The kind gentleman, one of the famed Maraş Dondurma ice cream cart vendors, was willing to let me take his photo. He was one of the famed ice cream vendors in Turkey who performs sleight of hand with the ice cream while serving you. It’s a fun act to watch, and the ice cream is delicious.

Traditional Turkish ice cream is chewy, thick, and has an elastic texture. This result stems from two of the main ingredients that are a thickening agent called salep and a resin called mastic.

As seen in the photo, vendors wear regional dress costumes from the Ottoman period and depending on how playful they decide to be, it may be a while before you can sample the chewy and tasty ice cream.