20 Skills Every Yabancı in Istanbul Should Have

To be a true yabancı, there are certain skills you have to master…

1. Become a teaholic. Drinking copious amounts of black tea is an established liturgy in Turkey and without this skill you will never truly integrate. Çay is the true Turkish social pillar for every occasion: when you get together with friends, during breakfast, after each meal… Become a çaykolik and appreciate the tulip-shaped glass, the intense dark color, the bitter taste and above all the ritual of enjoying it in good company.

2. Deal with queues like a boss. The two basic options to survive queuing in Istanbul are either to have infinite patience to stand the unnecessary ‘double queues’ and teyzes pretending they didn’t see the queue, or you can become the smart-ass in the queue and give people a taste of their own medicine. I wrote in length about it before here.

3. Master the extreme sport of riding public transportation. Riding the Metrobus is the closest you will ever be to becoming a sardine; the metro is like a live version of musical chairs; riding a dolmuş (shared taxi) in Istanbul is like urban rafting; riding a taxi is often like being in a Formula One race; and crossing the Bosporus in a ferry is a gorgeous experience that you shouldn’t miss. Live them all and survive to tell about it.

4. Traffic jam meditation. Istanbul has some of the worst traffic in the world. Patience is a virtue when it comes to moving from points A to B in the city. Seemingly few people use their turning signals and preference often goes to the one who honks their horn the most. Be laid back. Breathe in, breathe out. An hour between two points its acceptable. If your commute takes more, thank God for podcasts (like these ten I recommend to you in my previous article).

5. Türkçe Öğren. You are going to have to learn Turkish sooner or later. At the level that you want. If you study and actually put some effort on it, after six months you should at least be able to have minimum survival skills (buy bread, ride a dolmuş…). A year in you should be able to comfortably order in a restaurant and have meaningless chit-chat with your waiter. After a year and a half in you should be able to understand the main topic of your group of friends’ conversation. After that, it is up to you. Everyone has their own method (Tömer, private classes, watching Turkish soap operas, getting a Turkish boyfriend/girlfriend). Pick one, be consistent. These are my favorite five Turkish words. And here is what you’re up against.

6. Admire Atatürk. The founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, is almost unanimously adored by Turks. And if you read a bit about what he did for the country you’ll probably agree that he was an iconic figure too. Ne mutlu Türküm diyene (‘How happy is the one who calls themself a Turk’) is a sentence that will bring you together with any Turk anywhere.

7. Accept hospitality. Remember when in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Indy and Willie receive food from a group of villagers? She rejects it but Indy presses the point that they should accept it, even if it’s too generous. In the same spirit, Turks are incredibly welcoming into their homes and you better accept the amazing over-hospitality of teyzes as they will offer you crazy amounts of food several times until you give in.

8. Enjoy rakı sofrası night. Meet rakı, the Turkish national drink, an aniseed-flavored alcoholic drink that transforms into white liquid when water is added and then is called  Lion’s Milk. Meet mezes, the absolutely delicious Turkish tapas. Join them both at a long table with friends. Add a loud restaurant, live Turkish music, people singing and dancing on the tables at the end of the night, and you’ll have one of the best night activities in Istanbul.

9. Adore street food. It is no exaggeration to say that Istanbul is one of the best cities in the world for street food. In a city that doesn’t sleep, the offers are overwhelming, from islak hamburger (wet burger) to kokoreç (lamb intestines sandwich) to midye dolma (stuffed mussels). The list goes on and on. Be brave, try them all, and make your favorite your after-party meal to go. Here I give you some crazy pairings.

10. Know your breakfast. Equally important is to know that in Istanbul breakfast (kahvaltı) IS the most important meal of the day, and you must know where to go for breakfast during the weekend. Turkish breakfast puts to shame any brunch with its amount and quality of products. If you haven’t yet tried bal kaymak (clotted cream and honey), then amigo what are you waiting for? And you can find great places for breakfast in every neighborhood and they increase every day. Go hunt them down and brag about them on Instagram.

11. Be open to culinary differences. Yogurt as a sauce, yogurt with water and salt as a drink (ayran), tea instead of coffee after lunch, squeezing lemon in your soup, sour food (turşu) and sour drinks (şalgam)… Many things will be different from what you do and eat in your culture. But you are here to live the Turkish experience, right? Try them all and adapt as many as your taste buds permit.

12. Appreciate Turkish music. Turkey has great classic music (Orhan Gencebay, Müslüm, Tanju Okan…) and the new generation is coming in strong (Kalben, Zeynep Bastık, Evrencan Gündüz…). Listen to them, go to the many concerts that Istanbul has to offer, as well as learn to ironically love tacky Turkish pop video clips.

13. Know your Turkish movies. Turkish cinema rocks. Generally. These are my 5 favorite ones.

14. Watch Turkish TV shows. Because Istanbulites talk about it after every week’s episode. Because they are conquering the world beyond Turkish borders. And because you have may options from funny to cheesy romantic to mafia world.

15. Yapacak birşey yok. It translates as ‘There’s nothing to do/be done’. Overall, Turks are extremely resilient but can appreciate the subtleties of accepting the less than ideal. Then add to the mix a touch of sarcasm and it makes for many an ambivalent occasion and unique perspective. Having experienced their fair share of hard times, you can learn a lot from the frequent resignation of, ‘Look I tried, it didn’t happen/they screwed me, there is nothing I can do except to make fun of it, them, and myself’.

16. Be prepared for the Big One. It is coming. You know it. You heard about previous instances. For the last 15 years, they’ve been telling us that another big earthquake will happen in the next 15 years. Learn what to do in these situations. (Check out a great Yabangee article here). Then learn to live like nothing is going to happen.

17. Bargain. Indirim is the word that will help you save money. But don’t try to bargain in a Mavi or your supermarket, you dum-dum. Do it at a bazaar, when renting a flat, or when calling an usta to repair something at home.

18. Be prepared for the unprepared. You may have noticed it already, but planning and punctuality can be a bit more laid back at times. Be ready to adapt, to graciously wait, and to change plans at the last minute.

19. Respect the traditions, rituals, and protocols. Even if it’s all in good fun. Kiss the cheeks of your friends. When appropriate, kiss their hand and then bring it to your forehead for your elders. Say kolay gelsin for those you see working. Turkish society is a respectful society and it’s a good chance to show just how much you’ve integrated.

20. Be an explorer. Discover your favorite hidden corners, quiet spots, and terraces by the Bosphorus. Go to the European seaside for fancy places. When you get tired discover the Asian side, less ‘in’ perhaps, but more authentic and full of corners to admire one of the best sunsets in the world.

Did we forget any? Please let us know in the comments.

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This article was first published in November 2019 by author Santiago Brusadin.