I know a lot of American-born 'Turkish' girls here in the US who don't speak Turkish very well. It's a shame actually. Some of them even are aspiring models (or actresses) who should look to Turkey to jump start their careers before re-entering the US market, which looks favorably to those who start out in Europe first. Enter model and actress Katrina Kaif, born to British and Indian parents, brought up in Hawaii, and moved to Mumbai to try her hand at acting, even when she didn't speak any Hindi.
I write this post as a response to the Turkish girl who keeps emailing me about becoming a star in Hollywood. You don't become a star, you start out as one, unless of course your 'star' alignment happens to be in the right place at the right time. Try the Turkish market first. I am sure they'll eat you alive as an American Turk discovering her roots. Great story line as the gullible gal falling victim to the preying men and her battle to overcome the emotions of girl meets boy, boy marries girl, and girl finds out he is a Kurd? Some ethnic intricacies played out.
Why the Indian reference. I had dinner last night at Chakra, the PF Chang equivalent of Indian food. Or the American version of how to screw up the authentic Mexican delicacies by calling your place El Torito. Not good for nothing except the drinks at the bar and the ambiance. That was good enough for me, and the fact that the waitresses at Chakra don't smell like curry when they get close to you. But if you don't want to depart with tons of cash for an indecent meal, I would try the perfume counter at your local Nordstroms instead. They even have a cafe, complete with sandwiches that cost $20, but still cheaper than the appetizers at Chakra. I mean if your trio of samplers include three little pieces of finger food, (baby fingers at that,) then why do you serve it on a plate bigger than my ego?
Speaking of sex matters, be sure to visit Global Voices and Deborah's most recent post in the Turkey section titled the same for some discussion of the equality of the sexes. You're right Deborah. Not all sex is equal!
All this for a simple shameless plug. And her post doesn't even include a link to yours truly. I mean who else is an expert on the subject . . . of Indian food, and the waitresses who are aspiring actresses. Yup, you guessed it. My waitress last night was Turkish, and she too wants to be a star. Welcome to the Milky Way galaxy right here in Newport Beach!
Speaking of sex and Turkish Cinema, here's an article about steamy themes in Asian movies. It mentions Borrowed Bride, a movie that "deals with the little known practice of borrowed brides, (apparently) prevalent in Turkey till the mid-30s, wherein women 'instructors' used to 'prepare' young boys for marriage."
