Pudding Shop
Encyclopedia
The Pudding Shop is the nickname
for the "Lale Restaurant" in the Sultanahmet neighborhood of Istanbul
, Turkey
. It became popular in the 1960s as a meeting place for hippies and other travelers on overland route between Europe
and India
, Nepal
, and elsewhere in Asia
- the 'hippie trail
'. The restaurant got its colloquial name as a result of "word-of mouth" from numerous foreign travelers that could not remember the name of the eatery but did remember the wide and popular selection of puddings sold there and thus referred to it as the "pudding shop".
of the time. Such stereotypes and ideas that resonated with the term "hippie", including music choice, political stance, particular style of dress, or drugs, became tied to the restaurant.
Because most of its customers were tourists, the Pudding Shop eventually developed into a popular rest stop, a place where people could gather, discuss their traveling experiences, and delight in fairly priced, traditional Turkish food. Among the restaurant's variety of well-known dishes and desserts was tavuk göğsü
, a seldom found pudding made from pounded chicken breast, rice flour, milk, sugar topped with cinnamon. The restaurant still offers this rare treat today, catering to customers with appetites for traditional Turkish cuisine
.
During the 1960s, customers could enjoy their meals inside, where there were large booths and couches surrounded by piles of books and the audible music of contemporary rock bands playing lightly in the background. Decoration was minimal; on the plain white walls hung occasional prints of paintings and photographs without a real theme. Towards the left side of the restaurant’s interior, the entire wall was composed of glass, creating a greater sense of space for the small location. The lack of decor did not in any way make the restaurant appear meek or glum. The customers alone brought all the ambiance and liveliness that the restaurant could have created with interior decor. The garden was another area to relax and eat with the grand view of the Blue Mosque
and the Hagia Sophia
in the distance. Here was, where many customers played their instruments, sung, and conversed about their travels in the fresh air. Adem Çolpan, son of İdris Çolpan, remembers how "it was the time of the Vietnam War" and how many of the travelers just "lived for the moment… didn’t think much of tomorrow."
In its first few years, the Pudding Shop was the only place in the area where direct transportation to Asia and tourist information on Turkey were readily available. With this knowledge, the Çolpan brothers put up a bulletin board inside the restaurant so that travelers could schedule rides with their fellow travelers and communicate with friends and family members. This board was very useful to the tourists, and eventually became notorious for the variety of personal messages that were posted alongside the transportation notifications. These included love and apology letters; one of the board’s most well-known posts was an open love letter from Megan to Malcolm in which she asked for his forgiveness and apologized for “the business down in Greece.” .
A few other messages from the 1960s travelers are still posted on the board today serving as nostalgic homages to a lively past. In the present day, the Pudding Shop has lost much of its original character. Many old-visitors and those aware of the restaurant’s rich past with the hippie movement recognize that the restaurant resembles little of what it once was. From their perspective, the restaurant seems to have lost its spunk to commercialization and fame. Outside the restaurant, there is now a large sign that says "The World Famous Pudding Shop" and inside there are no longer servers but a self service cafeteria and a large menu illuminated by neon lights..
, which contributed to the growing reputation of the restaurant.
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
for the "Lale Restaurant" in the Sultanahmet neighborhood of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. It became popular in the 1960s as a meeting place for hippies and other travelers on overland route between Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, and elsewhere in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
- the 'hippie trail
Hippie trail
The hippie trail is a term used to describe the journeys taken by hippies and others in the 1960s and 1970s from Europe overland to and from southern Asia, mainly India, Pakistan and Nepal...
'. The restaurant got its colloquial name as a result of "word-of mouth" from numerous foreign travelers that could not remember the name of the eatery but did remember the wide and popular selection of puddings sold there and thus referred to it as the "pudding shop".
