Turkish coffee houses : Çay ocağı
Even the smallest Turkish village has its coffee-house or kahvehane, where men can talk, drink tea, coffee, and play the national game of backgammon "Tavla". In many parts of Turkey especially, men can still be seen smoking their water pipes "Nargile" in these kind of coffee houses.
Turkish coffee houses were not just places where people puffed on water pipes and lazed around. They were hubs of social life where people gathered to listen to music, poetry and songs, to converse, and to discuss religious, economic and political topics. Indeed it was due to the latter that various excuses were found to close down the coffee houses on several occasions over the centuries.
Coffee houses were of several types. First of all there were the local coffee houses in each neighbourhood, simple establishments where the members of the community gathered, and those in commercial districts used by the tradesmen of the area.

Turkish tea ceremony :
When you wake up in the morning in Turkey, your first thought is to enjoy a tiny glass of ruby tinted tea. The day goes on, and after lunch it is time to chat over more tea. Then around 5 o'clock in the afternoon comes tea accompanied by crisp simit rings sprinkled with sesame seeds with white cheese. Tea is an important part of Turkish daily life, as it is in Britain, China and Japan.
The most widely consumed drink in the world, tea is made from the tender leaves at the tips of the branches of the evergreen plant Thea sinensis or Camellia sinensis. There are three principal varieties of tea plant, Chinese, Assam and Cambodian, and many hybrids produced from these.

Gönül
Ne kahve ister
Ne kahvehane;

Gönül
Dost ister
Kahve bahane.

(A Turkish proverb)

P.S.
Can anyone who knows literary English, translate this Turkish proverb into English language?

This is my try=

Gönül
Ne kahve ister
Ne kahvehane;

(My heart never want coffee or café (serving only coffee, tea, or soft drinks);

Gönül
Dost ister
Kahve bahane.

(But my heart wants a friend only ; coffee is an excuse)

(A Turkish proverb)

The heart wants neither coffee nor a coffeehouse
The heart seeks a friend; coffee is just an excuse!

Your translation is literary, good.I don't like every translation.

As you know well, "want" and "seek" are very different concepts according to the soul of Turkish language meanings..

As you know well,
Every body never become a good translator or interpreter.
He/she should have 15 years experience and background on this occupation.
Shoud have a graduate from the university,
a close interest with the worlds novels and poetries and press mostly,
a good knowledge and command of 2-3 scientific languages,
an intellectual viewpoints,
a good reader,
an ability for writing.

In that case, I'll never make a good interpreter

becoming good translator or interpreter is not free.Big cost.

You cannot find a large number of adequate translator or interpreter, intellectual level, in the world press and literature , unfortunately.

So true!


The view that culture and intellect go hand is dated. Art should be enjoyed by everyone.

Yes AEnigma, you are right.I agree with you.
As you said too many of the greatest artists and poets and scientists of our time had a very limited educationas.
Like van gogh,leonardo da vinci, picasso, Salvador dali,Thomas Edison, Tolstoy,Mayokovski, Hemingway,John Steibback, Jack London, James Joyce, Franz Kafka,Albett Camus, Villiam Faulkner, Virginia Woolf, chopin, Amadeus Mozart, beethoven, Giuseppe Verdi,etc.
Yes they are creators, producers.

I wanted to talk about the world translators and interpreters.This occupation requires intellectual level knowledges and 15 years experience and background and talent and viewpoint and overview with a literary knowledge of language.At least three languages you need to know.It is very hard occupation like critic and reviewer...

also Hemingway did well at school,well he did not graduated due to his will to be a soldier failed by his eyesight but at least he became war correspondent

Yes you are right.
They were not professors in the university.
But they were producers and creators for humanity art, literature, music, science and culture.
Being an university professor is not professional background, but educational background.

Natural ability without education has more often raised a man to glory and virtue than education without natural ability.
- Marcus T. Cicero

Gönül Ne kahve ister
Ne kahvehane;

Gönül Dost ister
Kahve bahane.
i like this proverb,thanks Yilgun
we say the same meaning in arabic too

Merhaba MarioninTurkey, I have talked about general topics.You are not in the question.I am sorry for that.
I know you are a marvelous literature and book lover.Literature, art, books are your life.
Scientists say "She/He who loves novel and poetry is an intellectual and cultured and good person"...
You are a precious "Abla".
I of course respect you and your background because you are a marvelous book reader and experienced translator and interpreter for years.

Just teasing .... thanks for the lovely words. Here are some for you!

Thank you so much, MarioninTurkey...