Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Turkish Medicine


As a kid I was taught to leave myself a "backdoor" whenever I was expressing my opinions and an awareness of the fact that our thoughts and perceptions can change over time. Dogmatism was not a virtue.
We have benefited from those lessons during our time in Turkey. Over the course of the last two years we have been the recipients of some pretty unorthodox treatments when malaise has struck. Scalp rubs with alcohol, dry coffee grounds with lemon, crushed aspirin in 7/Up, and honey and mint have all been administered with an amazing air of confidence that these folk remedies would clear up whatever ailment had befallen us. In most cases they did.
It shouldn't have surprised me then when Reyhan showed up with a package of freshly culled lamb's hooves to make soup today. They had been ordered "special". It stands to reason that if you have a broken bone in your foot...whatever juice you could leach out of the bones and marrow from lamb's "feet" would be the reasonable treatment.
The cooking is still underway and I can tell by the chatter that they are hoping to tone down the flavor of the bone, skin and marrow. I keep hearing the phrase 'its too gelatinous" being whispered. A fact now verified by Büyük Anne being summoned to help. Funny though...there doesn't seem to be a line waiting to dig in which means its all for me. Giddy up.

4 comments:

Ziz said...

hello, i think there's a mistake. you are talking about lambs hooves but these are pig hooves.

Silk Road Nomads said...

My dear accountant in Ankara, I appreciate your comment, but frankly---You're dead wrong. They are sheep's feet. In our neighborhood you couldn't find a pig or any butcher who would touch one, much less our crew or our neighbors.
Yes, they may look similiar, but these are "koyun".... Thus the value of a back-door like the post says:)
There is no domuz allowed in our home.

Anonymous said...

EWW! I mean Yum! I must say, rather you then me!
brenda

Anonymous said...

hey long time no chat! We would love to see you guys again! Things are happening here and I think you guys prepared us for it! We now live in NC and are prepared to move wherever. Your life sounds so exciting - sheep feet and all!

Living, Traveling, and Wandering on the Far Side of the World

Living, Traveling, and Wandering on the Far Side of the World