The height of cultural insensitivity: a bunch of infidels chowing down on Istanbul’s famous grilled fish sandwiches, balik ekmek. In the middle of the day. During Ramadan. I might as well have ordered a scotch and soda with it.
But with the crazed fish sandwich salesmen near Galata bridge giving me the hard sell, who was I to refuse? I went straight to the madly bobbing fish-grilling boat, handed over my $2.50 in Turkish Lira, and reeled in my simple but delicious wonder (as long as you enjoy slightly oily fish, which I do). Salt and lemon juice on every ‘table’ are typical additions, but I skipped the traditional accompaniment: a pickled juice drink that looked straight out of high school biology class.
