Turkish food with Abaya

As part of my volunteering here in Tel Aviv, I participate in a program called Keshet. Keshet is a program which places young people with the Elderly. Every Tuesday afternoon, I visit Abaya at his top floor apartment that he lives in with his daughter Eti. Abaya is originally from Istanbul, Turkey. The funniest thing about Abaya is that he was a Jew and now is a Jehovah Witness here in Israel. He has spent half of his life here in Israel and the rest in Turkey. I told him that I had been a cook in kitchens before for work. He told me if I love food than I should have good Turkish food. He told me we are going to go for the afternoon to a Turkish restaurant. I really could not say no to the man. We went and had many different salads to start with which included one that tasted very similar to the fresh pickles I have had at barbecue restaurants in the United States. We had Lamb Shwarma, but in Turkish its called Doner Kebab on a plate instead of in a pita or lafa for a sandwich. I then had this thing called kvetch, which is a vegetable stew with eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes, and bell peppers. I also had a dish of sweet potatoes with a dill sauce that reminded me of something Eastern European. For dessert, we shared malabi. Malabi is a common dessert found throughout Turkey and the Levant. It is a dessert made from milk and is like a pannacotta or milk pudding. It is garnished with rose syrup and pistachios. It is truly delicious and I highly suggest you try it if you are in the region. Overall, it was a wonderful experience to see Abaya out and about walking the streets of Tel Aviv. Usually we sit in his living room and talk about life or watch television. Doing something else than sitting around his apartment was just great.