Chicago Turkish Festival, May 30 -- June 2, Daley Plaza
Chicago Turkish Festival, May 30 -- June 2, Daley Plaza
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Chicago Turkish Festival, May 30 -- June 2, Daley Plaza
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Post #1 - May 28th, 2007, 7:42 amChicago Turkish Festival, May 30 -- June 2, Daley Plaza
10 am -- 6 pm.
I'm surprised to see this event scheduled for the beginning of summer. We went to the last one, held in September; Antonius has pictures and commentary here:
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=9953
I hope to get to the festival this year to try the ice cream I missed out on last time, the ice cream from Maraş made from ground orchid roots and goat milk. The food offerings we sampled last year were quite good and you can shop for Turkish coffee sets, Turkish olive oil and sea salt, and even some non-food related items if you like.
Oh, the whirling dervishes are pretty cool too!
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Post #2 - June 2nd, 2007, 8:24 amI went to this yesterday. Had kofte from Cousin's, which was good, and hunkar begendi from Turquoise, which wasn't (wasn't even hunkar begendi, actually -- they seemed to be out of eggplant and the cook decided that a couple of beef kebabs were an appropriate substitute; questions resulted in a shrug and a barrage of Turkish).
Some other stuff looked good, including the offerings from Cousin's vegetarian cousin and the doner sandwich from the place from Milwaukee -- anyone try that? Took a pass on the soggy-looking lahmaçun.
No sign of the orchid ice cream, although crappy vanilla and chocolate cones were going gangbusters, along with ... cotton candy??? Did enjoy the asure (a pudding with nuts, chickpeas, raisins, etc.), but I'm easy for stuff like that (nicely rose watery, too). Kadayif was pretty nice too, and the coffee was decent (and served in real cups).
I guess today's the last day. I wouldn't make a special trip for it, but if you're in the area you can have a pretty good lunch.
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Post #3 - June 5th, 2007, 2:29 pmNo dervishes, no orchid ice cream, but I still enjoyed the Turkish festival. I missed the performances and the only ice cream was Homer's but I liked the coffee (and gratis almond cookie) very much.
Some of the food looked tempting but I'd eaten elsewhere shortly before. In the festival brochure there was a list of area Turkish restaurants including one unknown to me: Tanelli's at 5806 W Fullerton. I decided to pay a visit that evening only to find a thoroughly Chicago-style pizzeria. Really nice people but if you're looking for Turkish food you'll be disappointed. Tanelli's is owned by a Turkish family and in the past they have prepared Turkish food for the festival but none is served at their pizzeria.
Those wishing to see the Whirling Dervishes will soon have a second chance. I noticed the following in the summer brochure for Millenium Park.On the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the great humanist, mystic, poet and theologian Rumi, UNESCO has declared 2007 as the “Year of Rumi”. Well-known vocalist Ahmet Ozhan, a leading interpreter of Rumi’s songs, will make a rare appearance in the United States, performing with his 40-member music and dance ensemble, followed by an appearance by the Whirling Dervishes of Turkey. The free performance takes place in Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion at 6:30pm on Thursday, June 14. The performance is presented in cooperation with the Consulate General of Turkey in Chicago and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey.
Mawlana Jalal ud-din Muhammed Rumi was born in Persia in 1207. A prolific writer, he produced major works of verse and prose which have transcended cultural and ethnic borders throughout the centuries. Rumi also founded the Mevlevi mystic order, commonly known as the “Whirling Dervishes” and created the Sema rite, a ritualistic sacred dance to symbolically seek the divine truth and maturity. Rumi’s message of love, peace and harmony among humanity continues to resonate with people around the world.
Since an early age, Ahmet Ozhan has been considered an exceptional singer and a leading representative of the Turkish classical Sufi music tradition. Today, he is a celebrity in his country and a well known leader of Sufi music concerts throughout Europe, the US and Middle East. In this concert, he appears with his 40-member music and dance ensemble.