The Amazing Turkish Ice Cream Men

family, humor, lessons learned, travel 1 Minute

OK. I’ll admit it. This is my kind of entertainment.

It’s not classical music. It’s not ballet. It’s not opera.

In other words, it’s nothing highbrow.

But I’d line up to see this kind of performance long before I’d consider attending any of those other types of shows.

What is it you ask?

Turkish Ice Cream Men, of course.

I had never heard of, let alone seen, such an individual until one night when we were walking around Clarke Quay in Singapore.

I didn’t think to video the performance because at first, I had no idea what was going on. But then I couldn’t stop watching.

If you’ve never seen one, here is a video of one I found on YouTube:

Here is a brief excerpt from Wikipedia about Turkish Ice Cream and how it is sometimes served:

(Turkish Ice Cream) is commonly sold from both street vendors’ carts and storefronts, where the mixture is churned regularly with long-handled paddles to keep it workable. Vendors often tease the customer by serving the ice cream cone on a stick and then taking away the ice cream with the stick by rotating it around, before finally giving it to the customer. This sometimes results in misunderstandings among customers unfamiliar with the practice. Vendors often wear traditional clothing of the Ottoman period.

Here’s another brief video:

And if you can’t get enough of this, here is a three-minute video that offers not only a compilation of many Turkish ice cream vendors but a little bit of background on the tradition.

It’s just another form of street performance, which I always find enjoyable.

*image from Deccan Chronicle

 

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

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38 thoughts on “The Amazing Turkish Ice Cream Men”

  2. Hilarious! This is why you’re always going to have me as one of your loyal followers, Jim. I had never seen or heard of this tradition until today. I can see the psychology behind the show; it does leave a customer wanting more. By the way, classical music, ballet, and the opera do nothing for me. For those who enjoy those pursuits, I mean no disrespect, but I’ll take something like this any day.

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  4. If you have to learn something new every day….it might as well be fun. Never heard of that before.

    “Classical” music is a generic term for “orchestral” music. The Classical period (1750-1820) was nestled between the Baroque Period (1600-1750) and the Romantic Period (1810-1910). Highbrow? May I suggest you listen to a little Trans Siberian Orchestra when you are sipping your afternoon tea. That might change your perception. 😊

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  8. Wow…what fun…I have never seen that I did hear a mention of Thailand on onenof the video clips so I will be on the look out for one such vendor… I would love to see it live…Thank you so much for sharing, Jim…:)

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  11. Learned something new! Funny! Glad you shared it.
    Haha about the opera. You never know if you hear the right opera piece you may be surprised. It happened to me! 🙂

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  13. How did I miss this post and all the ice cream fun you’ve been having. I’m sure Patio was enjoying several scoops.

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