APRIL IN INTERNATIONS

Could the famed expat (mostly locals) site be caving in in Istanbul?  Rumor has it it is hanging on by a thread.  Cause?  A division.  In case you didn't know InterNations is a world wide site, not limited to Istanbul.  A great concept that began in Munich and is now all over the world.  A place for expats to get together and mingle with a few locals thrown in.  However, the membership in Istanbul has grown out of all proportions.  The ratio of expats to locals is about 20 to 1 (on a good night).  Events that only 2 years ago saw 40 expats join are now crammed with 300, with about 20 being expats.  The spoken language at these (now club events, as opposed to drinks on a terrace) is no longer English but Turkish.  Turkish girls have come to find themselves a good catch (preferably foreign).  Turkish men have come to find themselves a night of sex.  No longer is it a social event where everyone chats (with no hidden agendas) to each other but either a place where friends come and meet each other or where vigorous hunting is abound.  Expats have for sometime been boycotting the events because they don't wish to be hunted neither are they there to hunt.  Things have become so bad that the Ambassadors have had to come up with an event known as EXPAT ONLY.  The fact that something like 150 expats signed up for it is testament to the desperate need for expats to get together with their own kind and not have to be with the locals.  Discriminatory?  Maybe.  The InterNations forum has been rife with views from both sides.  Expats beg to be allowed to mix with their own kind for reasons above and also because they can mix with locals at any bar and club in the city when at last there was an organization just for them to go to only to find that the Locals have infiltrated on mass. 

Further news is that there is also a divide between the two Ambassadors.  A local and an expat.  It's hardly surprising but what is is that the local Ambassador continues to shun what the expats are desperate for which is some respite from the locals and mainly the unsocial locals who appear only interested in 'your job' or 'your nationality'.  The local Ambassador invites locals indiscriminately for whatever ultera motive there is, ignoring the cries of 'we've got too many locals already'.  InterNations, some time ago set up a request that locals be limited and that it would be more appropriate if only expats were invited to the group until some balance was achieved.  But when one of the Ambassadors is shunning this rule there is little that can be done.  The expat Ambassador is near to tears and ready to abandon the crown and then what?  InterNations becomes no longer InterNations in Istanbul but Locals in Istanbul as I'm sure someone with some brains and knowhow will set up a site to take the desperate expats looking to jump ship with a requirement of 'foreign passport holders only'.

THE LAST OF THE MARCH GOSSIP

23rd March 2011

18th March 2011

It's coming in thick and fast.  So much more happened over the weekend that I'm limited as to what I've already told you so as not to overload this site with too much but very interesting gossip.  It seems that the 'girlie feud' does have a fourth corner in what we earlier thought was a triangle.  Is it two against two?  Seems to be.  The gal/guy of questionable origin is partnering the proxy in his social network and in bed.  Rumor has it the proxy is hung like a demon!  Let's hope the gal/guy can take it!  The Social Media group that threw out the gal/guy won't be letting him back in under any circumstances.  There appears to be more than just this girlie feud.  I will endeavor to find out.  The gal/guy is desperate to get back into the social media group as he has had a lot of freebie dinners and drinks through being able to organize events on their site and take a group from there to a venue hungry for advertising at the cost of feeding the gal/guy.  The gal/guy has tried to negotiate with the blondes on how to solve this girlie feud but no definite moves have been made in that direction.

There is a guy who plays music in this city in a foreign named bar around the Taksim/Galatasaray area.  He is a part of a band during the night and to say what he does during the day will make it way too obvious as to who he is.  An ex has told me that he is hung like a baboon.  Since he has gotten married since that news erupted I don't suppose any other woman will find out if that is indeed true.  But I have to say that you wouldn't know it to look at him!

The Social Media Group had their monthly get together.  A lot happened as usual when alcohol is involved and music from Village People.  Everyone was seen dancing, even those that couldn't or never.  The black lady that kissed the girl from the other night was seen laughing and heavily flirting with a man.  Way too confusing for me! Is she gay? Straight? Bi? or drunk?  No one, other than her from the Burlesque night was there so no one could further comment on it.  One lady lost her panties.  How?  I have no idea and neither does she.  According to her she went to the toilet and a little later noted a draft.  Had she left them in the toilet?  She remembers nothing!

