Elizabeth Ayten Berent
Texan Elizabeth Ayten Berent has made her home in Turkey for almost 40 years, making her mark as a painter, interior designer, charity director, Turkish cooking expert and in many other roles. Known for her sociability and colorful personality, Berent opened the doors of her home to Issue.
By M. Ferhat YÜKSEL
She is practically a guide for the wives of ambassadors who have newly arrived in Ankara. Elizabeth Ayten Berent was born in Texas and settled in Turkey about 40 years ago after accepting a marriage proposal from Ruhi Berent. She set out in Turkey with the determination to learn everything she could about the language, traditions and culture of the country she was to live in. More than learning, she soon began to teach. She wrote a book explaining Turkish cooking and gave courses. She also took on the management of an association for foreigners living in Turkey and introduced them to Turkish culture. Elizabeth Ayten Be-rent, this cultural attaché, opened her doors to Issue and revealed secret aspects of her life with sincere answers to our questions.
What was the hardest aspect of accustoming yourself to Turkey?
My husband Ruhi gave me a basic explanation of Turkey. Perhaps he did that so I wouldn’t be afraid to come here. What was hardest for me was Turkish traditions. Turks have a very wide set of traditions and there is a phrase to say for every occasion. Added to that, everyone is very solemn and respectful. At first, it was quite hard for me but my own family has a formal and disciplined structure, so I was able to adapt quite quickly.
Did you consider continuing your career as an interior designer in Turkey?
No, I’ve never worked within my profession in Turkey. In those days there was a lot more copper in homes. Home decoration was always the same. Every home had sofas pressed against the wall and a coffee table in the center of the salon. Some women still arrange their homes that way. They put small trays in the corners. To me, this is a habit with its roots in the past.
Was it hard to learn Turkish?
In those days there was only an evening class teaching English-Turkish run in Kızılay. It was hard for women to go out during the day and even harder to go out in the evenings. Since I’m tall, I draw attention and I experienced problems. I learned Turkish myself without going to a course.
We know you are fascinated by cooking. How did that begin?
Being unable to follow my profession, I started to develop an interest in cooking. Turkish food is very varied and wonderfully tasty. Everyone has their own style of cooking. Some do green beans with tomatoes, some do it another way. This was fascinating to me. The simplest food took on so many forms and had a different taste in every region. I learned that this has to do with the makeup of the country. Since the migration from Central Asia to Anatolia the many cultural syntheses have created regional differences and shaped culinary culture. Every region has different accents, beliefs, languages and traditions. For example in some villages when you go to ask for a girl’s hand in marriage you have to put a bottle on the roof of the house and the person who knocks it off has the right to make the request. Learning about these traditions only increased my interest in food culture. Once my children had grown up I got some foreign friends. They constantly asked me for recipes. I decided to gather them all together and give a weekly lesson. But I had two conditions: You have to love cooking and you have to love Turkey. It doesn’t work if you don’t embrace the culture. As I grew in the cooking, there were queues growing to join my lessons.
COOKERY COURSES
As well as teaching them about cookery, I would give them information on Turkish culture and help them with things they were curious about. The information they learned from me helped them to look more respectfully on what they saw around them. My aim was for them to return to their countries with things that they could explain with admiration. That’s what earned me the title ‘Cultural Attaché’.
You published a cookbook. Where did that idea come from?
I decided to write a book after constant pressure from friends on the course. Then it was very hard to publish in English. I did all the proofreading and layout myself. I did research on Turkish nomad culture and its impact on today’s cuisine. Where did we get baklava from, where does yufka pastry come from? After a lot of work I published “Cooking with a Pinch of Imagination-A’dan Z’ye Türk Yemekleri”.
We know you have made a major contribution to civil society organizations. Can you tell us about that?
At the request of the US ambassador, I took on the chair of the Ankara Women’s Club. Back then it was only American women who were members. I widened the membership to a larger geography. We held monthly meetings to introduce Turkey. We had a lot of useful and fun activities.
MAKING ASPEK INTO TASPEK
After a while, I took a break and spent time on book-writing. There was a problem at the Asia-Pacific-Eurasia-Caucasus Friendly Group (ASPEK). They called me and asked me to become their president. I told them that if they want me to be director then the group has to be TASPEK (Turkish Asia Pacific-Eurasia-Caucasus Friendly Group) and the entire constitution has to change. I became the founding president who changed the group from ASPEK to TASPEK and I served for six years. We organized a range of fun and educational activities, from weekly cooking courses, yoga lessons at the Mongolian embassy, Turkish-English lessons and monthly Ankara tours. Once a month we held days at member embassies. It was a way for the members to introduce their own cultures. I tried to touch on everything a woman might need in Turkey. We worked to provide the necessaries for the members to socialize. We helped children and we provided libraries for schools. A few members wrote letters of appreciation and fondness to me once they had returned home. Whatever I did, I did for Turkey’s development. That was very important for me.
How did your interest in art and painting begin?
I had an interest in painting since my high school years. After high school, I won a scholarship in New York but I didn’t take it up because I didn’t want to be far from my family. I started painting again after TASPEK. At first it was just drawing, plain objects. Once in awhile I did landscape drawings and hung them at home. After a while, my friends started to convince me to hold an exhibition. The first one drew more interest than I expected and half of the works were sold. It went very well. Additionally, I started designing furniture for myself, for friends and for embassies. But I did that as an amateur, purely for my own pleasure.
I SHARE EVERYTHING I KNOW
You have close friendships with many ambassador’s wives in Ankara. You’re something of a guide for them…
Yes. Because I’m the kind of person who likes to share, I try to explain to them the things about Turkey that they’re curious about or don’t know about. If they ask me something I don’t know I try to find out and help them. The important thing for me is that they return home with good memories of Turkey and they enjoy their time here. If I can make that happen then I’ve done my job.
Do you prefer the quiet life or an exciting lifestyle?
Both. There’s always a need to relax. Swimming in the calm, warm Mediterranean always relaxes me. But I can’t live without creating something, without being active. So I love the social life and relaxation. That’s what keeps me alive.
Can you spare time for sport?
When I was in Texas I did a parachute jump. That was a really exciting experience. When I was young I did skiing and water-skiing. When I can, I like to ride horses.
Do you like to travel?
Yes, most of all to America. I go twice a year. Other than that, I’ve traveled most of the world apart from a few countries. When I have the time, I love to see places I’ve never visited and encounter new cultures.
You have three children. What kind of mother do you think you are?
I am a disciplined mother. I have two daughters and a son. I am very protective of them. And because education is very important to me I place a lot of importance on my children’s education. I’ve improved my Turkish through them. I sent my children to French School. So they speak French as well as English and Turkish.
WHAT YOU SEEK, YOU WILL FIND
What is your outlook on life?
There’s a wonderful phrase that I use a lot: “What you seek, you will find.” I am always positive and I am afraid of nothing. It’s very important to do good work and be positive.
