Traveling the world can offer different perspectives and change the idea of home to a broader space, something more connected to the wild and wonderful planet humans call home. But what about when travel just isn’t an option? Sometimes, a person has to find the adventure in his or her own backyard, and one of the best ways to do that is to explore other cultures just around the corner. Raindrop Turkish House in Oklahoma City—as well as its sister house in Tulsa—provides a wealth of opportunities to do just that.

From the outside, the Raindrop Turkish House is an unassuming office building. Located on Classen Boulevard, it blends in with other nearby structures. But just inside, the setting shifts to a whole other part of the globe. Enticing smells drift from the nearby kitchen. Women rush by in brilliantly colored scarves, and a large room with open doors provides a gathering place for everything from book clubs to community dinners. Colorful tiles along the wall lead the way into a network of rooms, and laughing children dart back and forth in the hallway.

It becomes clear pretty quickly that the real joy of Raindrop House is the people. Hospitality is at the heart of Turkish culture and the Islamic faith that many members of this community practice. So every person—no matter their ethnicity or beliefs—who arrives is a welcome guest. If they stay for more than a few minutes, they’ll likely end up with a cup of hot tea in their hand and a crisp cookie to dip into it. If they come more than once, they’ll be greeted by name and receive kisses on both cheeks.

For a more immersive experience, foodies can take part in one of Raindrop’s small cooking classes. As participants arrive, the chef invites them to sit around the table in the kitchen while they pour out steaming hot cups of Turkish tea. But this isn’t Chopped: It’s more akin to gathering around Grandma’s table.

Raindrop Turkish House was founded in Houston in 2000 and has since opened cultural centers in eight states, including locations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Photo by Raindrop Turkish House

“The cooking classes are informal and a lot of fun,” says Oklahoma City Raindrop House regular Ellen Primm of Norman. “We always end with a shared meal and good conversation.”

Indeed, the tea is strong, and the conversations are lighthearted as flour is kneaded into fresh-made dough for bread and vegetables are sliced into perfect bite-sized chunks for a salad. Because the kitchen is small, guests don’t get as much hands-on experience as they would in other cooking classes around the city, but the chefs will invite people up to try their hand at layering a baklava (which originated in Turkey) from thin sheets of phyllo pastry, rolling meatballs or kofte, or stuffing the tiny Turkish dumpling manti-—similar to ravioli. By the end of the class, the smells drifting from the oven and the stove will have appetites revved up, but no one will go hungry as the group enjoys the fruits of their labor.

The Turkish house also offers many other activities that suit a variety of interests. Guests can take part in language classes, learn crafts such as water marbling, and join a Women’s Coffee Night, where, for a small fee, ladies get dinner, fellowship, an educational lecture, and often an artistic activity like calligraphy or henna.

“Just about my favorite place to go anytime is Raindrop Turkish center,” Primm says. “The Coffee Nights have a meal and a community or civic speaker with a short, interesting program. This is followed by international music or dance entertainment and a craft. The grand finish for the evening is always the famous Turkish coffee.”

The center also offers other community meals throughout the year, including a special Thanksgiving dinner and several iftar dinners during the month of Ramadan, which occurs April 2 to May 2 in 2022. On occasion, they also serve a Saturday or Sunday brunch and host a Turkish festival twice a year with entertainment and food-. The next one is scheduled for March 2022.

“We use every excuse to bring people together, because we know that when people come together from different backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, colors, and religions, they have meaningful conversations, and they discover the humanity in one another,” says Muhammet Sezer, the executive director of Tulsa Raindrop House since 2016 and of Oklahoma City’s location since 2018. “And these conversations are educational—not just one way, not just us teaching about the Turkish culture—but we learn a lot from our friends and neighbors. And finally we discover the similarities and commonalities through these gatherings, and we become a better community by getting to know one another.”

Written By

Jennifer Luckenbill