The people or rather the dark haired, burly men are VERY friendly. The women are civil and in a professional setting extremely efficient. It's winter so I can't say anything great about the weather so let's cut the chit chat! The food...
I must say I've been quite shy in trying native dishes. Mainly because in Taksim, the area I am staying, there are many restaurants and the sense I get is that there isn't authentic Turkish food being offered but rather a mix of cultural tastes to cater to the many tourists that flock to this area. My stomach does not agree with street food so I am patiently awaiting my trip to the 'other side' in order to get a good taste of Turkey.
For now, I am at an Italian Restaurant called Faros. When I came across their slogan- "Dine and Wine" I was thrown off a bit because a) I'm used to it the other way round- wine and dine- and b) because I wondered if I would have my food and end up "whining"! Such was not the case. Great service. Delicious pasta. Caloric array of bread and olive oil but appreciated nonetheless. Happy and ready for my next meeting, if I don't fall asleep!