Turkish Friendliness

The most interesting thing in Turkey must be, as judged from the questions it gets and the attention it attracts, the person of the visiting tourist. Turks are curious people, especially the children.

I saw it back in 1971 when I worked in an Istanbul bank and it again amazed me these days: how they all keep a polite distance to the stranger in their midst, a great formal respect and nevertheless a charming openness towards him and a fine and noble way of keeping themselves proud of their own person, their heads and minds high up all the time.


Turks also have a natural talent to serve. I love the way in which the waiters in a restaurant or tea shop serve their customers. Some of them may be school boys, I guess it from their age and from the often casual things they wear. In smaller shops many of them are not professionals, maybe they are working for their family. In general, many shops here look a little bit over-employed, you almost never see just one man working alone, he would always have one or two companions as if labor was a thing you have to share compassionately with your neighbor.


The boys and sometimes girls serve you well and have a good look for what you need. But they are never devout, never showing you that you are from a better class, only because you can by afford to buy the things that they serve.

They keep a straight tenure, they look as if they love themselves, be aware of a hidden dignity in everything they do. You never see them roll their eyes about a nervous customer or reply impolite if offended - a typical German waiter's disease. They behave as if their own professional quality is a value above all others and beyond every doubt.

Turk be proud, work and trust! is one of Atatürks famous words. When I saw the noble looking and fine featured young man in Șanlıurfa cleaning the men’s restroom without the faintest visible awareness of doing a “low work” I had an idea whome he was following. Maybe he will be the town mayor 20 years from now.