Quote of the Day

The provisioning of a great city, the kadi liked to remark, is the mark of a successful civilization. In Istanbul it was a business that had been honed close to perfection by almost two thousand years' experience, and it could truly be said of the markets of Istanbul that there was not a flower, a fruit, a type of meat or fish that did not make its appearance there in season. - The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin, chapter 99 opening paragraph.