Tuesday, December 30/2025

Errand day number two. The Samsung mobile has a message from Telsim addressing me by my full passport name, a bit like your mother calling you by first, middle and last name to emphasize the gravity of the misdemeanor. The gist of the message is that the documentation provided when we purchased and registered the sim is incomplete and we must go to the shop where the purchase was made to rectify the matter. Really? Fortunately this is not particularly inconvenient as there are other stops we need to make nearby. But what if we were in another country for the next few weeks? And what, after providing them with endless information, could be missing? Our medical records? The addresses of our first born? Do wonder if they have reconsidered our claim to have no friends when they demanded a telephone number “for emergencies”. What sort of emergency? An unpaid phone bill? Should have gone prepared with the telephone number of an aggressive online advertiser. 

Wait in queue to see what the problem is. Girl takes the message and squints at her computer screen. Then says “It’s the wrong message. You can ignore it.” Reassuring, sort of. Same wrong message may be permanently embedded in the company files. But for now we can scratch that from the worry list.

Ileli next on the list. Starts happily enough. Two girls have a stand just inside the door where they are promoting Chivas Regal extra smoky whisky. Comes in a box with two gift glasses. Would we like to taste it? Very nearly noon - and well under a jiggerful, not that anyone’s actually measuring - so seems legit. The glasses we are given are gold coloured paper cups, suitable for starting New Year’s seedlings, so we keep them, the girls assenting cheerfully.

J searching for smoked pork fillet. The Russian shop which used to carry it now doesn’t. Ileli has quite a few pork products but all rather inferior to fillet. Settle for veal at Șokmar. Also at Șokmar an old favourite of mine, called koupes in the Greek sector but inçli köfte in Turkish. A bulgur shell filled with minced meat and seasoning and deep fried. New Year’s likely to be quiet but we’ll be well fed.