What a shame about the Chinese Breeze

[nichola]

I have this year asked a couple of mates to bring us the odd bottle of Bacardi and we always reimburse in full. How can you not? How could you ask again if you didn't?

And there are still restaurants that do offer a free drink at the end of the meal - tea/nescafe or Turkish coffee so I guess its all about going to the right places  

[Scunner]

I did ask about it in one restaurant (the free drink at the end) saying it was very much appreciated in places like Cyprus and the Canary Islands (I remember honey liqueur - very nice but you'd never have one if you were paying for it   ) - the response was that most restaurants used to do it in Calis when a bottle was 4 lira or whatever but it had doubled or trebled in not so many years and really expensive to give free to all.

That said, it wasn't long ago that similar appreciation was shown in the form of a free fruit plate which it must be agreed costs very little indeed - and that little special gesture seems all but gone in recent years too.

[laffa]

heard loads of these stories over the years, I too got charged for my own bottle of vodka at the end of a holiday, but never charged the people in question for the stuff we bought over for them, but the best one yet was a mate of ours who was asked to bring 2 bottles of scotch over with other stuff, they said they would arrange his pick up from the airport, which they did, then charged him £70 , now thats what you call a proper whopper. oh and that was one way.

[marina]

First time we came to Turkey 10 years ago we were amazed at the amount of free food/drinks we were offered including the free fruit plates as Scunner has mentioned.

These have all pretty much disappeared now, sign of the times or difficult times perhaps? However, as Nichola says, we still often get offered a coffee or something similar 'on the house' at the end of the meal which is a nice gesture when it's offered.  

[Toky]

I was asked last year to bring out a bottle of Bailleys amongst other things last year, by a bar owner. They then invited me to join them for a thank you drink then charged me the bloody 8tl for the Bailleys I'd just brought over!!!!!
And also,--- If they get it at our duty free prices, why then do they charge us prices as though they've imported it themselves!!!

[Scunner]

I really, really hope that all these examples of members generosity in bringing bacon/spirit requests over being unappreciated were the last time they did it for the bar in question???

[Highlander]

We must just be lucky.

At the Hamsi in June we were given a large plate of mixed fruit and in one particular restaurant we are always given baklava at the end of the meal, even when on our last visit, we specifically aske them not to

[Scunner]

In a story where all participants and locales have been changed or omitted, a story. Friends came over and wanted to stay at a hotel rather than with us so we arranged this for them. The owner of the hotel is well known to us (that doesn't narrow it down much). Friends and owner got on very well and I saw the owner in Fethiye - he told me they had invited our friends to dine with them that night and they would very much appreciate it if we would come and join them too. We did and had a lovely evening.

After a few days our friends were leaving to return to the UK. When they settled their bar bill, what was on it - not just two x meals for them for that night but 2x meals for us too - how embarrassing was that []

[tinkerman]

sounds like a Cemal trick:D

[Scunner]

It does, but I would hardly have given him their business

Actually I think it isn't a trick, it's just a different understanding of "join us for dinner" - the hotelier in this case is not at all mean or tricky. That is how I discovered that an invitation to join someone for a drink or a meal in Turkey doesn't necessarily mean they are picking up the tab, even if they own the place!