch their hand to their forehead and the older folks give the younger folks candy. All the stops are pulled out and desserts, tea, khave and special treats will be spread out in living rooms throughout Islamic Asia. It is a delightful few days of visiting and being visited.
Big Mama-Boss upstairs (Gulten)has been cooking until 3am the last few days and sampling her treats is first on my list. I was able to talk my way into Gulten's kitchen last night and take a few bites on a test drive before she shooed me away.

Rounding up the Strays

With so many sweet shops in Istanbul most Turkish women will buy their Baklava pre-made...Being the difficult guy I am, the holiday wouldn't be right without Ann's homemade Baklava. Today while she was cooking the honey for the topping we entertained hundreds of honeybees who must have been drawn to the scent of the honey. They flew in through the kitchen window at first, but when we closed it they found their way in thru the kid's bedroom windows...within minutes we had more than we could count buzzing thru the air down our hallway enroute to the kitchen. An hour's work later they had been rounded up with a spoonful of warm honey and sent on their way.
Bee Lasso