8 Signs You Were Born and Raised in Turkey

3. You kiss old people’s hands even when you’re not supposed to.

In Turkey, when you greet elderly people, you kiss their hands out of respect. It’s not an obligation, but sometimes this tradition imposes itself, like when you forget to do it and you feel a hand touching your nose. If you are kid, you try to avoid doing it or you usually roll your eyes and do it as fast and unwillingly as you can and while your parents nag you about it. When you grow up, it becomes a reflex that you tend to do it to all elderly people, wherever you are.

4. You can (somewhat) tell someone’s fortune.

Some Turkish people have a special gift. They can tell you about your life and your future simply by looking at the pattern inside your Turkish coffee cup. Some take it seriously, while others, like me, do it among friends just for fun. Fortune telling services are offered in certain cafés when you order Turkish coffee. No matter how superstitious they are, most Turkish people at least know that the symbol “fish” means good luck/wealth and that “teardrop” indicates cheerful news.

5. You own a nazar boncuğu.

Nazar boncuğu (“evil-eye bead”) is a blue glass bead with a symbolic eye on it. The word nazar indicates bad luck or a wicked cursed called upon you. It’s a common, irreplaceable decorative item in Turkish homes. We also attach a tiny sized nazar boncuğu to newborn babies or someone taking an important exam.

6. You are familiar with raki conversations.

Raki is a very special drink for us Turks. Many of the greatest nights out with friends take place around what we call raki sofrası, or raki table. Apart from the essential side dishes like white cheese and melon, the table is often covered with delicious Turkish cold dishes called mezes.

Sometimes when you exaggerate the amount of raki you drink, you’ll hear a friend or your parent say, “Ağzınla iç şunu!” (“Drink it with your mouth”) as a way to warn the drinker to not overindulge. In the wee hours of the night, you may end up having friendly conversations with strangers at the table nearby, talk politics, attempt to save the world, discuss who is the drunkest, and even offer a small bottle of raki to your new friends.

7. Not a day goes by without cay (tea).

Even in 35-degree weather, Turks drink tea. Çay is the first thing that comes after a meal, and several times in between meals. It is often enjoyed in its original glass, an incebelli. Turkish tea is prepared in a çaydanlık which is a two-level pot. In the upper part we put tea leaves, whereas the lower part only contains boiling water helping the tea on top get infused. Turks don’t really like using tea bags. When abroad, the Lipton tea bags are always somewhat disappointing.

8. You throw water behind someone who goes on a journey.

It is a widely common ritual to pour some water behind a car or behind someone who goes on a road trip. The water is supposed to make their journey as smooth as possible. It is often combined with the saying: “Su gibi git, gel,” meaning “Go and come back, like water.” People living in apartments, whatever the floor they live on, maintain this ritual despite the potential consequences. I remember one time, when we were sending a friend off, we threw water behind her car from the third floor and ended up drenching a passerby from head to toe!