Hayit Buku, Datca, Turkey
 

The following was also printed in my last book.
reprinted here by popular request (well...... one person asked for it)

HAYİT BÜKÜ, DATÇA

I gave away a spare rib recipe under the shade of the trees reaching towards the sea. Eser fed two cats and two kittens before lounging on the beach. The food on and inside the oven in the kitchens, prepared for the so far unseen visitors, started my mouth watering. Stuart drifted towards our table as a British flag appeared at the tip of the peninsula.

It was probably the same calm on the beach before the pirate ship turned into the harbour so many thousands of years ago.

The owner of the restaurant is the only remnant of that pirate ship. She is possibly the aging captain who decided to take over the looted restaurant and instructed her offspring or maybe the first mate to follow the family profession.

I think she has two maybe three separate menus with different prices, one for pirates, one for traders and tax men, and possibly one for travelers misguidedly trying to make it to Cnidos before the occupying hordes reach it, or the earthquake destroys it.

There were also some mathematicians and one or two famous artists in Triopia who used to visit this cove. Unfortunately they passed away during last summer’s heat wave because of the lack of nearby healthcare.


Ahmet C. Çelebiler

October, 2008