Lamb is the preferred meat in the North. The country is predominantly Muslim, and while there seems to be no visceral dislike of pork - most supermarkets sell tinned ham (expensive, probably Danish) and frozen side bacon is easily available though very pricey - it is simply not part of the culture. No one grew up eating it. Lamb is definitely traditional and excellent but has become very expensive. In common with much of Europe - in fact in common with virtually all the European countries that do not prefer pork - chicken is the meat most frequently eaten. It’s very good. Much better than any we get in Canada (with the glorious exception of Mike Quince’s). And it’s not expensive.
But a sixty-nine year old Turkish Cypriot man with more nerve than morals or brains visited a supermarket in the western town of Güzelyurt on New Year’s Eve and stole lamb meat and a bottle of wine. Total value 949.67 lira ($38.69 CAD, £21.85). That might have been that but apparently he was a man with higher standards for food than ethics. He returned it to the same supermarket the next day complaining that the meat stank and demanding a refund and the store duly refunded him 809.68 lira ($32.98 CAD, £18.62). Presumably he had already consumed the wine and could no longer claim it had been unsatisfactory.
The supermarket staff were apparently suspicious and reported the matter to the police who investigated and, according to the Cyprus Mail “found evidence linking the man to the crime”. Difficult to imagine what, other than, perhaps, CCTV footage. The empty wine bottle would hardly have done it. But unwilling to call it quits the man went back to the same supermarket - and no, Güzelyurt isn’t that small so there would be more than one - and stole a further 645.92 lira ($26.31 CAD, £14.86) worth of groceries. Police continue to investigate.
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