The Italian Culture Centre held another dinner party during the week.  It's a bit of a hit and miss affair.  Some are good and sadly a lot are not.  They have guest cooks who create a menu from a country of their origin and the last one was Morocco.  Usually there are a lot of people to these events but I fear the numbers are dwindling due to the hit and miss affair of the food and not so much the country of choice.  The food was limited to a very small fried pastry and then a tajine and couscous mostly vegetable dish with a few pieces of stray meat.  All that could have been bought for a quarter the price at a place down the road.  Very disappointed eaters were seen leaving the place with comments such as 'if the food had at least been tasty then it might have been just a little more worth it!'  I wasn't there but can sympathize totally having been to their venues and seen the grade of food do a nose dive.  My last one (although plenty for seconds and thirds) tasted of nothing.  Was that possible?  Even McDonalds tastes of something!  I didn't bother to take a second helping and left most of my first to contend myself with the salad.  These venues need new blood or at least someone to make sure the quality matches the price otherwise no one will come.

It seems Jash is not far behind in terrible cuisine these days.  Two reports from, what was a nice Armenian restaurant,  have now made it not a place to go to for a night out.  The decor is still lovely, and comforting and homely but the food isn't.  Overcooked, dried out and tasteless.  What happened?  Jash you used to be a tasty morsel in Cihangir and now you are joining the other tasteless restaurants that pretend to be a restaurant in Cihangir.  Get a new chef or get two as I believe you are packed most nights.  Perhaps your popularity has put too much of a strain in the kitchen and they are churning out food with no love.  You'll be empty in a short time unless you address this situation quickly.  Plus get rid of the live music.  It's too loud and no one can hear each other chat in that cozy atmosphere you have created.

Congratulations Ambassador of Internations in Istanbul.  In case you didn't know she is soon to have a baby.  A girl to add to the two boys she already has.  How does she manage organizing such a large membership and a family.  Obviously very skilled at Organization.

THE IDES OF MARCH

So the Ides of March are here and with it our first Caesar of the evening to be stabbed.  An Australian dancer living in Cihangir failed to pay her bill at a new Bistro over the weekend.  She left with a group (who did pay) and before the waiters noticed she was out the door and gone.  What did she have?  Even this I can tell.  Cajun Chicken Salad and 3 glasses of wine.  Lady go back and settle your bill!

Caesar no. 2 dumped his girlfriend in the most despicable of ways.  He took her out to dinner at 360.  He ate, he drank then told her it was over after a 3 month fairly intense relationship.  She went to the toilet to check how badly her mascara had run.  He took the clutch bag she left behind and gave it to the waiter telling them he had to go to the toilet too and would they please keep it safe for her return.  Return she did, but he didn't.  His phone was turned off and he had checked out his coat.  She will have difficulty locating him since he is currently in Italy visiting his Italian girlfriend that she knew nothing about.  Why had he dumped her?  This we can't know except that his ways don't become a gentleman.

Roxy club saw some pretty hot action Saturday Night.  I wasn't there so sadly missed the show (not just the stage show but the floor show).  Two girls were seen sharing a kiss early on in the evening.  One of the girls was then seen rubbing a man's manhood over his jeans.  Is she Bi? Who knows but  the girl she kissed is Gay and the man she rubbed up, is also Gay so not sure what she was doing.  Can we put it down to drink?  Another lady looking as glamorous as the stage show in a short gold lame dress was hitting back the drinks but managing to stay upright on her stilletos.  However, her perfume was apparently rank.  I am so curious as to what perfume she wore that night.  She was later seen kissing the Lesbian from earlier on.  Right against the bar.  I think the bartender was smiling.  It also appears that the two girls are already in a relationship.  Meanwhile, others were at it, another lady kissed a rather stunning black lady.  We are not sure as to the black lady's choice of bed partner but the other one is definitely straight but very drunk.

FEBRUARY/MARCH - GIRLIE FUED

When you see me squeezing fruit, be sure to be particularly aware that what I am about to tell you is 'Juicy'.

Rumor has it there is a girlie feud going on in the social networking group Internations.  I say 'girlie' feud but that's under dispute too.  On one side there stands two blondes (natural or dyed - these days it's hard to tell).  On the other side...whoops stands another blond (definitely dyed).  However, this one's gender is in question as is 'his/her origins.  I was taught a long time ago that when you base yourself in a new country you get the chance to rewrite history, you get a chance to reinvent yourself. Seems the disputed 'girlie' has done just that (but that's another one for the gossip columns).  It appears that one of these ladies has been booted out of Internations for unladylike behavior. Judging by the fact that this particular lady isn't one we can assume it's the male who hasn't had enough years being a lady to know one (bless).  ( I have heard his gender discussed in depth and have been a witness to bets placed).  Details are a bit sketchy as I write about this but everyday I'm learning something of this hair-pulling mud-wrestling feud and once I have some hard evidence you will be the first to hear the truth of it here.

