Understanding Turkish People (2024)

Understanding Turkish people can be a real challenge, if you haven’t experienced even Mediterranean culture before. You might be wondering why this girl is not letting you go while hugging and insisting on kissing your other cheek as well or why those men at the restaurant offering you tea for free all the time. Well, I can assure you that they mean no harm. The more you immerse yourself in Turkish way of living, the fewer questions you will have.

• Let’s start with something very basic: Turkish people are quite touchy. We kiss people on both cheeks, though we’ve just met or just pinch the cheeks of some random babies in strollers. It’s common to see men walking with linked arms or greeting each other with kisses as well.

• Touch is not the only sense that Turkish people like to improve. We also enjoy sense of taste. It’s no surprise to hear that Turkish cuisine includes a lot of meat, but there are also a lot of vegetable dishes cooked with olive oil. Contrary to what you’re probably thinking right now, it’s not for living healthier. It’s because our ancestors needed some dishes to eat along with rakı! It has a very special culture, so I’d rather tell about it in a different post.

• Family is one of the most important things in Turkish culture. It refers to unity and honour. Turkish families are usually quite extended, which actually affects also the language. We have different words for sister or brother of one’s mother and father. If she’s wife of one’s uncle, the word differs. We even have distinct words for husband of sister of one’s wife and all. As a native Turkish speaker, I don’t even know some of those terms to be honest.

• If you have a problem, tea is always the answer. Literally, people always suggest each other to drink tea whenever they have a problem. Cold and freezing? Tea. Hot and sweating? Tea. Couldn’t wake up? Tea. Couldn’t sleep? TEA!

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• Turkey is one of the most tea-consuming countries. It’s like madness, especially for those from Black Sea region, the northern part of Turkey. Such families turn the heat on of çaydanlık (Turkish teapot) in the morning and turn it off only before going to sleep.

• Turkish people love it when a non-Turkish person even tries to speak Turkish. Although you make mistakes or use wrong words, they always encourage you. When you make a full sentence, they just get so cheerful, as if their 1-year-old has just said “Dad”.

• You can actually use your Turkish skills as a tool of bargaining and you’ll probably manage it. But beware: If you’re a girl and talking to some elder women, their maternal feelings can suddenly arise and they can decide to matchmake you with their son.

• Turkish drivers are fast and furious –and multifunctional. If you take ‘minibus’, you’ll notice that a typical Turkish minibus driver can drive, smoke, drink coffee, receive money and change gears at the same time.

• If jaywalking was a sport, then Turkey would get the golden. It’s not because that we’re in a rush or something. It’s because we love adrenalin! The scene, where both driver and pedestrian hesitate to stop, is way more exciting –and fatal- than any other Tarantino movie.

• And yeah, we like challenging fatality. We check if gas tubes leak with lighter.

• A friend once described Turkish logic of making things happen as “It doesn’t matter if it’s logical/proper or not, as long as it works.” True, true. Unfortunately it’s most applicable when it comes to urban planning or architecture. For example, have you ever noticed that there are no drains on the full-concrete extension of Taksim square, near Gezi Park? Or what if I tell you that I once saw fire escape made of wood?

• Though urban planning is doomed to be nothing more than “good intention” in Istanbul, at least we respect religious architecture –of The Force.

• Have you ever noticed that Turkish people love superlative adjectives? Turkish people, especially politicians, love emphasizing that we have the “highest skyscraper in Europe”, “largest theme park in Europe”, “fastest 3G connection in the world”, etc. It can be related with inferiority complex, as well as some “little” issues. Probably both.
• Some Turkish people, -again- especially politicians are obsessed with old times, when Ottoman Empire used to be a world power or when Turkish clans used to terrorize others. It’s better than org*sm for some to think that Great Wall was built because Chinese were “afraid of us”. Neither Photoshop, nor a scene from a play, this photo was taken during the ceremony of greeting President of the State of Palestine. At first the only logical reason seemed to bethat those time-traveller guys on the stairs were extra bodyguards of Erdoğan in disguise. Turns out, those 16 soldiers on the stairs represent the 16 greatest Turkish clans of all time. Erdoğan. Thug life.

• Last but not least,there might not be many inventors from Turkey, but people are quick-witted here. According to a Turk, there is always a short-cut to make things happen. For instance, it’s an old trick to use coins made of ice for vending machines or using TL coins instead of Euro ones. Unfortunately EU found it out and it doesn’t work any more. But I’m pretty sure, some Turk out there is trying to find another trick right now..

A post by Melis Memioğlu