Pudding Shop Lifestyle of Hippies

https://youtu.be/FlDC4bI4L-Q

NAMIK BEY: It is all about the Hippies. They would camp here, stay in the cars, and  sleep in the park with those sleeping bags. This place was a bakery shop back then. Our first place was a patisseriee. When it was a patisserie, we were serving only breakfast.  The people were in the need of meals though.  There wasn’t any place around for that. After 70’s we transformed the bakery shop into a restaurant. They needed the restaurant here and have anywhere to go. 

They would come and go as if this was their home. Our family profession was a patisserie so we used to offer Turkish Delight to everyone, for free. They don’t have customs like that, Europians don’t have…That’s why they liked it here. They felt this place as their home.

For instance, two friends from England were traveling. One of them stayed in Greece and the other one came here. They said “let’s meet here”. There was a communication board here. They would write on it “at this time, we will meet at Pudding Shop. All would come and check the bord. Just like this, it was a meeting place.

SİNAN: Both a place for meeting and communication…

NAMIK BEY: They played guitar, everyone had fun. They’d read books . It was good, all of them were educated and cultured. However the community here, felt uncomfortable when the tourists came. they couldn't adapt and live in harmony. Many locals left the area and settled to other places.

SİNAN: Locals moved out…

NAMIK BEY: Back then this place was a big good neighborhood area. When the hippies came, people felt uncomfortable. They couldn’t accept the situation at first. Now it is different (than a neighborhood).