After School - Week 4

Hello and welcome back! It has already been a month? Hard to believe! Well, let’s start!

Course Insights

• Our culture (Turkish culture) is rooted in oral tradition, not written. Even our theatre is meddah—one takes the floor and acts out the stories. Our written literature is fairly new (I will discuss it more in Week 5 because we will have some interesting readings on it that week!). We were discussing if deafs could communicate in the written language in the court cases. So the point is that, generally speaking, our written expression and comprehension are not the best in daily occurances (I don’t mean the literature, we have some awesome work and prominent authors!).
• Another intriguing topic was why capitalism didn’t emerge in China, despite having all the right conditions—manufacturing, inventions, etc. Such equations and discussions have already been open to discussion.
• Speaking of capitalism, England’s flourishing was due not only to geographical explorations but also to its embrace of capitalism. While Spain and Portugal were quick to join the race, the real beneficiaries ended up being England and France.

• In my Spanish translation course, I learned two new expressions: músculo is a key identifier, used in phrases like “músculo financiero” or “músculo político”. Apparently, English language uses muscle in this context too. Well, I’ve just learned that :) Second expression is apostar por. If you use only apostar it means to bet. Apostar por is to side with. Have you ever wondered how the Maliki school of thought spread to al-Andalus? It was thanks to scholars from al-Andalus traveling to the Hijaz for education, where Maliki teachings were prominent.

WTW

La passion de Dodin Bouffant / The Taste of Things / Şeflerin Aşkı

The movie France nominated for Oscar instead of The Anatomy of A Fall...

This week, I watched ”The Taste of Things” by the Vietnamese-French director Tràn Anh Hùn. It was sooo French. At first, I thought we would watch the leads cooking for the entire movie. Fortunately, it lasted only (:)) 15 minutes. Well, there is a lot to talk about! Let me start with giving you a general idea about the plot (my least favorite part about writing a review, because you can always check it out online :D) The plot follows Dodin, who lives in a castle with his cook, Eugénie. They share a deep passion for cooking. It seems like they share more than that although she has turned down his marriage proposals several times.

Visually, the film is stunning. The wide kitchen bathed in natural light, especially during the golden hour, was simply beautiful. The cooking scenes were like a dance, smooth and without chaos, even though a lot was happening. I loved the subtle sound design—no overpowering music, just the sizzling meat and boiling water. The leads’ passion for the cooking were felt even through the screen. There is a reason why it was called The Passion of Dodin in French. The movie shows how they enjoy cooking and eating the food delicately.

I loved how food turns into a way to express oneself. Dodin’s guest go down to the kitchen to compliment Eugénie and to invite her to the table. She answers by saying that she already is in touch with them through the food she prepared. Dodin asks how Eugénie keeps being perseverant and patient even after spending 20 years together and cooking. She answers quoting St Augustine: “Happiness is continuing to desire what we already have.” The film also touches on how food can be political, especially in a scene involving an elaborate menu at a dinner hosted by a Eurasian prince. 

Dodin is quite a poetical guy. He passionately describes how ingredients, and naturally the food, change with the seasons. The movie even starts with Eugiénie picking vegetables from the garden, highlighting their awareness of where food comes from and its roots (I didn’t catch this connection at first but realized it after watching a video essay). I also loved how Dodin encourages the young helper to taste the food, telling her to remember the taste because that’s how it should be.

Lastly, I found it interesting how the title differs across languages. The Turkish version translates to “The Love of Cooks,” making two characters equal in a way, as well as giving it a totally romantic tone. Personally, I prefer the original title since it captures the essence of passion best! If you are interested further in the review of the movie, you can take a look at this article.

If I loved cooking, this movie could easily be my favorite! But whether you love cooking or not, if you're passionate about anything, you should definitely watch it!

WTR

I am reading a special issue of the journal “Derin Tarih (Profound History) on al-Andalus! From an article in that issue, I learned about the translation institutes in the 12th century, where Jewish scholars translated Arabic knowledge into Latin with the support of Christian kings and the Pope. These translations were pivotal for the development of universities in Europe and played a key role in shifting medieval Christianity from dogma to reason-based thinking. Without them, the Renaissance and Enlightenment would have been impossible!

I am also reading the book Güvercin Gerdanlığı (The Dove’s Neck Ring) by an Andalusian author Ibn Hazm, recommended by my professor for History of Islam in Iberia. Yes, I am completely surrounded by al-Andalus these days! No me quejo tho :)

Anything New?

This Sunday, I visited the Kariye and learned more about Christian history and the spread of icons. Some Christians even consider Kariye better than Hagia Sophia in terms of iconography. There is a lot to talk about, but in order not to make this post way too long, I want to touch upon one of the topics discussed, that is the reform in Christianity. Although we often think of reform as starting in the 16th century, the first Christian reform dates back to the 7th century with the Iconoclasm. At that time, religious leaders tried to remove depictions they believed Jesus never endorsed. That is why we do not have the icons from those years.

14-20 October