By paying a few liras more, you will be buying bread for someone who can’t afford it, and when someone in need comes to the bakery, they can ask for one of the loaves of bread that have been set aside. While there are similar traditions involving tea and coffee in other countries, it is actually a legacy inherited from the Ottoman Empire. Most often “bread in suspense” promotions are offered during the month of Ramadan. But a bakery called Katık Ekmek Fırını in Beylikdüzü encourages this wonderful example of sharing all year long.After you finish shopping at the bakery and approach the cash register, a white board next to the register will catch your eye. Initially you may not understand why it is there, but once you read it you know why. The board shows how many loaves of bread will be distributed that day. If you want, you can also leave behind some change. The money that is collected is used to buy bread, which is placed in a basket right behind the board. When less fortunate people come to the bakery, they can take as many of the paid-for breads as they need from the basket. Katık Bakery Products General Manager Kadir Çerman says they give away more than 70 loaves a day and notes that the number increases two or threefold during Ramadan. Çerman says the main people who benefit from this policy are college students and students studying at Quran courses near Beylikdüzü.
‘Food in suspense’ at restaurant
The bakery owners also have three restaurants that operate under the same name. They have the same system in their restaurants. Customers are welcome to pay for an extra meal. The money that is collected is used to buy meals for needy families identified by the muhtar or for college students living in dormitories every two weeks.
Each restaurant provides enough food for 80 to 90 people every two weeks. Çerman says he tries to be at the restaurant every time free food is being offered to needy people to be able to experience the joy of sharing and helping. Noting that people tend to help out especially on Mondays and Fridays, Çerman says, “People help out more on Mondays because they want to start the week in a good way and on Fridays because they want to do a good deed on a holy day.”