Background
When brothers İdris and Namık Çolpan opened the restaurant in 1957, they had no idea that it would eventually become one of the most popular meeting places for travelers venturing across Europe and Asia during the 1960s. They anticipated less that for a period of time their restaurant would become a mecca for individuals journeying through the hippie trail. In consideration of the general lifestyle and political views of hippies in the 1960s, the restaurant, developed an image associated with the countercultureCounterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
of the time. Such stereotypes and ideas that resonated with the term "hippie", including music choice, political stance, particular style of dress, or drugs, became tied to the restaurant.
Because most of its customers were tourists, the Pudding Shop eventually developed into a popular rest stop, a place where people could gather, discuss their traveling experiences, and delight in fairly priced, traditional Turkish food. Among the restaurant's variety of well-known dishes and desserts was tavuk göğsü
Tavuk gögsü
Tavuk göğsü is a Turkish dessert pudding made with chicken and milk. It became one of the most famous delicacies served to the sultans in the Ottoman Topkapı Palace...
, a seldom found pudding made from pounded chicken breast, rice flour, milk, sugar topped with cinnamon. The restaurant still offers this rare treat today, catering to customers with appetites for traditional Turkish cuisine
Turkish cuisine
Turkish cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines. Turkish cuisine has in turn influenced those and other neighbouring cuisines, including that of western Europe...
.
During the 1960s, customers could enjoy their meals inside, where there were large booths and couches surrounded by piles of books and the audible music of contemporary rock bands playing lightly in the background. Decoration was minimal; on the plain white walls hung occasional prints of paintings and photographs without a real theme. Towards the left side of the restaurant’s interior, the entire wall was composed of glass, creating a greater sense of space for the small location. The lack of decor did not in any way make the restaurant appear meek or glum. The customers alone brought all the ambiance and liveliness that the restaurant could have created with interior decor. The garden was another area to relax and eat with the grand view of the Blue Mosque
Blue Mosque
Blue Mosque may refer to:* Blue Mosque, Tabriz, Iran, 1465* Rawze-e-Sharif, Mazari Sharif, Afghanistan, 1512* Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey, 1616* Blue Mosque, Yerevan, Armenia, 1766* Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque, Shah Alam, Malaysia, 1982...
and the Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey...
in the distance. Here was, where many customers played their instruments, sung, and conversed about their travels in the fresh air. Adem Çolpan, son of İdris Çolpan, remembers how "it was the time of the Vietnam War" and how many of the travelers just "lived for the moment… didn’t think much of tomorrow."
In its first few years, the Pudding Shop was the only place in the area where direct transportation to Asia and tourist information on Turkey were readily available. With this knowledge, the Çolpan brothers put up a bulletin board inside the restaurant so that travelers could schedule rides with their fellow travelers and communicate with friends and family members. This board was very useful to the tourists, and eventually became notorious for the variety of personal messages that were posted alongside the transportation notifications. These included love and apology letters; one of the board’s most well-known posts was an open love letter from Megan to Malcolm in which she asked for his forgiveness and apologized for “the business down in Greece.” .
A few other messages from the 1960s travelers are still posted on the board today serving as nostalgic homages to a lively past. In the present day, the Pudding Shop has lost much of its original character. Many old-visitors and those aware of the restaurant’s rich past with the hippie movement recognize that the restaurant resembles little of what it once was. From their perspective, the restaurant seems to have lost its spunk to commercialization and fame. Outside the restaurant, there is now a large sign that says "The World Famous Pudding Shop" and inside there are no longer servers but a self service cafeteria and a large menu illuminated by neon lights..
Today
The old bulletin board still hangs but is no longer flooded by messages between family members, friends, and lovers. Today, it is covered instead, with less romantic and more practical messages between travelers. The garden where travelers once congregated for meals, or after meals to play their instruments has been removed. Some individuals believe that the major change that the restaurant has undergone since its hippie hey-days is due to the fame that it has acquired. In 1978, the Pudding Shop was featured in the popular book and movie Midnight ExpressMidnight Express (film)
Released on October 6, 1978, the soundtrack to Midnight Express was composed by Italian synth-pioneer Giorgio Moroder. The score won the Academy Award for Best Original Score of 1978.Side A:#Chase – Giorgio Moroder...
, which contributed to the growing reputation of the restaurant.