Nevmekan Sahil — Intricate Explorer

Today a baked potato changed the way I think about life.

It all started in Ortaköy, a small neighborhood tucked away in Istanbul. The area is famous for two things- a mosque and a row of build-your-own baked potato stands.

Quite the combo.

However at the time, I only knew about the mosque. Build-your-own baked potato stands were simply a figment of my imagination- a far-fetched idea echoing in the outer limits of my subconscious mind. A dream that could never be observed in real life.

The mosque- uniquely named Ortaköy Mosque, is a beautiful temple along the Bosphorus Straight. It’s the real reason we were in this part of town, despite it being the middle of the day. See, sometimes as a photographer, I have wild dreams that popular tourist destinations will be well lit and empty in the middle of the afternoon.

This dream never comes true, yet I continue to pursue it for unknown reasons.

So, despite the mosque’s unparalleled beauty and stunning bridge backdrop, the mid-day lighting was atrocious. I’m talking about throw-up in a bowl of soup, eat it, throw it up again, then eat it again atrocious.

I decided to keep my camera in my bag. And I swear the thing let out a sigh of relief- but before I could process that, Alara jumped in. “You know… are you hungry?”

It’s a question that gets asked on a fairly regular basis, and almost always has the same answer- “Yes.” One of the many perks of working out like a rabid animal.

She swiftly replied “Follow me.” Alright. Her town, her rules.

We walked a couple of blocks, weaving through a steady pattern of souvenir and tea shops until we eventually landed upon a row of tents. The owners noticed us walking by, and immediately started shouting. Since they were yelling in Turkish, I couldn’t understand a word of what was going on. I shot a confused glance at Alara, but she just burst out laughing.

I looked back around, trying to piece the puzzle together. They were all food stands, and they all appeared to be selling the exact same thing. Baked potatoes.

The only thing that differentiated them was a small collection of posters and flags that were hung up outside each one. Each poster contained elements of pop culture- ranging from Snoop Dogg to up to Sonic the Hedgehog.

The owners were frantically waving their hands at these posters, seemingly hoping one of them would click with us enough to get their business.

The screaming only got more aggressive as precious seconds ticked away. No one else was on the street, and all eyes were on us. And I’m not gonna lie, I froze up. There had to be 20+ people yelling at once.

Eventually we chose the lady right in front of us, out of sheer convenience. The other tent owners groaned disgustingly, and she smiled back at them with glee.

What a way to live.

My stomach suddenly growled as I finally processed what was right in front of me. A baked potato stand. A build-your-own baked potato stand. A novel concept that had somehow not made it to America yet.

The owner grabbed a hunk of a potato out of the oven, scooped out its insides, then blended it with cheese and butter like she was making ice cream at Cold Stone. Then she plopped the insides back in the potato, and asked what toppings we wanted.

Lord have mercy on my soul.

With my mouth already watering, I pointed at a range of toppings- including but not limited to; sausage, black olives, jalapenos, pickled cabbage, corn, and hot sauce. There were also some other toppings that I had no idea what they were, but I threw them on anyway. Fuck it, we’re in Turkey.

Like I said at the start of this post, the potato ended up changing my life. Drastically, some might say. Immeasurably, others might claim. But one thing is for certain- that potato was damn near heaven on earth.

With our stomachs settled beyond content, we moved on to our next adventure.

Something inside would have to do, because the light hadn’t gotten any tastier. And some place quiet, while we’re at it. I’d have enough yelling for the next decade.

I opened my Google Maps, and we ended up settling on a place called Nevmekan Sahil, a contemporary library across the river.

My camera squeaked with anticipation. Now it was his time to eat.

Upon entering, the aesthetic of the library felt like the complete opposite of what we’d just encountered. This place was neat, modern, and filled with sophisticated people researching sophisticated things.

Here’s an example of a hallway, for your viewing pleasure: