I will travel to Turkiye next Saturday, and I need a little advice or tips please. You see, I met my love´s parents and family (I hope this is a good sign for me) last time, and they were so hospitable and caring. His sister gave me a cardigan and her tea set because I loved çay so much. I really want to take some gifts for them this time, but I won´t have chance to go shopping in Turkiye before I meet them again ( I will meet them straight from airport I think).

 

I considered buying some fudge (a sweet treat from south west England) or some kind of confectionary, but I don´t want to appear like I just bought a ´cheap´ gift, although I know nothing extravagant is expected. Ornaments? Accessories? What is best?

 

Any ideas what I could bring? Should I bring them something from England, and if so, what could I take as a gift? Any advice would be lovely.

 

Thank you for reading

 

 

besides all these discussions, carla, I agree that it is a good idea to bring some local sweets as gift We (Turkish people) love sweets, and we also do take sweets usually as gifts ( I always bring baklava and lokum to my friends ). In addition as mentioned, you can take something that mother can use at home, they love such things (like tea towel or something).

 

Anyway, I am sure whatever you bring, they will be happy

 

 

 

 Ouhhhhhhhhh please be my friend!

 

 

haha OK

But I do only for my friends in Germany, so you should move here first

but nobody would take your clothes, or would take anything without asking

I don´t think Alameda said that her things were taken without asking.

I´ve stayed in several houses in Turkey and have never had to share anything from my suitcase, although some young women I was staying with a couple of years ago, were intrigued to know what was in my suitcase and one of the girls took it upon herself to rummage through my things whilst I was looking for something in it.  However, this may not be a Turkish ´thing´ but something individual to that person. 

Where ever I stay one thing is the same.  I am expected to treat their home as my home.  In fact when I go in April one set of friends won´t be there for part of the time,so I will be the house keeper!! 

  First of all, yes the gift may change if the family is rural or urban, but you cannot decide it according to the headscarf! There are also modern Turkish woman with headscarves...

.....and they like nice small brooches...and people in urban areas have more to choose from. In rural areas shopping is more limited.

 

Soap as a gift or something that you must take with? I did not understand it completely but there are many nice soaps in Turkey, and Turkish people are much more careful about the hygiene than most of the people I have seen (I have seen many actually).

 

That is what I was told....so I´m careful. Soap is a common gift to give in the US, and there are many to choose from. A friend of mine from Bulgaria gave me some fabulous soap. I love fine soaps, as do many others.

and there are not enough safety pins in Turkey?! Actually there are many everywhere. I thinh the same thing about Germany, I have never seen any safety pins sold around, maybe we just don´t see because we don´t know where they are.

 

That was my observation. Everyplace I´ve been to seemed to have a lack of safety pins. It is even an issue in the US. They are very useful and often not available but very handy.

 

And with your idea above I also don´t agree. Maybe that´s what you observed with a Turkish family you visited but nobody would take your clothes, or would take anything without asking  It is not a usual thing in Turkey that people use things communal with the people they newly met; I mean sometimes with very close friends you share your clothes for example, but even in this case you ask for permission. I, personally, never have taken anything form a guest; besides, Turkish people really love giving to their guests, not taking.

 

In the case of a casual visit or a new aquaintence, true, but when you become part of the family things can change....it appears I did not make that clear. This has been my observation based on more than a few visits. The more Europeanized Turks are not like as shareing, I have noticed.

 

Don´t generalize things with the people you have seen.

 

I´m sorry if my observations were seen as an over generalization. I thought I had been more clear. I will try to be more careful in the future.

 

I don´t think Alameda said that her things were taken without asking.

I´ve stayed in several houses in Turkey and have never had to share anything from my suitcase, although some young women I was staying with a couple of years ago, were intrigued to know what was in my suitcase and one of the girls took it upon herself to rummage through my things whilst I was looking for something in it.  However, this may not be a Turkish ´thing´ but something individual to that person. 

Where ever I stay one thing is the same.  I am expected to treat their home as my home.  In fact when I go in April one set of friends won´t be there for part of the time,so I will be the house keeper!!