Türkiye has a nomadic imprint on the country’s culture, whether it be based on people’s different heritage or the rural-to-urban migration over the past 100 years. Similarly, for expats, many Turks don’t live where their roots are. Turks appear highly adaptable to moving around and dealing with difficult situations. I believe these, including many other highly admirable Turkish traits, are cultural nuances derived from their inherent nomadic mindset. This is how Turks excel at enjoying life to the fullest.
In Türkiye, many times situations just occur, but people happily go with the flow. Turks don't complain when something breaks downs, is delayed, or simply doesn't work according to their plan; whereas for many a Westerner, not sticking to a schedule or some unforeseen obstacle in a situation could ruffle people’s feathers. Turks deal with situations calmly to handle whatever comes their way and try to make the best out of situations.
Turks enjoy spontaneous occurrences. They will stop to have tea, chat or even play "tavla" (backgammon) at the drop of a hat and wholeheartedly welcome long adventures whenever the opportunity knocks at their door. They don’t mind if plans change and accept the fact that people can cancel plans or might be late at certain times. Timing can be a sort of guideline here rather than a specific meeting time as Turks accept that sometimes things just happen that can derail plans.
Turks are notorious for being last-minute holiday bookers. They tend to not plan well in advance when it comes to planning vacations. Most times, a decision may be made spontaneously to embark on an adventure and most Turks will be mentally and physically ready to just drop everything and hit the road.
Turks are known for their hospitality among foreigners, but that same generosity is also extended to one another, especially in the form of doing things together. Turks love to eat with others, travel together and socialize in groups. It is par for the course if you invite people to a get-together that extra uninvited guests possibly tag along. Most Turks would welcome this occurrence with open arms and would not bat an eye if suddenly a stranger or friend-of-a-friend appears on the door steps uninvited. The same goes for traveling places and sitting together at cafes, one could easily join a gathering of strangers as it is certainly accepted and even encouraged here.
The hospitality extended by many Turks can include invitations for guests to stay the night or to visit their hometowns and family homes. If you take them up on their offer, you could end up sleeping on one of the divans, which is a type of sofa seating in traditional homes that can easily double as a guest bed.
As these invitations are extended, they are also accepted in return. I have seen many Turks easily decide to just spend the night at a friend’s home. Whereas for more Western foreigners such as myself, having an overnight stay might feel like an imposition on others and an unnecessary hindrance to my schedule. But for Turks, it is more about the comfort of falling asleep when it’s needed.
When things get on their nerves, Turks tend to socialize. Especially in earthquakes, and other natural disasters or catastrophic situations, Turks unite to fight together. They will pitch tents and set up picnic-style seating to wait out the aftermath of earthquakes and in wildfires, they will come out in throngs to see how they can help. If someone has fallen sick or if there is a demise in the family, Turks will pay their respects. And I don’t mean just immediate family members, the visitors could be almost anyone from acquaintances to neighbors to local vendors, just showing up to offer support and condolences.
Turkish cuisine is revered for its splendor as much as its health benefits. Being a Mediterranean diet rich in produce, pulses and healthy fats, Turkish food is arguably one of the healthiest cuisines. Besides, Turks eat ingredients based on when they are in season and it almost doesn’t get any better than eating healthy and feeling good about it. The year-round staples such as tomato and red pepper paste are prepared in season and stored in the pantry to be consumed in the fruit and vegetable off-season months. In other words, while most meals are made from fresh seasonal produce, even the pantry items in Türkiye are prepared from ingredients picked at their prime.
The Turkish dinner table and many meals comprise home-style spreads in which dishes are placed in the center of the table and everyone scoops out what they want from the vast choices of food. Even Turkish breakfast is more commonly served as a spread in which people share the same dishes as appetizers such as mezes. This differs from the more customary preparation of piling food onto people’s individual plates, a style more commonly practiced in the West. In Turkish culture sharing food is quite common as Turks rarely eat alone.
