Dining Out

Rob only has about 6 people in his entire workshop, so it's not uncommon for everyone to socialize in off-duty hours. We were invited to tag along to a restaurant not far from home called The Wild horse Saloon Restaurant" on Sunday. We happily accepted and showed up at the designated place and time. The drive out to the restaurant was short and scenic, and we were there in no time. The owners of the restaurant came and spoke to everyone individually, and then led us to our table. All of the tables for this place are outside in covered pavilions, so we had complete privacy and room for all 16 or 17 of us. They handed us menus, and then took our drink orders. Now, the Turkish are known for their hospitality, and strangers will invite you home with them for dinner. Nikki ordered iced tea, and the rest of us ordered water or sodas. One of the guys in Rob's shop is married to a Turkish national, and she's really nice (we were sitting next to them, as we've quickly become great friends), well after everyone else had their drinks, Nikki still didn't have hers. We waited patiently, but after still no drink, it looked like she had been forgotten. The spouse asked the waiter where he drink was, and he replied to her that they had been out of tea, so they went to the store to buy some more. Now, any other place would've simply said "I'm sorry, we're out", but then again, they're not in Turkey. Shortly later, she had her drink firmly in hand.

We all placed our orders, and waited for the food to come. Apparently in Turkey, dining is a luxurious experience that's not meant to be rushed. Salads came out first, and a local favorite is tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and cilantro in a vinaigrette dressing. I hate tomatoes, but I love that salad!! We had also ordered french fries for everyone to snack on. Those came out and we asked for some mayonnaise for dipping. The ketchup in Turkey is really sweet, and I don't particularly care for it. After some time, our entrees came out, and we were all but quiet for a short while. Nikki ordered a chicken kebab (which they always take off the stick before they serve), I ordered a dish of chicken with cheese and tomatoes, Rob had lamb chops, and Brice had some type of chicken dish. Nikki has also ordered cheese bread, so after we all sampled what everyone else had, we were stuffed.

The restaurant has a playground for kids, but then it goes the extra mile with a horse round with two horses on a lead, and a small zoo of monkeys. There was plenty to see and do for the little ones, and the bigger ones simply enjoyed the conversation. Before we knew it, it was 6:30 (we got there at about 3:30) and we all paid and left. Two of our friends had asked us if we wanted to meet them on-base at a Turkish cafe' for dessert, and we enthusiastically agreed. I practically live across from this place, and I had no idea it even existed!! How crazy is that?? We went in and everyone tried something different. Brice had the pistachio baklava, Nikki had chocolate ice cream, Rob had candied almonds, and I had orange flavored Turkish delight. Yes! that stuff that Edmund loves in "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" is abundant in Turkey (I know, go figure). What I didn't know is how many flavors it comes in. There was orange, pistachio, almond, and even rose flavored. I got a small box of the orange, and it was wonderful! We ate, and then made plans to travel this weekend with our friends. All throughout the day, I didn't have my camera on me, but I will definitely take it this weekend! I'm not sure where we're going, but it's gonna be great!!!