Phillip and Rebecca Mefford

afiyet olsun! Once in our first year or two in Turkey we were exploring with a more “veteran” foreign friend. The public bus we were traveling on had a short pit-stop in Adana…the home of the Adana Kebab. Phillip had to get out and track one down before the bus went on its way. Most Americans have heard of “Shish Kabob”, but few realize that they are speaking Turkish when they say it. Şiş means “stick” and kebap means “roasted meat”. So there you go. And in Turkey there is a divine variety of kebap, the most classic of which is the Adana Kebabı. The Adana Kebab ı is minced meat that has been hand molded over a wide iron skewer. This variety of grilled meat has a kick to it, unlike it’s less-spicy cousin, the Urfa Kebab ı . You can try it at almost any Turkish restaurant, usually with a becoming side of grilled tomato and pepper, sumac-soaked onion, and bulgur pilaf.

Grandma bought costumes in the after-Halloween sale. Even though no one really celebrates Halloween here, it at least makes great dress-up clothes! Making a big move means a drastic reassessment of your belongings. There are only so many suitcases you can take with you, and you have to figure out what belongs in those precious canvas boxes for you to stay sane as you set up your new life. And then you have to figure out what you are going to do with the stuff that you leave behind…Give away? Throw away? Store? Every individual and family will have different priorities, but there are two positive notes to acknowledge in all this: First, the process of letting go gives you the opportunity to disengage your identity from possessions. This can be somewhat painful, but also very freeing. Second, once your less-attached, new life is established, you will have a better idea of what you really need and what you really want, and most likely you will be able to get it. Turkey is very