How Bazaar!

 i wandered the ancient aisles above the spice bazaar again yesterday. weathered men hauling copious amounts of everything from high-dollar headscarves, to birdfood, to beautifully hand-stitched textiles up and down the crooked streets where no cars go. little old hunched ladies nodding curtly to me as i pause to watch them help their young grand-daughters select which bright, satiny headscarf fabric best expresses them. after a couple of hours of wandering, i found my primary target: what i like to call 'costume row.' influenced by centuries of belly-dance (or, 'oriental dance,' as they call it here) costume design, the shops here are a veritable mecca of costuming accouterments.  sequins, fringe, beads, stones, ribbons, feathers, gold coins, hand-stitched trims of every flavor imaginable. my intention being to purchase a smattering of the selection to bring back to nola for my friends who have already started working on their mardi gras costumes. ran into two guys from miami who were in istanbul for the sole purpose of pricing and purchasing costume supplies for the big carnivale fest there each year. they've already picked out their group theme and have story-boarded their outfits. the sheer scale of retail in this city is truly staggering. its impossible not to be drawn in and hypnotized  by scents, colors,textures.... jewelry, bedspreads, shoes, scarves, clothesclothesandmoreclothes, intoxicating spices, teas, soaps, electronics, fresh glistening produce, rich fabrics.... and the food...mygod the food....i could walk mere steps in any direction and be confronted by carts selling slow-roasted chicken, beef and lamb, cig kofte (a bulgar 'meatball' wrapped in a tortilla), fresh squeezed orangegrapefruitcarrotpomengranateapple juices, stuffed mussels, borek, turkish delight, baklava, so many sweets and candies that i couldn't possibly learn the names of all of them,gozleme flatbread stuffed with potato spinach and cheese, kebab, bakery after bakery....this city loves its food. last week i ate lamb that was hung on hooks and slow-roasted over a pit, by a kurdish family who has supposedly been preparing lamb this way since the late 1800s. tender, juicy, rich, served with yoghurt over flatbread in the shadow of the ancient roman aquaduct. Ahhhh, life.....