We are at a resort on the Mediterranean, one of those all inclusive deals popular in Europe. Lots of Germans and Russians here, besides Turks. At poolside are women in headscarves, fully dressed in long skirts or pants and tunics, sitting next to their husbands and children who are in swimsuits. Playing next to them are prepubescent Turkish girls, topless, a sight you’d never see in the States. And next to them are retired couples, drinking raki at noon. All these Turks at this resort are bucking tradition, which dictates you go back to your home-place to honor and visit your relatives.
There is a commercial (for a chocolate company) on t.v. here that aims at this guilt, showing a nuclear family driving to a bayram beach holiday. They see a billboard advertising chocolate, and how happy their elders would have been to see them. So the husband turns the car around, away from the sunny vacation, back to family. But the writing’s on the wall.
No comments:
Post a Comment