market workers line up at Balkan Lokantasi

…the hazır yemek “ready food” restaurant off of İstiklal Caddesi is where I went to lunch today, which I happened upon during my last visit – basic really inexpensive Turkish food that is very vegan friendly, plus it seemed to be where all of the market workers were eating (which is a good sign, since my typical tastes tend away from elaborate dining experiences – instead appreciating any culinary tradition rooted in peasant austerity – like most Italian food for example), and though I wasn’t sure if my recent allegiance was misplaced due to some foreigner naiveté – this afternoon it was validated by the lunch-time line out the door, and today: chick pea soup, okra, eggplant…