Hot weather increased the demand for ‘bici bici’

While the summer heat continues to affect Mersin, citizens who seek to cool down have turned to the traditional dessert called ‘bici bici’. In recent days in Mersin, the increasing humidity along with the heat is negatively affecting daily life. In the city center, the temperature can reach up to 30 degrees according to meteorology, with the perceived temperature even higher due to humidity. Some citizens, feeling overwhelmed by the hot weather, sought refuge under the shade of trees in parks and gardens to protect themselves from the sun, while others tried to cool off by swimming in the sea. Some citizens preferred to cool down by eating traditional desserts like ‘bici bici’, made with cold drinks as well as pudding, crushed ice, starch, rose water, and sherbet.

“Sometimes we can’t find a table to seat the customer”Elder Ramazan Ak, stating that there has been excessive crowding in the past two weeks, said, “Until two weeks ago, there was no crowding at all. With the onset of the heat, there has been excessive crowding for the past two weeks. The crowding that starts at 12.00 in the afternoon continues until 04.00 at night. Sometimes we can’t find a table to seat the customer. Due to the customer density, we started to offer delivery service. Since our drinks are cold and natural, there is an extreme demand. Our most famous drink is ‘atom’; we make it with frozen milk and fruit mixture. There is an extreme demand for atom and bici bici. People feeling overwhelmed by the hot weather want cold drinks. Currently, the most requested item is bici bici,” he said.Customers like Islim Cihaner, who stated that they were overwhelmed by the hot weather, said, “We are overwhelmed by the hot weather, so we came to eat bici bici with my daughter.”