Good People of vitruta: Lian Penso Benbasat

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I was born in Istanbul on New Year's morning, 1988, and grew up in Burgazada during the summers. For this reason, summer months are always special for me. I love traveling, exploring, choosing and walking a different street every day, and trying new flavors. After graduating from Üsküdar American High School, I graduated from Galatasaray University, Department of Sociology. Then, after receiving a short training on marketing and events in Rome, I started my business life. First, I worked at Lidyana.com and then in the special projects team of Doğuş Publishing Group magazines for about 4 years. During this period, I had the opportunity to develop creative projects and collaborations in special magazines such as Vogue, GQ, Glamour, Condé Nast Traveler, National Geographic, and with my interest in cosmetics, I worked as the beauty editor at Miss Vogue Turkey. After Doğuş, I continued my career at L'appart PR and had the opportunity to experience brand communication. I also continue my cosmetic articles in Güzellik Yayında, a beauty newspaper. I have been writing about food and beverage on dadanizm.com, a culture and arts platform, for about 2 years. When I discovered the pleasure I got from food in 2019, I gave myself a "breath of breath" to share on all topics related to eating and drinking. @bukizhepac I opened an Instagram account. Now, in pursuit of my new project, I am entering traditional grandmothers' kitchens and shooting practical recipe videos that young people can also make. And before I forget, I manage all the events and communication activities of our coffee shop, Coffee Department. I think doing several things at the same time is the most enjoyable for me!

What is a pleasant day in Istanbul for you? What do you do?

As someone who grew up on the island, I think the joy of Istanbul is starting the day with a walk by the sea in sunny weather. Afterwards, a nice menemen, fresh bread and tea are enough for me. I especially love Istanbul's Sundays. Drinking coffee in Balat, where I always feel like I'm on a trip, and shopping for weekly fruits and vegetables from the Kastamonu market there adds joy to my day.

So if we go out a bit, what's an ideal holiday for you? What are your favorite places that you have seen so far? Is there any advice you can give us about them?

For me, an ideal holiday is getting lost in a culture and streets that I don't really know. I usually create a route in search of local dishes and good coffee. I am very curious about Far Eastern culture. First of all, Japan - Kyoto and Tokyo, I think, are the cities that impressed me the most, followed by Chiang Mai in Thailand and, classically speaking, Rome and its surroundings.

Japanese culture is really very different. If you ever go there, I recommend you stay at a Ryokan (Japanese style hotel with floor beds), even if just for 1 night. In Thailand, forget what you have eaten before and discover what real street food is. As for Rome, I think it is a real open-air museum; Civita di Bagnoregio, an extinct volcanic mountain located very close by, is definitely worth seeing. It is said that since it is volcanic, the town is slowly crumbling and will disappear in 50 years. I think I ate the best pasta I've ever had there.

So, what are your must-have items when packing your suitcase for this holiday? What do you take with you?

I have an orange Kanken Mini that I have been using for about 7 years. It is with me on every trip. Since I love to eat and drink and sometimes overdo it, I always take stomach medicine in my suitcase. Also a thin book to read on the plane.

Do you have any book/music/film recommendations that have influenced you recently?

As a book, Mark Wolynn's psychology book It Didn't Start With You, about inherited family traumas, was truly impressive. As for the movie, I recommend Dangal, the story of a father and daughter living in India.

There are platforms in all of our lives these days; Netflix, Youtube, audiobooks, podcast applications... Which of these are in your life and to what extent? Maybe you would like to share your favorite channels, podcast series or favorite TV series-documentaries with us?

I think Netflix takes up a huge part of my life! I especially love food documentaries and competitions. Somebody Feed Phil is my favorite show, Working Moms is one of the funniest shows I've watched lately. Explained is my favorite documentary, especially the brain part was very interesting. Even though I don't listen to podcasts all the time, I love listening to Seda Talks, which touches on more spiritual topics.