Tahini and Molasses...

Traveling from Göcek to Şanlıurfa and back during the first days of the second week of February was quite an adventure. 

The older brother of Şanlıurfa Deputy Mahmut Tanal and TÜLOV Board of Trustees member Ramazan Tanal had been in a traffic accident. He was severely injured. He was monitored in intensive care at the Training and Research Hospital for a long time. After recovering, he was discharged, but he passed away the day after he was brought to Ankara. 

It was quite late in the evening when I heard the news. I researched the flights one by one. The only option to make it in time was a Turkish Airlines flight from Milas-Bodrum via Istanbul. With a quick journey from Fethiye Göcek in my trusty Duster, I barely made the flight. I landed at the Şanlıurfa (Southeastern) airport via Istanbul. Our friend Dr. İbrahim İpek met me. 

It had snowed between the airport and Karaköprü. As I chatted with my friend, whose belly seemed a bit larger than the last time I saw him, asking, "The snow is good for the pistachios, isn't it, İbrahim?" he replied, "Since most of them are in bloom, it does more harm than good." He added, "In the last 20 years, the population of Urfa has increased at least 3-4 times. Instead of the number of apartment buildings increasing, shouldn't the pistachio fields be increasing?" He complained, "Professor, don't look at the Harran Plain! Those fertile lands are overflowing with concrete buildings. Where is the agricultural country? We are even importing lentils from Canada." As I watched the apartment buildings sprouting like mushrooms alongside the shrinking pistachio fields, I went back years in my mind. 

In 2004, I was following the pregnancy of the wife of the Şanlıurfa Police Chief. It was a high-risk pregnancy. I had gone to İzmir on leave. One morning, the phone rang early. The labor pains had started a bit early. The Chief was panicked when he learned I was in İzmir. Upon my promise to be present at the birth, I decided to go on the first flight I could find. I told him on the phone, "Don't worry, I'll make it," and set off immediately. The İzmir-Gaziantep flight had just started. 2-3 hours later, I was at the Gaziantep airport. I went to Urfa by taxi and made it in time for the birth. I arrived in Şanlıurfa from İzmir around noon and brought a beautiful baby girl into the world. That's life! Some come, some go. But here, death was due to a traffic accident. It's like dying for nothing. Living in countries like Turkey is a gamble. May his soul rest in peace. My condolences to the Tanal family. 

He was buried under the rain after the afternoon prayer at the Şanlıurfa Bediüzzaman Family Cemetery. Among the crowd was Tokat Deputy Kadim Durmaz. 

The return was to be from Gaziantep airport again, under the escort of Mr. İpek. While I was waiting for the 23:55 flight after buying my ticket, the midnight flight was canceled due to bad weather conditions. When the other night flights were also canceled, great chaos began at the airport. Objections, shouting, and screaming lasted for hours. I don't know if it was because I was a VIP passenger, but they said a place had been reserved for me at a hotel. I thanked them and said I would go to İzmir. When I stepped outside the airport, the turmoil and chaos were still ongoing. The responsible managers and other employees were not very visible. Shouting and screaming. There was a serious crisis environment. Our people are not well-trained on how to manage social crises such as earthquakes or even fires in crowded places like airports. Wouldn't it be better if crisis management courses were added to the curriculum starting from primary school; if basic training were given to the entire society and future managers? We have never been able to get rid of living day-to-day. 

After a long time, a passenger bus to Adana Çukurova was found, even though it was cold. We departed around 02:00. What do you do in a cold vehicle? I had even tucked my pant legs into my socks. After a 4-hour journey, we arrived at Çukurova Airport. I made it to the SunExpress flight to İzmir in the morning. 

I took the İZBAN from Adnan Menderes Airport and then a bus from Halkapınar to the Bus Terminal. On the return from İzmir to Bodrum, the olive groves of Milas were full of people harvesting olives. I got off at the Milas-Bodrum airport junction, silently but sincerely congratulating the villagers who were trying to finish the olive harvest before Ramadan. After walking for quite a while, I set off towards Göcek with the vehicle I had left the day before. 

When I was eating my soup and tahini piyaz at the Zeynebim Cafe Restaurant in Göcek in the evening, İbrahim İpek asked on the phone, "Did you arrive? I hope your journey went well!" and I recounted my night, flight, and long journey in one breath. Along with his "get well soon" wishes, İbrahim celebrated my Berat Kandili. With the warning "Ramadan is coming, be careful, protect yourself," he said "bon appétit." I also conveyed my wishes for him to take care of his health. 

The tahini piyaz was delicious. So that the wishes for health wouldn't be just empty words, I extended the conversation. I suggested, "Tahini piyaz is a local dish of Antalya and the Teke Peninsula. İbrahim, don't leave tahini off your table during Ramadan, or even every day." When he asked "Why?" I continued without dragging it out too much. "Tahini is made from sesame. Tahini contains plenty of glutathione (not gluten). Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant. It ensures that toxins that oxidize in the body and are harmful to the body are transported to the liver and excreted. It strengthens the immune system. It prevents ailments of many systems, especially the digestive system. It delays aging. It reduces insulin resistance. If you have diabetes or a belly, add half a tablespoon of molasses to three tablespoons of tahini. If you are not prone to sugar, you can mix two tablespoons of molasses with three tablespoons of tahini. Prepare tahini and molasses in a one-to-three or one-to-four ratio. Especially if it is mulberry molasses, it contributes more to your daily energy. You will overcome fatigue and daily stress more easily. My last point is that it supports sexual strength in both men and women," I added. 

Excuse me. The journey was short, but my writing was long. Sometimes I lose the thread. I wish patience to those who read it. Health is the foundation of everything... 

Beware of traffic monsters!...

Prof. Dr. Nurettin DEMİR