Local Market

Parked up by to a vegetable stall, next to a sack of shallots, is an ancient, green Renault that’s been transformed into a mobile repair shop. An old man sits in the boot. Shoes off, one leg is folded under him, and the other is hanging out the car but resting on a wooden peg that’s been propped up in the road expressly for that purpose. The man is bent over the mechanics of a little pocket watch on a miniature, makeshift workbench. Now ruminatively, he considers a screw. His vehicle is cluttered with boxes, and tools, and batteries and dials, and little bits of clockwork machinery.

This is why we hesitate to call Kalkan’s weekly market a farmer’s market. The fresh local produce and tasty food-stuff is most definitely why many shoppers visit. But, organic edibles aren’t all that’s on sale. A pile of triangular, twig brooms sits in the road. No one’s quite sure who’s minding them. Between the olive vendor and the guy who sells condiments, molasses and honey, is another makeshift stall. Sat at an upturned wooden crate is a man with skin brown and leathery from the sun. His wares consist of reused bottles of various sizes, filled with what appear to be oil. And what’s that pleasant aroma that’s just reached our nose? A little, old village lady is rolling out gözleme, while her son cooks the traditional, savoury pancakes on a hot, metal plate. Gözleme is ideal market food. It’s quick, easy to eat and hits the spot while you’re shopping. We’re also fascinated by the process of preparation. This no-nonsense grandma wields her rolling pin with dextrous skill. And she has no time to stop for idle chit-chat or smile for a photograph. There’s gözleme to make and a queue of hungry shoppers to feed.

Here’s a word that might come in handy while you’re browsing for a bargain: çakma. It means counterfeit, and there’s a whole lot of it. We notice the ‘designer’ towels next to the spice stall first. They’ve got everything from ‘Harrods’ to ‘Lacoste.’ Our running joke is that they’re real designer but fake towels. So are the hoodies, and the sunglasses, and the ‘Bench’ t-shirts. With the joking aside, they’re usually decent quality, and well worth the prices you’ll be paying if you’ve got a sense of humour and no hang-ups about this sort of thing.

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