I don’t know about you, but as a child my mother admonished me about playing with my food. Little did I know I would grow up to be a food writer, food lover, and pretty fair home cook who enjoys nothing more than playing with food, attempting to create unusual but palate-tempting combinations.
Besides, playing with your food is fun when you’re a kid. Or an adult as this video of a Turkish ice cream vendor attests. As the comment at the YouTube channel observes, “This Turkish ice cream man has gotten the act of trolling down to an art. His tricks combined with his delicious ice cream always attract a crowd in Istanbul.”
Invest the minute or so it takes to watch and you’ll understand why.
By the way, should you get the chance to visit Turkey, don’t miss sampling Turkish ice cream. Known as dondurma, the cold confection is delightfully chewy. (If that sounds weird, you’re probably suffering culture shock.) Street vendors in Istanbul make a show out of pulling and stretching strands of dondurma, much like saltwater taffy.
Sadly, the lone location I was aware of in New York that sold Turkish ice cream — Lezzetli Mediterranean Ice Cream — appears to have closed its store for good, possibly because of COVID-19. For what it’s worth, the company still maintains a Twitter page.
