Turkey In Focus - Discover Turkey: Experience the Best of Turkey - page 701

Turkish meze platter
CLIVE STREETER/GETTY IMAGES ©
Etiquette
In rural Turkey locals usually eat two meals a day, at around 11am and in the early even-
ing. In the cities three meals a day is the norm. Most Turks eat with a spoon (kaşık) and
fork (çatal), and rarely with a knife (bıçak) .
In restaurants, it's not considered important that everyone eats the same courses at the
same pace, so dishes are delivered when they are ready: it's normal for all the chicken
dishes to arrive and then, five minutes later, the lamb. You don't have to wait for every-
one's food to arrive before eating.
Turkish waiters have a habit of snatching plates away before the diner has finished.
Saying 'kalsın' ('let it stay') may slow them down. If the waiter does not take your plate,
say 'biti, alabilirsin' ('finished, you can take it').
Try to avoid blowing your nose in public; sniff or excuse yourself if you need to do
this.