Prologue: A Fez of the Heart: Travels around Turkey in Search of a Hat 
By: Jeremy Seal

a. One particular passage from the reading I found particularly interesting was when Seal was comparing the differences between Halil's work tools and his father's work tools.  The passage states, "Halil is now a successful Pomegranate hotelier, but he has not forgotten his father.  The tools of the old man's trade - the wooden ploughs and the threshing sleds, horse-drawn sleds... have been tided up, varnished, and displayed around the hotel, along with photographs of an ancient face, to commemorate the man and his way of life."  The passage goes on to say "The tools of Halil's trade are fax machines, tour operators, a facility with profit margins and exchange rates, charm, and foreign languages.  No son will build such a memorial to Halil."  The extreme differences from one generation to the next really struck me.  The work goes from tangible, physical capital to intangible services.  This drastic difference puts into perspective how drastically a culture and economy can change in a short amount of time.  It is also interesting to me that the way the passage read, it seemed like his fathers trade and tools were deemed as more respectful than Halil's tools and trade.

b. Economics plays a large role in shaping a culture and vice versa.  This can be especially evident in a place where tourism is the staple in the economy.  In this reading, it seemed as if the more the economy moved from agriculture and manual labor to tourism, the less concerned and sure Pomegranate became with their culture.  The reading also demonstrated that culture can be used as an economic advantage in tourism.  For example, the reading discussed that food changed as tourism advanced.  Turkish food was replaced with European food and restaurants advertised authentic Turkish food as a selling point so that tourists could feel like they were getting the complete experience. Another example is the fez hats.  The hats were forbidden to wear but were allowed to be sold to tourists because the grand hats made great souvenirs.

c. The conflicts and connects of tourism and culture in this little Turkish town, can be seen on a bigger scale and in other countries. This passage made me think about different cultures I've visited and made me realize how much of a tourist I was on these vacations.  For example, I recently traveled to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.  My mom and I stayed in a really nice all-inclusive resort but one day we wanted to venture to town to get the "Mexican Experience."  In this extremely touristy town, there were hundreds of stores and restaurants all trying to provide an authentic experience to attract customers.  The shopkeepers and restauranteurs use the stereotypical Mexican culture to make money.  Now that I think about it, culture and tourism are extremely connected.  Tourists want to embrace and feel a part of the traditional culture of the place their visiting.