Rahat Lukum (Lokum?)

On a lighter note, there was a delightful article by Liesl Schillinger* in Slate today exploring one of the great mysteries of the confectionary world - what is so delightful about Turkish Delight? This is actually very season-appropriate, methinks, since it's soon to be the time of year when vacationing Russians wing their way to Turkey in droves (OK, maybe they actually go to Egypt over New Year's and Turkey for the May holidays, because the Med Sea is too cold right now, but work with me here, please) on clapped-out, Soviet-made airliners that are cheap to charter because they aren't allowed to fly into Western Europe anymore. In addition to the other things Russians being back from Turkey - first-degree sunburns, cheaply made "water tobacco pipes," and the odd STD (I can't help but remember the ads for an STD clinic that used to run incessantly on Echo of Moscow around vacation season) - they bring home with them boxes upon boxes of unwanted "Delight."

[Wistfully] Ah, I recall our first (in fact only, so far) trip to Turkey back in 2000 like it was yesterday - 'twas a honeymoon, of sorts, albeit one that preceded the wedding - when we, too, were charmed by the salesmen and dearth of other gift options into bringing back several boxes of the stuff to give to friends and family. Perhaps some of them enjoyed it, but I've always more or less shared the opinion expressed in the abovementioned Slate article: "It tasted like soap rolled in plaster dust, or like a lump of Renuzit air freshener: The texture was both waxy and filling-looseningly chewy." It's not that it's totally inedible, just that it's not a particularly rewarding experience, especially for something that is doubtless not light on the calories. Anyway, the article is about how the book (and movie) The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe build up Delight as though it's a delight, and about why that might be the case. Very interesting - you wouldn't imagine the topic could turn to sugar rationing in post-war Britain, but it does. Highly recommended.

*She has also translated (from German) at least two short stories by the Russian emigre author Wladimer Kaminer (of Russian Disco fame) into English, which are available - yes, free and enjoyable content - here and here.