A Touch of Mediterranean

With it's bright red and white colors gleaming as they proudly represent the Turkish flag, with it's large yellow letters spelling out “Real Doner” in which the accent on the “o” emphasizes the restaurant’s exoticism, with it's conspicuous “open” sign tempting any passer by into dining at the fine restaurant, the “Real Doner” Restaurant gives Mediterranean cuisine a reputable reputation. This restaurant radiates Turkish culture. People walk in with the hopes of consuming something new, something fresh, something classy, and as soon as they enter this humble eatery, they know that they will not leave disappointed.

Within the extraordinary restaurant are pictures the owners had taken in order cherish the jubilant memories and maps revealing the famous landmarks of Turkey and bits of cloth with extravagant patterns sewn onto them and several mysterious leather masks all mounted on the walls. The smell of gourmet spices and fresh herbs-paprika and chili powder, cumin and curry, cilantro and parsley-conquer the smell of grease emitted from the American bar located across the street. The dishes are prepared with care and experience that the consumer can easily taste along with the tender beef, crispy lettuce, and toasty bread as they listen to traditional Turkish music quietly playing in the background. Delicious, exotic, aromatic-these are the main aspects of this fantastic eatery.

The restaurant is run by a man named Ozkan and his wife, Binur. The man has a rather long nose, brown, short hair that is always combed over to the right side, a smile that never fails to charm, light brown skin, his normal red and yellow stripped button-up shirt, tight light blue jeans, and his ordinary black and white Nike athletic shoes. His wife has a more simple appearance; she is a rather large woman with a constantly cheery expression on her face, she has dark hair, a dark blue sweater, black sweat pants, and simple white shoes. Their daughter used to help them by cleaning up the tables or taking orders, but she recently graduated from high school and is now in college. In order to make up for her absence, they hired other employees to help them. They hired an experienced Turkish cook and a quiet Latina who always seems to feel left out when her Turkish colleagues are having foreign conversations.

My family and I would go to this restaurant almost every Friday in order to celebrate the completion of another week of the same tedious routine. The owners of the restaurant are good friends with my parents, and acquiring the friendship of the restaurant owners does have it's perks: discounts on most of your meals and free tea. The subjects of their conversations tended to be against America and how life would have been much easier if they had stayed in Turkey. As they spoke, I quietly watched the television, which seemed display a new channel at every visit, located in the corner of the room. From music videos to news reports, the T.V. keeps me aware of what is going on back in Turkey. Once our regular chicken wraps arrive at our table, my concentration shatters and I immediately begin feasting on my delicious meal. The wraps consist of thin slices of juicy chicken, small bits of fresh tomatoes and onions, long strips of lettuce, and a special sauce that augments the great taste of the chicken all wrapped around a large flat piece of pita bread.

After I finished eating my food, I began to notice the people who had decided to dine at this restaurant. There were people that wanted to taste something foreign and something different from the other restaurants in Petaluma, there were couples who wanted to make the night unique, there were families who resorted to eating here due to the inability of finding any other available restaurants, and then there were people like us, people who ate here on a regular bases. However, by the end of the night, the customers had the option to join one of two categories: people who were satisfied and people who were unsatisfied. The satisfied customers often came back for more, while the unsatisfied customers left and were never seen again. The satisfied customers, in which many were critics, aided the restaurant's reputation immensely; the restaurant was able to grow very quickly.

All in all, “Real Doner” proudly represents Turkish culture through its exquisite foods and its vast array of foreign decorations. Some people, such as my parents, go to this restaurant in order to help rebuild the connections they had before they moved to America. My family and I have been customers of this restaurant ever since it's beginnings, and the rate of its growth has been tremendous. In this restaurant, we socialize, we nourish ourselves, we experience real Turkish culture.

Oguzhan