Washington - With winter closing in and the coronavirus continuing to spread there is no better way to keep warm and safe by staying at home. Virtual Turkish coffee happy hour has provided a delightful Friday night event for those who don’t feel like braving the cold or risking their and their loved ones’ health. From learning about its history to watching the brewing process to our trivia game, there’s no shortage of fun to be had over Zoom with us.
The second virtual Turkish coffee happy hour kicked off on Friday evening with a sold out group of excited guests. The hosts, public relations assistants Harper Clark and Matt Holbrook, guided the program along in its four distinct sections. They went over the historical significance and traditions behind Turkish coffee in the misafir odası, or guest room, section of the program. The group eventually moved on to the authentic process of brewing Turkish coffee on a sand machine in the mutfak session, meaning kitchen. Finally, the guests asked a few questions during the sohbet session, or chat, about the brewing process, the history, and whether Turkish coffee can be made at home (it can!). The guests were able to put their new knowledge to the test as they went head to head in a game of trivia based on everything that they had learned.
The guests had a wonderful time learning about the cultural importance of Turkish coffee to Turkish culture. They also had a number of great questions regarding Turkish coffee’s relationship with espresso, how it can be made from home, and why the brewing process is done a specific way. Once they competed for the grand prize of their very own Turkish coffee set, that’s where the real fun began. After about a dozen questions and a tight race between three of our guests, a first prize winner was officially declared. Though there was only one winner, it’s safe to say that all of our guests had a fun time and thoroughly learned a lot about this indispensable Turkish cultural tradition.
The Yunus Emre Foundation is a public foundation designed to educate the public about Turkey and its language, history, culture, and art. The Foundation makes such related information and documents available for use in the world. Facilitating cultural exchange between Turkey and other countries is a central objective of the Foundation. If you are interested in receiving more information, please email washingtondc@yee.org.tr.