A curious dinner party last night, replete with tales of assassins we have known told by one of the other guests, advice on where to buy ‘illegal meat’ (i.e. not slaughtered in an abattoir), and the best duck in Turkey which, it appears, is available at Ikea. All this over a rather spectacular dinner of duck à l’orange, lots of mezzes, a San Sebastian cheesecake, and some very unseasonable grilled artichokes. Pleasant, though, and nice to have some good, varied food. We had not actually intended to attend, but were drawn in and stayed. It was the last night before Istanbul goes into partial lockdown, so the streets were packed with people getting their last meal and drinks out. From tomorrow everything closes at 8 or 10 (I forget which) and the only people allowed on the streets are foreigners. So I suppose I could go out, but why bother in the cold and with no lovely meals at the end of it?
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