Post Titled: Non-Fiction, Room 77, Graefestraße 77, Graefekiez, Thursday night.

Got our asses kicked in table-fußball by two guys who live on my street. then we struck back and final score was 9-6. then theb alls got stuck and the bartendergirl had to come unlock the table for the 2nd time. It was also the longest sustained actual real social interaction I can recall having had with Turks in my neighborhood since arriving in Berlin even, with the exception of the owner of Zitron and some of Robs other friends- oh, and the speedfreak who lived above us on Reuterstr. But that doesn't count, he was insane.
Before challenging us in fußball, the two guys- looking very slick and well-dressed but visibly nervous and slightly out of place at the bar, probably the same way I have felt when I have wandered into all Turkish/arabic social establishments in Germany- there is a strange tension- like the first time I went to Mustafa, my barber, but anyhow these guys were cool and hopefully I will remember them adn say hi from now on. AND they were really effing brutally good at fußball- and even polite because my partner was a very vocal young american woman who was swearing up a storm, -which they seemed to really get a kick out of- and (??) they actually apologised after scoring goals.

Bewteen games ish hab gefragt: "Woher kommst du eigentlich?"
"Ish? Ish bin Türker. Komm' aus Istanbul. Dub bis Amerikaner?"
"Ursprunglish, ja- Kalifornien.- aber ish hab schon lange Zeit in Deutschland gelebt."
"akso, und was machst du hier? Erasmus?"
"nee- bin kein student mehr- also, beruflich bin ish journalist-"
"aksooo, journalismus- große zeitung- ? New York Times??"
"nööööö, das wäre sau toll, aber nee- nix so wie New York TImes"

GAME ON...

Türken Kreuzberg Kottbusser Tor Berlin