Who am I? I can simply define myself as a foodie living in Istanbul who enjoys cooking and eating fine foods. Considering the statement “you are what you eat” sometimes I feel like a strict vegetarian blaming the carnivorous nature of human for all the violence and bad things happening in the world . Sometimes feel like the only son of the neighborhood butcher who got used to eat the best part of the veal and cherish the glory of a juicy rib eye steak. I strongly believe that our likes or dislikes about any kind of food are just the residues of our good or bad memories rooted in our childhood and can be changed over time with different experiences if we let them happen. A different cooking technique and a new combination of ingredients may turn the smelly cauliflower you hated from your elementary school days into a feast you would relish.

Besides making people to realize what they were missing until now, working in my kitchen, trying, changing and combining various recipes provides me with a relief as you reach after a long hour of therapy. This is absolutely my world with my rules, my taste and my accomplishment at the end. My understanding of cooking is that it is a sort of performance art created by a set of pans, some kitchen utensils and most of all with the fresh ingredients in their own season.

The reason I decided to write about my very own adventures in the kitchen -decorated with some aspects from my daily life- is to share with friends and other people who may have the drive to make a better life through fine eating. Unfortunately I have no chance to spend all my day in the kitchen since I have a full time job requiring my weekdays spent in a regular office environment preventing me from publishing new posts every day. You may think of me as a man with two different personas like Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, sitting in front of a computer and talking over the phone in daytime and spreading doughs, chopping fresh herbs, cutting whole wheat pasta in the evening. No need to mention my deep interest in food photography and styling both of which take my hours to get a mouth watering picture of the stuff I prepared.

I do not know how many people are going to read, and how many of them will like to follow regularly but I am here to share my gastronomical journey with you.

That’s the kitchen of mine, the Kitchen of Oz…

Ozhan Ozturk

ozhan@thekitchenofoz.com