What a big Whirl

I attended a performance of the Whirling Dervishes of Rumi last night. The Sufi music and the Turkish poetry was amazing. Even though I didn't understand any of it, it really was cool to see the reciter so enchanted with what he was saying.

The whirlers on the other hand...I didn't quite get that. About eight people with traditional clothing literally whirl around. Then they bow. Then whirl around some more. They bow again, then whirl around again. I mean, it wasn't really that exciting. And I probably should've eaten dinner before, because I expected the whole thing to last a little more than an hour, but the entire presentation was three hours.

All in all, the music and the poetry gets a 7.5 out of 10. The whirling? It may be culturally faux pas to say this, but I'll be generous because they did fly all the way from Turkey: 1.5 out of 10.

One of the most alarming things of the night was the door prize giveaway. The grand prize was an all expense trip to Turkey. The official rules? You had to fill out a form, and you couldn't be Turkish. So how do they determine your "Turkishness"? Your name. That's right ladies and gentlemen, some guy who pulls a sheet out of the hat, looks and sees if the name "looks" Turkish. Does that seem unfair to anyone else?