By \u0130rem Naz Duymu\u015f (AMER\/III) & Eda Emeko\u011flu (AMER\/III)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
nazduymus@ug.bilkent.edu.tr<\/p>\n\n\n\n
eda.emekoglu@ug.bilkent.edu.tr<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIr de tapas\u201d\u2014The Tunal\u0131 version<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some traditions spark curiosity even before you ever get to experience them. Spain\u2019s \u201cir de tapas\u201d is one of those traditions. It\u2019s the simple but delightful act of barhopping with friends\u2014going from one spot to another, ordering a single drink in each place and sampling the free little bites, the famous tapas, that come along with it. Social, tasty, unpretentious\u2026What’s not to love?<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lesser-known fact is that the word \u201ctapa\u201d comes from the Spanish verb \u201ctapar,\u201d meaning \u201cto cover.\u201d Long ago, bartenders would place a small plate with cheese or ham on top of a glass to keep fruit flies away. That improvised \u201ccover\u201d eventually became a culinary tradition. A popular legend even claims that in the 13th century, King Alfonso X enjoyed eating small bites with wine so much during his recovery from an illness that he ordered all alcohol to be served with food. Whether historical fact or not, it\u2019s a story that feels familiar and relatable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, many cultures have their own versions: there\u2019s \u201chappy hour,\u201d the French \u201camuse-bouche\u201d or even the Ankara-specific \u201cAspava ikram culture.\u201d Small bites\u2014or rather, not-so-small ones in Aspava\u2019s case\u2014offered free of charge have always been a universal way of saying, \u201cYou\u2019re welcome here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This weekend, after our mid-terms, my friends and I decided to recreate this tradition on our very own streets of Tunus. We hopped from place to place, trying one drink, sharing small snacks and talking, laughing and moving through different atmospheres. It turned out to be one of the most enjoyable nights we\u2019ve had in a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Honestly, I think this tradition fits seamlessly with Turkish hospitality. Cities like Eski\u015fehir and \u0130stanbul could easily become leaders of a local \u201ctapas-hopping\u201d culture. The movement between spaces, the fresh air, the constant change of environment\u2014it all turns an ordinary night out into something lively and refreshing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, if you\u2019re looking for a new way to discover your city, take your friends, make your own route and create your version of \u201cir de tapas.\u201d Sometimes, the best traditions are the ones we reshape to fit our own rhythm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By \u0130rem Naz Duymu\u015f (AMER\/III) & Eda Emeko\u011flu (AMER\/III) nazduymus@ug.bilkent.edu.tr eda.emekoglu@ug.bilkent.edu.tr \u201cIr de tapas\u201d\u2014The Tunal\u0131 version Some traditions spark curiosity even before you ever get to experience them. Spain\u2019s \u201cir de tapas\u201d is one of those traditions. It\u2019s the simple but delightful act of barhopping with friends\u2014going from one spot[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9082,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[203,82,193],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9706"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9706"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9706\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9709,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9706\/revisions\/9709"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}