Basket Commerce

Life on our little street in Cihangir is really quite fascinating for the girls and me. It's much more engaged with the neighbourhood than life in Canada or America. The first thing I noticed about our apartment was the huge windows, and that they (shockingly!) open right up - practically opening up a whole wall to the outside world (even though we are on the third floor). And that's exactly what happens - windows open and close all day long around here. Children call up to each other when it's time to leave for school. Grandmas lean out their windows and inspect the goings-on of the street. People hang their laundry out. People selling simit (like a bagel with sesame seeds) wander down our street, calling out "Simit! Simit!" and you just shout out your window if you want one. Two days ago there was a busker playing the accordion, looking hopefully up at the windows for flying change...

I am still trying to get a video of my favourite phenomenon - buying things directly from your home. Presumably, an order is placed via telephone or internet. A man will come along from the local bakery/convenience/grocery store, with the requested item(s). He calls up, and a window opens. A person waves and then lowers down a basket or cloth bag on a rope. The seller collects the money, and places the merchandise inside. The basket or bag is then pulled up to the window. Transaction complete! I even saw a woman pay BY CREDIT CARD the other day, as the seller had a swipey thing on his iPhone. Of course this tradition probably dates back to a time when women could not leave the home very easily without the accompaniment of a man, but now it's firmly part of the culture and it's interesting quirks.

Check out this street near the spice bazaar (photo below). The building structure and windows are fashioned so that not only could the people inside see out, but they could see UP the street to see the sellers coming.