My favorite things about Istanbul

Living in Istanbul brings its ups and downs.  It’s a massive city with traffic snarls and smog like I’ve never experienced but it also has a buzz unmatched.  I’m yet to make up my mind about it as a place to live but it’s a city everyone should visit at least once.  When the call […]

Munich- my kind of town

I’ve just spent the past weekend in Munich.  What a great city. I was staying just round the corner from the Marienplatz  - the huge outdoor pedestrian mall at the center of the down town area.
Munich offers the best of both worlds, small city charm with all the sights, shopping and conveniences of a large […]

Lifestyle changes pay off

Contrary to the popular excuse, its never too late to make positive changes to your health.  Mounting a 4 pronged attack such as this approach can have dramatic effects for the better.Â
Its never too late to quit smoking.  Smoking cigarettes is probably the single most harmful thing you can do to yourself and quitting will […]

Sipping Your Way Through the Summer with Organic Lemonades!

It’s the time of year again where nearly every magazine publishes what they claim to be the ‘World’s Best Lemonade’! Each one promises to cool you down, quench your thirst, or hydrate you better than any other recipe in the world. The only problem is, once you start looking at the recipes you realize they’re […]

The LifeCo Gets Fresh!

The LifeCo has been featured in the latest issue of Get Fresh! magazine from the UK’s Fresh Network. The article talks about The LifeCo’s Executive Chef Chad Sarno and our Saf Restaurant opening soon in London. The issue also features some of Joe McCanta’s yummy fresh drinks. You can find out more about the magazine on the […]

The LifeCo at HealthIst 07

It was a great way to spend a weekend - hanging out on the grass, plenty of fresh air and sunshine, surrounded by trees and good vibes. This wasn’t a trip out of town, but the scene at HealthIst at Parkorman in Istanbul!
HealthIst was our second fair and the environment totally suited us. Parkorman is […]

Munich Comes to Saf Tünel

On 7 May, 27 members from the Ladies International Association of Munich who were in Istanbul visited Saf Tünel.  They listened to the Expat Harem editors talk about acculturation issues for foreigners in Turkey. They also tried Vice President Bilge Aksu-Doerr’s favorite drink created by mixologist Joe McCanta-the Hafif Rüzgar. This innovative concoction is a refreshing mix of Turkish rakı, basil and lemon.
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Wine: Is Green the New Red?

The green movement that seems to be all the rage in the US is spilling over to wine. More shops are highlighting wines that are organic, sustainable and biodynamic - practices that are gentler to the earth and many say produce better tasting wine.
Read more in this NY Times article.
Fortunately if you live in Istanbul, […]

Saf Martini Goes to New York

Saf’s latest cocktail has made it in the press in New York! Named after the anthology of short stories by foreign women living and travelling in Turkey, the launch of the Expat Harem martini was highlighted on galleycat - the New York city blog about the publishing world: ‘Ashman and Gökmen, as well as other […]

Expat Harem Martini

Anastasia Ashman, co-editor of Tales from the Expat Harem, gives the martini a test drive

Tales from the Expat Harem, a brilliant anthology of short stories about foreign women’s experiences living and travelling in Turkey, has inspired a cocktail! If you’ve read the book, you can imagine that the eponymous cocktail is spicy yet sweet, sparkling […]