The latest and best work on our beloved Nasreddin Hoca comes from a team of two Turkologists, Dr. Warren S. Walker & Dr. Ahmet E. Uysal. Their grand work consists of two large volumes, 'Tales Alive in Turkey' (Lubbock, Texas, 1990) and 'More Tales Alive in Turkey' (Lubbock, Texas, 1992). The team criss-crossed Turkey 11 times, often going to little villages which even the urban Turk today would have considered too uninteresting and impossible places where one could extract any cultural heritage. In answering a question about how he was received and what kind of cultural barriers he encountered during his visits, Dr. Walker touched on one Turkish characteristic: how our peasants would first make sure they understood what exactly is wanted, become comfortable with the issue and then open their arms with the greatest hospitality imaginable to give all they could to satisfy the guest.
The team, when entering a village, would first go to the muhtar who would welcome them and, over many cups of tea they would be asked to explain who they were and where they come from. Then the muhtar would pose, sigh, and ask them the same questions again. Perhaps a whole day would be spent in this process and the hext day the village religious leader, the hoca would come and ask them the same questions again. And then, at some point, the muhtar would pose and say:
'You honor us with your presence. How can we help you?'
Then the folktales would be told, and the guests would be wonderfully entertained and fed for a few days. Usually the people were very poor and the cost of entertainment was obviously great for the villagers. But hospitality was a duty and a privilege, so of course no money could be offered and even provisions would be refused. But Dr. Walker discovered that tea and sugar were in short supply, so on each trip thereafter he would take supplies of both. He would never offer them to the villagers, however, but would ask if he might be allowed to give these presents to the village children. Yes, he was told, he might give presents to the children. The tea and sugar thus were enjoyed by the whole village. All concerned had behaved with honour and with understanding, and all had gained from the meeting. For the West, the result was a unique collection of remarkable folktales, for the villagers, a friend whom they welcomed back on every subsequent visit.'
Sent by: Nalan Arsoy Gainer <ptcorg@erols.com>