I have met such wonderful people in my year teaching here in Konya. Like many teaching positions, it is not the money, but the experiences, that fill the pockets. I enjoy the corollary moments outside of the classroom which build me as a person. One of my students, a lawyer, invited me after class to have "tuz tavuk", which is salt-baked chicken. It is prepared by taking a whole bird, giving it an egg wash, and some spices, then packing it in rock salt. The salt becomes like a clay shell, holding the heat while it bakes, and, I suppose, providing a stasis between flavor and over-spicing--the steam produced allows the salt to penetrate but not overwhelm the taste in the meat. (It wasn't salty to the taste--surprising!) I got to meet his two children, and his law partner, and staff. They were interested in his mastery of English, which is good--and in me, my story, my travel, my experience with Turkey.
The day was beyond any value anyone could have paid me. It was a priceless, wonderful day.
