Turkish Cultural Center of Pittsburgh

Had an awesome time visiting them for Iftar during Ramadan this year, its so amazing that those people can become friends with you in seconds and become interested on your life and you!
It was uplifting and inspiring how much love and support these people have for each other!
Had delicious food, outside and nice fresh weather… Something i needed for a very long time!

One of my favorite international pop artists happens to be from Turkey, and a few years back I had a very good friend who was studying here who was from, and is now back in Turkey. So I started googling one day, and ended up discovering the Turkish Cultural Center of Pittsburgh, and signed up for their e-​mail list. Very shortly thereafter, I received a notice about their upcoming Turkish Food night, and after scrambling to find a friend to go with me, made the plan and went. I’ve always loved food from the Middle-​East, and couldn’t wait for a steaming cup of Turkish coffee to pair with it.
I had no idea what an amazing surprise I was in for.
We arrived slightly early, and the women were bustling around getting things ready. There were giant flying saucer-​like appliances that were the base for making the flatbreads, and they were making the bread before our eyes. They were lining pans around the buffet tables, and placing price cards next to each item.
So my friend and I found ourselves a spot at one of the tables, which were all basically empty at this point, and settled in, waiting for the food to be ready. I might point out at this point, that the two of us stood out rather like sore thumbs in this crowd. I am what I am, and he was a large black man.
The crowd began to filter in, and soon the food was ready. Everyone got in line, and started filling their plates. And the food was amazing. A wide variety of salads, breads, meats, desserts, all home made by this small army of women wearing their headscarves, and long dresses. Every bite of it filled with flavor, and made with care.
We took our plates back to our table, and what happened next is what has made every event I’ve ever attended a breathtaking experience.
Two guys, Osman and another whose name I no longer recall, just walked right up to us and started conversation. Two total strangers, in Pittsburgh, actually walked up to an old gay guy and a large gay black man, introduced themselves and genuinely started chatting. Then they asked if they could join us for the meal. And instead of just having another ‘restaurant’ experience, or another ‘festival’ experience, we felt like real people in a real people social setting. It was astonishing, and frankly took my breath away. I’m not talking about the typical American ‘thanks for coming, nice to see you’ kind of chat. They asked, they told, we shared, and it felt like we were really making new friends.
I’ve now been to several food nights, and one movie night, and at EVERY occasion, total strangers, of all ages… just walked right up, sat right down, and interacted… with the most kind, sincere and genuine natures.
At the movie night, they were showing the film from a video computer file that crashed fifteen minutes before then end. So they found the film on some online source like YouTube, but suddenly… the subtitles were missing, and at the crucial crux of the film. After the film was over, several of us were standing around in a group bewildered, and a beautiful guy named Mahmout stepped up and explained the ending to us.
I can honestly say that I have NEVER experienced this same level of kindness and human hospitality anywhere I’ve been in the US. I experienced similar hospitality in Peru. The folks at the TCC Pittsburgh aren’t working to sell you anything… they are sharing… and they are giving us their culture, and their hearts.
Sign up for their e-​mail list, or friend them on Facebook. They offer quite a wide variety of activities, from language classes, cooking classes, dinners, movies, coffee nights (and if you are a fan of REAL coffee — as opposed to the usual American brown water — theirs is NOT to be missed) with guest speakers covering a range of subjects, to even more academic events and gatherings.
After visiting three of them, the food nights can vary in quantity levels… but truly, who cares. The food is awesome… but the company is astounding!
You can’t help but fall in love with this community.