Turkish Sports - Camel Wrestling

It's not what you think. Besides, I'm not sure a man would stand a chance against an angry camel. No, this is the winter pass-time of pitching two dromedaries against each other in a fight to the ...flee.

It's not as bad as it sounds. Camels are fairly passive creatures. This isn't like cock or dog fighting. This is the blood sport equivalent of two kids shoving each other in the playground until one runs crying to the teacher.

So how do you get a camel fired up and ready to rumble? You show it a lady camel, of course. Two males watch a female being paraded in front of them. They froth at the mouth and a fight ensues. A similar scene can be found in bars up and down the country.

The real attraction of a camel fight for the spectators is the copious consumption of alcohol. The nudging camels are nothing compared to the fighting in the stands. Men wearing the traditional flat caps and scarves binge on the fruits of an open grill whilst quaffing raki. The real excitement comes from drunken spectators scrambling to avoid the hooves of fleeing camels. Fun for the whole family (as long as your an adult male).

Souper Trooper!

I was in my favourite pideci (Turkish pizza restaurant) the other night. It's open 24/7, which is handy because the name of the restaurant is '7/24'. It's round the back of the main post office in Kusadasi if you're interested. You can't miss it, it's the one in the middle of the area famous for Turkish street walking prostitutes and directly opposite the hotel specialising in Ukranian 'escorts'. Just follow the transvestite hookers on mopeds (you'll probably hear them shouting selected terms from my 'random obscenities list' before you actually see them).

Once you've found the place, take a seat and browse the menu. They seem to have gone a bit more upmarket since I was last there (hence the scribbled and updated prices). Even the owner has shaved off his moustache, thus dragging himself into the 21st century (unaware that moustaches kinda came back in fashion with Earl).

Now a soup joint is kinda like a kebab shop in the UK. It's a place where piss-heads go to end their night. A little sustenance to sober them up enough to fool the copper that pulls them over for driving down the promenade naked.

Things can get a little lively at times and the owner has been known to reach for his baseball bat to calm a dispute. But, if you ask me, it's got to be the best soup and pide in town. I honestly recommend it.

So what kind of soup gets a Turk salivating after a heavy night on the Raki? Take a look at the menu below. It starts fine but swiftly goes very wrong. If this doesn't sober you up, not much will...