The future in a cup

Yesterday I had the privilege of spending some time in the home of a family who live in Beyoglu but are originally from Siirt, in the east of Turkey. I am working on a new book on Istanbul food and needed to get some shots of Turkish coffee being made. And I particularly had my eyes on their coal-burning soba (stove) on which they prepare meals, heat up tea and even hang up their washing. You can see it in the background of this photo. I took some photos of the soba laden with wares while they chatted and prepared the sofra in the background with the television providing background noise. A sofra is a round 'table'which actually has unfolding legs which hold it a foot (30cm) or so above the ground. Once laden with food the diners sit cross legged round it and tuck in. On the menu today was dolmas: stuffed aubergines, marrow and vine leaves, accompanied by home-made börek (layers of baked filo pastry with a mince filling). We rounded off our meal with traditional Turkish coffee and the kids had a go at reading the grinds for any messages about the future.