FIRSTCLASS
Trip of a Lifetime
In his first book, the former “Frugal Traveler”
provides a rich backstory
BOOKS
THE WRITER
WHO LOVES
FOOD
Matt Gross, who
spent years flying
to exotic places, has
hung up his wings.
In fact, he says he
hasn’t been on a
plane in a year.
“That is my lon-gest stretch of being
grounded in probably
15 years,” he says.
He is currently editor of bonappetit.com,
which might seem a
leap from travel writing. But early on he
determined to spend
as much of his life
as possible hanging
out with interesting
people and “eating
and drinking interesting things.
“Those are the
things I love to do
most in the world,”
he says.
Matt Gross
A recurring theme
in The Turk Who
Loved Apples is a
passion for food.
About halfway through The Turk Who Loved Apples: And Other Tales
of Losing My Way Around the
World, we meet Kemal Görgün,
the Turk of the title who does
indeed love apples. Matt Gross,
the author, had been spending
time on Görgün’s farm in Turkey for an installment of “The
Frugal Traveler,” the New York
Times column he wrote for four
years until mid-2010.
Driving at dusk one evening,
Görgün, who speaks little English, turned to Gross.
“Matt Gross, Kemal
Görgün,” he said. Then in
Turkish, “Arkadaslar, kardesler,”
which Gross figured out to
mean, “friends, brothers.”
It’s a poignant moment that
goes a long way toward explain-
ing the gist of the book, just out
from Da Capo Press.
“There is this possibil-
ity of real experience and,
hopefully, real enlightenment
that’s out there and available
if you are willing to expend
the energy and take the risks
and trust your instincts,”
Gross says, discussing what
can make travel great.
