The clear-cut division between fast food and the food eaten at the dinner table has been broken by pilavcıs because they have brought pilav from the tables to the streets. It is unusual to find hamburgers, pizza and other fast food items on the dinner table, and it would surely be absurd to sell soup or main dishes on the street like fast food. Yet pilav has gained a respectable place in the world of fast food while protecting its highly appreciated position on the table.“Pilavcıs have begun a revolutionary era in the fast food sector with their unique taste and marketing techniques,” said Emre Altundağ, a university student and frequent pilavcı customer, smiling while spooning up his pilav. Altundağ lives away from his family and said he finds the pilav sold in the street more delicious than what his mother cooks at home. “There is a different taste to this pilav; normally, I do not like to eat pilav on its own, but since I have become accustomed to pilavcıs, I adore it,” he said.
As you might expect, not all pilavcıs are good cooks. They cook and sell pilav for extra money in addition to their regular jobs. For example, Durmuş Songün, a doorman in Beşiktaş, opens his portable pilav shop after 9 p.m. for his loyal customers. Songün, who has been selling pilav on the streets for four years, said he learned to cook pilav from his wife but has now created his own unique style and flavor. “Many women ask me how I cook this pilav, but I cannot tell them -- it is a secret. I also believe pilav tastes different when it is eaten standing in the street with a plastic plate and spoon instead of eating at the table,” Songün added. He also underlined the difficulties of working outside. “We do face the possibility of some threats, especially at night. For instance, one night a drunk man came and tried to attack me with a knife for no reason, but I continue because the income I get from pilav is considerable,” Songün explained.
Pilavcıs have a wide spectrum of customers, from students to famous singers and theater actors. “There are some very famous pilavcıs in İstanbul that have fiercely loyal customers. Regardless of their fame or social status they come to us and eat pilav,” said Veysel, a pilavcı in Unkapanı. When he was working in a restaurant, he noticed that the clients liked his pilav very much, so he decided to open his own mobile pilavcı. Veysel said: “It is an indefinable pleasure to generate a unique taste and have your own loyal customers. Many famous people come here to eat pilav.” When asked to give examples, he said basketball player İbrahim Kutluay and popular theater actor Yılmaz Erdoğan eat his pilav. Veysel added that the cheap price of pilav does not mean it is poor quality and unhealthy. Yet, at the same time he warned people not to trust all pilavcıs. Asking about his income from selling pilav, he said, “Thank God, we make TL 3,000-4,000 a month.”
