First Turkish Coffee Hour Finds Success

By Nicole Güven

The Turkish Student Organization hosted its first International
Coffee Hour on Thursday, bringing baklava, Turkish delight, coffee,
and Turkish culture to the Global Programs Lounge.
“We want to carry on doing it because as you see we have a
good crowd,” said Esra Kurum,secretary of the Turkish Student
Association. “I wasn’t expecting this many people. But people in
America really like coffee, and Turkish coffee is the finest. It’s
kind of heavy, but people like it.”

The president of the Turkish Student Association, Safakcan
Tuncdemir, described the Turkish coffee‐making process, which varies
greatly from American coffee brewing. Turkish coffee is very finely grounded. Water is added to a special pot called cezve along with
a tablespoon of coffee for each cup and sugar if preferred. All the
ingredients are mixed and heated. The coffee sinks down when the
mixture gets warm. When the coffee sinks, the mixture should be
stirred, but not too much or the foam will redistribute. Most people
like the foamy structure of the coffee.

Turkish coffee is served in small porcelain cups called fincan.
They are very decorative and indicative of Turkey’s famous porcelain
industry based in Kutahya. The coffee cups are small because
Turkish coffee is very strong and served in small amounts.
Coffee has a special part in Turkish culture. It is traditional to
drink it after meals. The Turkish word for breakfast, kahvalti, literally
means “before coffee.” “If someone offers you coffee,
that means that person wants to share a secret with you,” said
Tuncdemir. “It means he’s a close friend and can talk to you. We
drink tea regularly, five or six times a day. You can drink tea
anywhere, in buses, cafes. It’s like a fast food; it is the ‘fast drink’ of
Turkey. With coffee, you have to sit, you have to talk. It’s a more
special gathering.”

The event drew a diverse crowd and many enjoyed the desserts
that accompanied the coffee. Baklava, a sweet dessert consisting
of layers of pastry dough, pistachios and syrup, and Turkish
delight, a jelly‐like dessert of various flavors and ingredients covered
in powdered sugar, were devoured by the crowd in under half
an hour. Photos were on display of the other events the organization
is involved in, including a Turkish soccer team, a dance
group, and the only non‐English speaking music band in Centre
County called Anatolian Fusion. Also displayed were a hookah, a
popular device used in Turkey to smoke flavored tobaccos, and the
country’s red flag with a white crescent moon and star

The Turkish Student Association was very happy with the
large turnout and hopes to host another coffee hour later in the
semester. Kurum summed up the benefits of being a part of an
international student organization and participating in international
events. “People should go and see every association,” said Kurum.
“The United States is multicultural. So it’s good to explore. For
me, it’s good because I’m in a foreign culture, so it gives me a
chance to drink more Turkish coffee with Turkish people and
eat our cuisine. It’s a good thing to keep on doing what you do at
home and to speak Turkish at the very least. That’s why I like
being a part of this association. I get to explore my culture with
my friends.”