Tuesday 19 February 2008

i have been interviewed by emma in



merkal2005 Interview with Mert. The Meeting Of Two Continents.

emmaalvarez: Tell us something about you.

merkal2005: My name is Mert. I am from Istanbul, Turkey. Born in 5

March 1974. Graduated from Istanbul Technical University as a naval

architecture. Since 1998 i work for www.maerskline.com in Turkey. My

profession is Marketing. I discovered blogging in 2006 December. Since

then i am blogging daily. I like writing a lot, i believe this is the

best way for me to express myself. Words don't come easy, like solving

a puzzle. I like that feeling...

emmaalvarez: Mert, what can find the readers in your blog?

merkal2005: My dear readers can find everything related to Istanbul

and Turkey in my blog. Currently my blog is telling about my life in

Istanbul. Soon i am going to post about my internet income as well.

emmaalvarez: What can people find in Turkey that they didn't expect?

merkal2005: Turkey is often called "the cradle of civilization," as it

has been home to a rich variety of tribes and nations of people since

6500 B.C. Hattis, Hittites, Phrygians, Urartians, Lycians, Lydians,

Ionians, Persians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks and

Ottomans have all held important places in Turkey's history. Ancient

sites and ruins throughout the country attest to each civilization's

unique character. Plus Turkish hospitality is world wide known.

emmaalvarez: Surprise us with the recipe of a turkish food (easy,

please).

merkal2005: I am not a good cook, i found this from a website

especially for you Emma :)

Stuffed eggplants, Ingredients

6 eggplants

400 gr. ground meat

1/3 glass rice

2 tablespoons margarine

2 onions

2 tomatoes

1 lemon (juice)

1/2 tablespoon salt

1 bunch parsley

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 glasses water

Peel the eggplants in lengthwise strips at 1 1/2 cm intervals.

Depending on their sizes cut accross into either 2 or 3 pieces and

remove the insides of each eggplant.

Put the margarine and the chopped onions into a pan and saute until

the onions are tender. Add washed rice and 1 glass of water, close the

lid and cook for about 10 minutes over moderate heat. Remove from

heat, add the ground meat, salt, black pepper, the

peeled-sliced-chopped tomatoes and chopped parsley, mixing all

together for about 5 minutes. Stuff the eggplants with this mixture,

place in a pan and cover with a plate. Add 1 1/2 glasses water and the

lemon juice and cook over moderate heat for about 40-50 minutes.

Remove from heat, place in a serving dish and serve.

emmaalvarez: I saw your blog has increased popularity very much at

great speed. How have you achieved such a success?

merkal2005: Thank you so much for your kind words Emma. I don't feel

that i meet my targets yet, but if my blog is accepted as a successful

blog by quality bloggers like you, than i feel very happy. I usually

post 2-3 articles a day, i spend sometime in Mybloglog to be in close

contact with my audience. I am a curious person and i hate staying in

the same place. Personal improvement has always been number 1 priority

in my agenda. I like to add value to other's lifes by sharing my

experiences.

emmaalvarez: Your blog focuses mainly in Istanbul. What makes Istanbul

different from other cities in Turkey?

merkal2005: Istanbul is a city between Asia and Europe. So it is a

mixture of two continents. A very cosmopolitan city which has recently

become so popular. Apart from this there are 15 million people are

living in Istanbul. Most of the business centres are in Istanbul.

emmaalvarez: What are your future plans for your blog?

merkal2005: I plan to find a sponsor to arrange a blogger's meeting in

Istanbul. I can't think of a better place in the world for such an

organization. Istanbul is a city where the East and the West meet.

Let's meet where the continents meet!

merkal2005's Page Authors Page: emmaalvarez

powered by Peopleized!


No comments:

eXTReMe Tracker