As Amy finished typing away at her assignment, she stared blankly into the computer screen in front of her. Even for a professional like herself, working eight hour shifts each day could be a mindless, soul-numbing experience. The pretty brunette office manager ran her fingers through her hair. Just then, she noticed her co-worker Eric standing over her cubicle.
"Hey Amy," he said, "I'm going down to that new Turkish restaurant for lunch today, and I was wondering if you wanted to join me."
He flashed her a broad smile.
Amy looked him over. A tall, broad shouldered man with a square chin, Eric was a pretty attractive man. Still, Amy didn't really get along with anyone in the office. She had a reputation as something of an 'ice queen' amongst her co-workers. Not sure what to do, Amy decided to go with it anyway. After all, he was a pretty attractive young man.
"Well," she said thinking it over, "It couldn't hurt. Okay!"
"All right then," Eric responded, glancing over his shoulder at the clock, "How does 2 o'clock sound to you?"
Amy looked over the papers lined up on top of her desk and thought about it for a moment.
"Sounds good," she said.
"All right then," said Eric as he walked back to his cubicle, "I'll see you then."
When their lunch break finally came up, Amy and Eric walked across the street to the new Turkish restaurant that had just opened up. Amy was surprised when Eric held the door open for her, and thanked him as he let her enter first.
"Merhaba," Eric said to the host as he entered the restaurant, "Nasılsın?"
"İyiyim efendim," the host graciously replied.
"Iki lütfen," Eric said, holding up two fingers.
"Eyvet," said the host, gesturing for the pair to follow him as he led them to a seat in the corner of the room. Eric and the host had a short conversation in Turkish, though Amy couldn't make out what they were talking about. Finally, they sat down and the host left to get them some menus.
"I never knew you could speak Turkish," Amy said, rather stunned at her co-workers hidden talent.
"Only a little," he said, rather sheepishly, "I spent some time studying overseas in Istanbul. I only picked up a little Turkish though. It is a very hard language to learn."
"That's still better than I can do," she said, "So what did you ask the host about anyway?"
"You'll see," he said, "It's a surprise."
"Oh," she said, "I see..."
The host returned, accompanied by a young waiter. He handed a menu to both Amy and Eric, while the waiter set a tray full of mezelar on the table in front of them, along with a bottle of rakı and some cups.
"Teşekkür ederim," Eric said, as he picked up a stuffed grape leaf and popped it in his mouth.
The host and waiter again left, leaving the pair to discuss what they were going to eat.
"Was that the surprise," asked Amy.
"This," he asked, gesturing at the various appetizers set out in front of them, "No. These are mezelar. Appetizers. Kind of like Spanish tapas."
"I see," she said, "And the drink?"
"That's rakı," he responded, pouring her a cup, "It's anise-flavored alcohol, kind of like ouzo."
Amy looked into her glass and shook it up, watching as the rakı mixed with the water to form a sickly white liquid. Cautiously, she took a sip of it. The rakı was good, but surprisingly strong. She had to grab a glass of water to wash it down.
"Very brave of you," chuckled Eric.
The liquor must have been stronger than she expected, because Amy could feel herself starting to get dizzy. The two made some small talk for a while as they picked over the tray of appetizers, with Amy sampling the various Turkish snack foods that had been brought in front of her. Soon, the host came over and whispered something to Eric. Amy couldn't make out what they were talking about, or even whether they were speaking English.
The host clapped his hands, and a group of men who entered the room. Amy noticed that they were carrying with them a variety of traditional Turkish instruments -- an 'oud, tanbur, ney, kanun and even a tabla.
Amy gave Eric a confused look, wondering what this was about.
