Souper Trooper!

I was in my favourite pideci (Turkish pizza restaurant) the other night. It's open 24/7, which is handy because the name of the restaurant is '7/24'. It's round the back of the main post office in Kusadasi if you're interested. You can't miss it, it's the one in the middle of the area famous for Turkish street walking prostitutes and directly opposite the hotel specialising in Ukranian 'escorts'. Just follow the transvestite hookers on mopeds (you'll probably hear them shouting selected terms from my 'random obscenities list' before you actually see them).

Once you've found the place, take a seat and browse the menu. They seem to have gone a bit more upmarket since I was last there (hence the scribbled and updated prices). Even the owner has shaved off his moustache, thus dragging himself into the 21st century (unaware that moustaches kinda came back in fashion with Earl).

Now a soup joint is kinda like a kebab shop in the UK. It's a place where piss-heads go to end their night. A little sustenance to sober them up enough to fool the copper that pulls them over for driving down the promenade naked.

Things can get a little lively at times and the owner has been known to reach for his baseball bat to calm a dispute. But, if you ask me, it's got to be the best soup and pide in town. I honestly recommend it.

So what kind of soup gets a Turk salivating after a heavy night on the Raki? Take a look at the menu below. It starts fine but swiftly goes very wrong. If this doesn't sober you up, not much will...

Random Turkish Fact #4

Turks consider it rude to blow your nose in company. They will take themselves off to a secluded spot to clear their trunks. A good old British raspberry into a hankerchief at the dinner table is met with glares of disdain. Be warned.