Behind the Veil

Gastronomy is becoming the main motive of tourism. The hospitality and catering industry is growing quickly in Turkey; one proof is that the worldwide event Sirha is now celebrating its second year in Istanbul. The event took place last week between Nov. 27 and 29 at the Istanbul Congress Center, hosting 180 exhibitors to meet the increasing needs and requirements in all sectors of the hotel and restaurant trade. Among the many successful events, panels, discussions and competitions, one unfortunate incident cast a shadow on the future of gastronomy tourism in Turkey. The
wine and spirit section was ridiculously small, placed in an awkward corner, and tightly veiled behind heavy curtains hidden from visitor's eyes. Officials and bodyguards strictly guarded all access to the spirit section, practically keeping that section off the limits.

The new law prohibiting the promotion of alcoholic drinks was the reason for this "covering" of the spirit corner, but it was the hyper control at the entrance that irritated most visitors. On the first day, the angry employee safeguarding the drinks section denied entrance to most journalists, and there were hot debates on who could access the closed cabin-like section. First of all, one needs to mention that the Sirha event was open to professionals only, and all visitors were from the hospitality and food service sector. The students of gastronomy schools were strictly kept away from the "evil" section; the logic behind this has yet to be explained, but it should be remembered that these university students are the future of gastronomy in Turkey.

Sirha is the world's foremost hospitality and food service event and is held every two years in Lyon in France. The 2003 figures for the Lyon event were...