A TURKISH TEA TRADITION

A TURKISH TEA TRADITION

Just like a slow cooked stew, the coffee is constantly stirred and fussed upon while every one participates in the social activity of taking a coffee break. It is no more a simple sipping of the brew but a immersive and collaborative experience of the entire process. Finally, the brew is always served with a side of clear water and Turkish Delight; a balance of sweet and rich, bitter washed down with water as a cleanse.

Performed as such a ritual, the experience of coffee represents many things from friendship to welcome to gratitude to warmth.

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Seville, Spain - Harmony of Religious Polarity
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Seville, Spain - Harmony of Religious Polarity

Spain has weathered (and continues to) several intensely fascinating and bloody turmoils in her long and tumultuous existence! Religion and Politics – the spices of any war have played an especially heavier hand in this area. Perhaps, that is indeed reflected in their cuisine – Bold and Fiery!

Yet, in Seville, one of the oldest cities in Spain, I witnessed a form of co-existence and even resonance; religious, between Islam and Christianity. The city carries this Islamic heritage in the stunning Alcazar, which, along with the Cathedral built much later and in the closest proximity that these two religions are ever seen, dominates the landscape of the city. Set against this brilliantly rich history is a city that today pays harmonious homage to its past through architecture, food and culture. Seville is a perfect spot in Spain, and even Europe, to get a powerful experience of the influences of various cultures in European history! There is no better place that reflects the Moorish and Roman with such equanimity.

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