KHAVEDAN CIHANGIR

It appears that the owners have changed hands at Khavedan in Cihangir.  Successfully turned around by it's American Proprietress it has gone for a small fortune.  If the new owners play their cards right, keep the format then there is no reason why the most successful place in Cihangir shouldn't continue to reign supreme.  However, neighbors cause many problems to the making of a small fortune.  Jealousy runs rife and no one likes a success unless it is you.  No one? At least most people.  Those who have long lived beside, in and around Khavedan do have cause to be somewhat annoyed especially during the weekends and on summer evenings.  The noise is noticeable two streets away. However, many of the complaints have come from those that have recently moved into flats near by.  Why?  Why even rent or buy beside a bar in the party village of Istanbul?  Half these people probably used to frequent the joint anyway.  Cihangir is no place for early sleepers!

22nd March 2011

Some regulars have been complaining about Khavedan's new management team.  To them it appears that the food isn't as good, the quality has deteriorated, the staff aren't as friendly and the service sucks.  True or not?  I find this a little hard to believe since the new owners have been smart enough to keep the kitchen staff, the menu, the waiters, the managers, the format and the atmosphere unchanged.  Their happy hour continues every Tuesday with beer and wine at a discount and the music is as least kept to a minimum.  Although interestingly last night I went past at eleven to note that the advertised DJ wasn't DJ-ing.  No idea what the reason could be as I forgot to ask my source this morning.  However, the place was not as packed as it had been on previous Tuesdays which might have something to do with the new management or it just may be there were other things on offer that night.  However, I fear that the rumor may get around that quality has changed at Kahvedan.  If it is true they only need to get one thing wrong to lose a customer forever.  However, it could well be that people don't like change and see change as a negative thing and therefore think there has been a downslide where in fact that is not the case.  Talk to me new owner and give me your insight.  

MARCH - BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH

13 March 2011

BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH.....

Some people never sleep.  Info is coming in thick and fast from the parties that dotted this city over the weekend.  So many I can't keep up with the gossip.  What interests me is how someone can be in two places at once but apparently it's possible as some of the gossip that has come in places the same person in two separate venues.

Back to the girlie feud.  I now have the full story and here is the condensed version.  A food group was started by a Texan lady (no longer here) which was helped along by the gal/guy of questionable origin.  They fought, they made up, they fought.  The gal/guy continued the group with one of the questionable blondes and wasn't very generous with her except in snide remarks and bullying.  The organization asked the gal/guy to issue a public apology.  It was a piss weak one and he got booted out.  The questionable blonde teamed up with a more questionable blonde and 'girl power' ensued and they got the backing of the organization.  Their new group went off to a roaring start this weekend as did the gal/guy of questionable origin's and now questionable behavior.  He got back into the Organization through the back door, posting on the forum his group under a proxy.  Is the proxy for real?  Is it the gal/guy of questionable origins?  The fact that the proxy's name is somewhat reminiscent to a '50's movie star might lead some to believe that he doesn't really exist but is the gal/guys alter ego (since he is known for being a drama queen).

All will be revealed as I spend my Sunday checking facts and rumors of what went on this weekend.  Prepare yourselves for a written IDES OF MARCH with some character assassination  due to take place.

JUICY - FANTASIES

4th March 2011

Fantasies!  Careful ladies.  Out there today are a couple of ladies who deeply regret fulfilling their fantasies.  Worse for one who's fantasy was not really hers but her boyfriend's! 

Him:  Always wanted to have a threesome.  Two women and me.

Her:  I love you so I'll do it!

Mistake - Love dies celluloid takes longer to erase.

Yes, you've guessed it.  The relationship is over.  Not that this made it happen or indeed, it seems cemented it.  She is terrified someone will come across the videotape of the show!  Would the high profile bank understand fantasies fueled by drink and drugs? Would it understand that these are also executive games? Will the wife of the man involved find the tape and use it in her divorce?  Let's hope he hid it well.  Even better, let's hope he destroyed it.

Ahhh film.  It comes in many forms and is in many places.  Another lady has a perchance for car park copulation. It has been said she has frequented just about every multistory car park in the city with a variety of young boys. Do they ever question the reason why it is always in a car?  Boys will be boys and they are lucky to get it where ever.  However, and I  have seen footage  but can't say how, since it would incriminate me, of the said lady getting into the car in the car park of a well known hotel and bouncing on the passenger seat.  You'd have thought with all this past expertise she would know to park no where near security cameras.  Who'd have thought when I last clinked glasses with her at a gallery opening that I would now be offering her the tape. Email me your contact details and I'll send it round.  Price?  None what so ever.  It was fun watching!

There is a third fantasy but this lady is smart.  Perhaps because she's English?  Or maybe she has learned from painful experience.  She likes to video herself making love with her camera phone.  She then sits in her car outside the building watching the replay.  Then erases it.  Why?  Kids and husband come to mind.  They don't go well with extra marital affairs.