wchua24

The Turkish chef's repertoire of healthy, tasty food includes pasta, fish and salad dishes that are always consumed with gusto. Turkish chef Yalan Kadir is the cook for Romania's team at the Euro 2008 Championship, and just the mention of him brings a smile to the faces of the squad's usually reserved officials, who begin licking their lips at the thought of his delicious creations.

"He cooks fantastically," said federation spokesman Paul Zaharia, interrupting his usually sober demeanor with a rare grin. Kadir arrived in the Swiss mountain St. Gallen, where the team is based during the championships, a week before the Romanian team, making his own preparations while the squad prepares for its opening match with France on Monday.

"I'll be doing five or six sour soups and cream soups a day instead of one a day," he told daily Pro Sport in a rare interview in April. "Gone are the days when I brought Romanian feta cheese and mineral water. It will all be brought locally." The most popular items on the chef's menu are his soups, especially ciorbe, a Turkish broth soured with lemon or borsch. "His food is delicious," official Dan Bragoanu said. "I like everything that I've eaten. It's tasty and nutritious."

Kadir has been with Romania's national team for about a decade, so it is no longer surprising that the central European nation's national team has a Turkish chef. Officials mostly shrug when asked for a reason. There is a Turkish influence on both Romania's language and cuisine, the southern and eastern parts of which were under Ottoman authority until the country won its independence after a bloody war in 1877.
Along with typical central European foods widely available in Romania--pork schnitzel, pickled cucumbers and bell peppers served with french fries--Kadir also serves the team variations on Turkish favorites, such as rice and meat stuffed vine rolls, roasted peppers in vinaigrette and smoked eggplant salad.

Other members of the Romanian team have a special affiliation with Turkey as well. Former star Gheorghe Hagi was a midfielder and coach at Galatasaray before coaching Bursaspor, while Mircea Lucescu coached Galatasaray and Besiktas. Kadir's menu does not just include the savory flavors associated with Turkish cuisine. Under the guidance of the team doctor and nutritionist Pompiliu Popescu, he even makes desserts. "He does all kinds of sweets, even chocolate ones," Zaharia said with a grin.

Saturday, May 24 2008 @ 09:56 AM Central Daylight Time

Suleyman Karaman Turkish State Railways General Manager, met with Hyundai Rotem CEO Yeo Sung Lee during his visit to Seoul to see the first diesel locomotives that TCDD had ordered from Hyundai Rotem. The latter produces railway vehicles, defense products and plant equipment. Representatives of South Korean multinationals Hyundai Rotem and the SK Group have said they have confidence in the Turkish economy and will proceed with their planned investments in the country despite fluctuations in the market.

Karaman said they were going to increase the production capacity of EUROTEM, the joint venture of TCDD and Hyundai Rotem for high-speed train production in Turkey. He noted that Hyundai Rotem had to make overseas investments to access the Middle Eastern, European and West Asian markets and that the company had chosen Turkey as one of these investments, which had presented a great opportunity for both the TCDD and Hyundai Rotem.

Lee stated that Turkey is important for his company and that Hyundai Rotem had chosen Turkey as the second overseas investment base after the US. "In the end we invested in America and Europe; EUROTEM will not just serve the Turkish market," he said, adding that trains will be exported to Turkey's neighboring countries.
Lee said currently the main difficulty is the uncertainty over raw material prices; however, he noted, Hyundai Rotem has been in the business for 50 years and has the necessary experience to endure fluctuations in the market. "Railway investments are long-term investments and that's why the fluctuations will not affect our investment plans in Turkey," he emphasized.

Karaman also visited the telecommunications, energy and construction conglomerate SK Group. Group Vice President Seok Jae Seo said the group is interested in transportation projects in Turkey and is planning to make investments in this area. Seo noted that the SK Group is planning to participate with a Turkish partner in a tender for a second underwater tunnel spanning the Bosporus. The Transportation Ministry will accept bids for new motor vehicle crossing on June 30. He said the group is also interested in a Gulf of İzmit bridge project and a Gebze-İzmir toll road project.

In response to a question over whether he had concerns over the condition of the Turkish economy, Seo told reporters the group does not see a risk in Turkey, adding that their studies in Turkey had determined that the investment environment would meet their expectations.

Saturday, May 24 2008 @ 10:06 AM Central Daylight Time

Hundreds of contestants from Ghana to Greece and from Azerbaijan to Canada will say “merhaba” (hello) to 4,000 residents of Ankara during the opening ceremony. There will be many colorful performances at the cultural exhibition, which Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek and former Education Minister and current Parliamentary National Education Commission Chairman Mehmet Saglam plan to attend. The official opening ceremony of the 6th International Turkish Language Olympics will take place today at 11 a.m. with a cultural exhibition by the contestants at Ankara’s Altınpark.

There will also be a world costumes competition among the contestants of the Turkish Language Olympics -- which is sponsored by scarf producer Aker -- during the cultural exhibition, and the winner will be awarded YTL 1,000; the person who takes second will receive YTL 750 and third place will win YTL 500.

The students, who are staying at the Asya Thermal Hotel in the town of Kızılcahaman, participated in the preliminary trials for the event earlier in the week. A welcome party was thrown for the students on Monday morning at the hotel and the preliminary trials were held in the afternoon. Ankara locals in attendance were touched by the Turkish poems recited by students from around the world.

The finals of the song contest will take place at the Anadolu Exhibition Center in Ankara on Sunday at 6 p.m. with the theme “The Stars of Turkish Language,” and the finals for the poetry contest will take place in Bursa on Wednesday evening. The awards ceremony will be held on June 1 at the Istanbul Exhibition and Congress Center. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan will both attend the ceremony.