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Aug

Rendezvous à la Turk

by Joyce McGreevy on August 27, 2018

A young Turkish American girl celebrates her heritage at the Turkish Arts and Culture Festival in Monterey, California. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Derya Bolgün, age 10, welcomes you to the Turkish Arts and Culture Festival
in Monterey, California.
© Joyce McGreevy

A Cultural Festival Calls Forth Memories

You won’t need sugar in your fincan kahve (cup of coffee) this morning. Şekerpare, a delicate cookie made with semolina, almonds, and love, delivers the sweetness. So, inhale the rich aroma and galvanize your senses with robust brew. If you closed your eyes, you could be in Istanbul.

But you’re at a Turkish cultural festival in Monterey, California.

Pastries like Sekerpare and irmik helvasa connect Turkish Arts and Culture Festival in Monterey, California to the author’s memories of Istanbul. (Images © Joyce McGreevy/ Ceren Abi)

Is baklava Turkish or Greek? Depends on whom you ask. Şekerpare (center) and irmik helvasa (right)
reflect culinary traditions of Turkey’s Ottoman Empire.
© Joyce McGreevy (L)/ Ceren Abi (R) Read more...

Joyce McGreevy Comments

Crossing Cultures/Language & Culture/Turkey/USA

Aug

Memorable Moments: Let’s Have a Word

by Your friends at OIC on August 20, 2018

Let the wordplay begin!
© ThinkStock

It’s no secret that here at OIC Moments, we love language! And with a name like “OIC,” our passion for language includes the love of using letters and words in amusing ways. While we give our bloggers a well-deserved break from putting words together (as they so adeptly do), we hope you’ll have f-u-n with our favorite wordplay posts from the past.

Wordplay: The Power of One Little Letter

Word lovers—find an “Oh, I see” moment when a change of just one little letter turns a word into a surprising new word. This post also includes a free download word game! Go to the post. Read more...

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Wordplay

Aug

Nature Watch: California Sea Otter Savvy

by Meredith Mullins on August 13, 2018

A California sea otter, reminding us to be on nature watch to protect them. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Protecting the Southern Sea Otter

Who wins the coveted “Most Adorable” award in the marine mammal yearbook year after year?

The California Sea Otter—hands down (or paws up, depending on your perspective).

If you travel to the California Central Coast and look to the Pacific Ocean or its estuaries (or visit the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium), chances are good that you will see some playful Southern Sea Otters. And you’ll fall in love.

Meredith Mullins 4 Comments

Nature Discovery/USA

World Views: