emmaalvarez: Tell us something about you.

merkal2005: My name is Mert. I am from Istanbul, Turkey. Born in 5 March 1974. Graduated from Istanbul Technical University as a naval architecture. Since 1998 i work for www.maerskline.com in Turkey. My profession is Marketing. I discovered blogging in 2006 December. Since then i am blogging daily. I like writing a lot, i believe this is the best way for me to express myself. Words don't come easy, like solving a puzzle. I like that feeling...


emmaalvarez: Mert, what can find the readers in your blog?

merkal2005: My dear readers can find everything related to Istanbul and Turkey in my blog. Currently my blog is telling about my life in Istanbul. Soon i am going to post about my internet income as well.


emmaalvarez: What can people find in Turkey that they didn't expect?

merkal2005: Turkey is often called "the cradle of civilization," as it has been home to a rich variety of tribes and nations of people since 6500 B.C. Hattis, Hittites, Phrygians, Urartians, Lycians, Lydians, Ionians, Persians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans have all held important places in Turkey's history. Ancient sites and ruins throughout the country attest to each civilization's unique character. Plus Turkish hospitality is world wide known.


emmaalvarez: Surprise us with the recipe of a turkish food (easy, please).

merkal2005: I am not a good cook, i found this from a website especially for you Emma :)
Stuffed eggplants, Ingredients
6 eggplants
400 gr. ground meat
1/3 glass rice
2 tablespoons margarine
2 onions
2 tomatoes
1 lemon (juice)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 bunch parsley
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 glasses water
Peel the eggplants in lengthwise strips at 1 1/2 cm intervals. Depending on their sizes cut accross into either 2 or 3 pieces and remove the insides of each eggplant.

Put the margarine and the chopped onions into a pan and saute until the onions are tender. Add washed rice and 1 glass of water, close the lid and cook for about 10 minutes over moderate heat. Remove from heat, add the ground meat, salt, black pepper, the peeled-sliced-chopped tomatoes and chopped parsley, mixing all together for about 5 minutes. Stuff the eggplants with this mixture, place in a pan and cover with a plate. Add 1 1/2 glasses water and the lemon juice and cook over moderate heat for about 40-50 minutes. Remove from heat, place in a serving dish and serve.



emmaalvarez: I saw your blog has increased popularity very much at great speed. How have you achieved such a success?

merkal2005: Thank you so much for your kind words Emma. I don't feel that i meet my targets yet, but if my blog is accepted as a successful blog by quality bloggers like you, than i feel very happy. I usually post 2-3 articles a day, i spend sometime in Mybloglog to be in close contact with my audience. I am a curious person and i hate staying in the same place. Personal improvement has always been number 1 priority in my agenda. I like to add value to other's lifes by sharing my experiences.


emmaalvarez: Your blog focuses mainly in Istanbul. What makes Istanbul different from other cities in Turkey?

merkal2005: Istanbul is a city between Asia and Europe. So it is a mixture of two continents. A very cosmopolitan city which has recently become so popular. Apart from this there are 15 million people are living in Istanbul. Most of the business centres are in Istanbul.


emmaalvarez: What are your future plans for your blog?

merkal2005: I plan to find a sponsor to arrange a blogger's meeting in Istanbul. I can't think of a better place in the world for such an organization. Istanbul is a city where the East and the West meet. Let's meet where the continents meet!