Dinner with “Has Baldızlar”

We had already made the permanent move to the USA when Aylin, my sister, was in high school. During those school years, she made friends with a great group of girls. Their friendship continues to this day.

Except for a few brief opportunities, such as Aylin’s bridal shower and wedding, neither Mui nor I … nor Deniz, spent time with any of her friends. That changed when a bunch of them came to Bursa in 2019 for the pre-wedding festivities of my nephew, Hakan, and his-then-fiancée, Serenay. We shared a table with them on that occasion and they became good friends of ours as well. In fact Deniz and Mui have taken to referring to them as “has baldızlar.”

(Baldızlar is a Turkish word that is the plural of sister-in-law; the “has” designation, in this case, sets them apart from the rest of Aylin’s friends who were unable to come to Bursa.)

We’ve all been wanting to get together for dinner one night. Tonight was it. Not all of the Baldızlar were able to make it, but we had fun just the same. Murat made reservations at Sakız Restoran, which is located across from the Pasaport ferry terminal in Alsancak … thus making it easy for those coming into Alsancak for dinner from Karşıyaka, located on the opposite shore of İzmir Bay.

The surprise attendees? Hakan and Serenay, who moved from Ankara to İzmir mid-October. The food, as always, was good. And even the weather cooperated, with the worst of the downpours happening while we were dining (luckily indoors). It was the camaraderie, however, that made the evening so special.

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(Attendance at the table (L to R: Serenay, Hakan, me, Yeşim, Aslı, Aylin (friend), Deniz, Mui, Aylin (sister), Murat, Ali (friend Aylin’s husband).Read more