Time for Tea by brewgirlca
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
Taken close to sunrise in the ancient eastern Turkish city of Erzurum. One of life's simple pleasures, relished by virtually all Turks, is their uniquely strong Turkish tea. It is served in small cylindrical thistle-like glass flasks with no handle, as you can see here. There are no tea pots, each flask is brought fresh from the kitchen. In eastern Turkey the tea tables are always well below knee hieght and indeed it is very unusual to see European style chairs like these. Most are very low backless stools.
Friends and often strangers alike will be invited to share a tea, especially in the market cities of eastern Turkey. When you sit at one of these low outdoor tables a waiter will bring you a tea instantly and without question. Then the idea is to linger as long as you can, making the moment last. The thought of our morning rush for a Starbucks jolt is totally alien to this particular caffiene culture.
The waiters will take no money till the end and often disdain to come to your table when you leave, taking only what you give them, normally a Turkish Lira (about 70 cents) per cup.

Comments (30)
looks like a perfect picture that would be in life mag or others, most well done Roxy!!
Excellent image, well done!
Aside from the candid, unposed, slice of life feel of this image, what I really like is the range of gray tones & the varied textures. White shirt, light jacket, dark jacket, medium gray pants. Cotton, leather, skin, hair, metal, wood, porcelain, concrete. It looks simple enough, but it's actually composed of quite a range of visual elements that seem to be in perfect balance...
Amazing capture and marvelous image !
ONE cool shot
Nice photo of this very relaxing moment, Roxie. I have to say that your description was a joy to read.
Not to be a cop out, but photosynthesis sums this up nicely. Besides the technical, I really do like the unposed and almost literal capture of these two. I wonder how they are if they knew you were taking their picture. Do they ham it up or are they against a female tourist taking their picture. Excellent art.
I think our society could take a lesson from other cultures like this.... Take time to relax a little bit... I'm all for it, myself! Another great photo of a relaxed moment in time, Roxy. Most excellent!
I agree that we all need to take the time to stop and eat the roses and drink the tea! A great candid capture
Excellent shot of the moment. Certainly seems like a much simpler way of life.... If only we could enjoy our mornings so thoroughly.
Excellent comp. Although the look tends to discover what they observe with much attention, you can not pass unnoticed the glasses, because they are located in the most heavy zone , visually. This balances the image , despite the size difference between the elements.
Many turks live in germany and also here even a glass of tea is an often offered. If you go to in turkish shops, you will be treated as customer friendly as often elsewhere. A typical scene you have here. I wonder what catches their attention? Candid street shot!
A most beautiful and intriguing candid! Excellent!
Awesome capture
Perfect for the forum challenge this month, Roxy! I really like the contrasts. Clive
Wonderful capture. Great eye for these guys as models.
Captures the story beautifully – I don’t know if your story (or at least idea) came before or after the capture but they really go together perfectly!!!
great shot, and subject
Very good shot!!!!!!!
Great candid shot of these two gentlemen, Roxy! Love the B&W treatment...very 'Life' photos-like and professional looking. Yes, Turkish people are really nice and very hospitable - at least the ones I've met.
Fantastic photo and scene!!!
Timeless. Very reminiscent of the work of Ara Guler.
Wonderful and serene.
a marvellous moment in time
Your photos are incredible! Thank you for sharing them with us!
Wonderful candid piece! I love the way you capture the humanity of the moment!
This is an excellent candid and your use of monochrome is the perfect choice. The textures work very well. More than that, this photo says "look at me" beyond the technical comments.
very nice shot, love how you can feel whats going on.
Wonderful classic B&W the more interesting is what are they looking at If you like photo you can see some of mine here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/107293413@N04/sets/?
What a great shot. All elements handled wonderfully. Timeless!