"Allah sana akīl versin, bana para."

"Allah sana akīl versin, bana para. . . " In old Marash dialect, above was pronounced,"Allah sanga akīl versing, banga para..." "God give you brains and me money . . . " The above statement was often made by Grandpa Peter when, during an intellectual discussion, a friend or colleague said something or did something that Grandpa Peter deemed idiotic. (The statement in quotations above was made suggesting that the person who had just spoken was in need of brains as much as the person commenting on the idiocy was in need of money.) Marash Girl checked with Boursa Boy who was born in Istanbul (NOT Marash) a half century after Grandpa Peter. Boursa Boy's version follows: "Allah sana akīl, fikir versin. . . " And Grandpa Peter might have said exactly that if his neighbors proudly announced that they had attended a pumpkin smash! (See yesterday's blogpost for more on this subject.)

Stretch your feet to the end of your quilt!

Ayağını yorganına göre uzat. According to Marash Girl's Turkish friend Murat, this expression means for you to 'Stretch your legs far enough so that your feet remain covered." Implying, one should know their limits and act accordingly: particularly for financial decisions, like spending. But according to Marash Girl's father, born in Marash, Ottoman Empire, survivor of the Genocide of the Armenian people, Ayağını yorganına göre uzat means rather than knowing your limits, you should to try as hard as you can to go as far as you can!!!

"Never go visiting empty-handed!!!"

A hard and fast rule growing up, Marash Girl learned that one should never go visiting "empty-handed"!  Whether it be a chocolate cake baked that very day by her mom (Grandma Jennie), or a box of Whitman's Samplers, chocolates purchased that day from the Armenian owned pharmacy, the rule was clear.

Today Marash Girl learned from her Turkish friend Murat that, yes, this is not only a rule in the Armenian community, but it is a teaching from the prophet Muhammed:  

            "Ziyarete eli boş gidilmez."  "One should not go visiting with an empty hand."

Spit up?

                                     Aşağı tükürsen sakal, yukarı tükürsen bıyık.

                      "Spit up, you hit your mustache; spit down, you hit your beard."  

(Actually the reverse in the above Turkish expression which translates,  "Spit down, you hit your beard; spit up, you hit your mustache."). . . a common saying in Marash Girl's house growing up. In college she learned that in English, to express the same meaning, one would say, "Caught between Scylla and Charibdis; caught between a rock and a hard place."  Marash Girl guesses that every culture has its conundrums!!!!

"Malın gibi ye!"

Armenians from Marash (today's Kahramanmaraş) and Aintab (Today's Gaziaintab) would often use irony when they suggested, "Malın gibi ye!"

"Malın gibi ye!" . . . "Eat it as if it were your own . . . ," suggesting that the person being addressed was very selfish and barely shared anything,  especially food, if you were to visit them on a Sunday afternoon .  . . or any time!!!

"Ayağını yorganına göre uzat."

"Ayağını yorganına göre uzat."  

"Stretch your feet to the length of your yorgan." (yorgan = quilt in Armeno-Turkish)

So stated Marash Girl's father.  Not quite sure if her father meant to restrict Marash Girl's efforts or to extend her efforts in whatever she endeavored. Since Marash Girl was a small child when he began advising her to stretch those feet as far as she could, Marash Girl has always assumed he meant for her to extend her efforts as best she could in whatever she endeavored.  And she did!!!

With Marash Girl's thanks to Murat for help with the Turkish translation.

S . . . . r

For years, Marash Girl found it an embarrassment when someone (probably from Watertown where all the tai-lingual Armenians live) would drive by with a Massachusetts license plate that flaunted a lewd Turkish word.  Although in Massachusetts, all vanity plates were scanned before issue in order to avoid such an occurrence, apparently the scanner didn't know Turkish.  As Marash Girl hasn't seen this license plate in years (and she won't tell you the word, but you can guess it . . . and it didn't start with F . . .), she assumes that the scanner has learned Turkish as well!

Try, try again, Nasrettin Hoja Style

Nasrettin Hoja was seen stooping at the shores of Lake Akshehir, spooning yogurt (or madzoon, as we Armenians call it) into the lake.  

"What are you doing," the townspeople asked him.  

"I'm going to make the lake turn into yogurt," answered Nasrettin Hoja.

"That's not possible," scoffed the townspeople.

"But what if it is?" countered Nasrettin Hoja.

[Note:  Madzoon is made by heating milk to just boiling, cooling it and when it is at just the right temperature -- not too hot, not too cool -- adding and stirring in a tablespoon of madzoon which has been mixed with some of that warm milk, bringing the total mixture -- madzoon and milk -- to the same temperature.  Cover the bowl, wrap the bowl in towels, set aside, and the next day, you will have madzoon!)