Chef association head fined for Turkish flag made of spices

MUĞLA – Anadolu Agency

The head of the Chefs Association of South Aegean Marmaris (GEMAD) has been fined 208 Turkish Liras for creating a Turkish flag using spices to mark Turkey’s Youth and Sports Day on May 19 last year, after a number of people filed complaints alleging the group had violated the law by laying the flag on the ground and stepping on it in the touristic town of Marmaris in Turkey’s southwestern province of Muğla.

“As a patriotic trade body that stands with the state, we were faced with a penalty when we wanted to do something special for a special day. We were obliged to pay the fine,” GEMAD head Yaşar Bayar told Anadolu Agency on April 27, adding that after the flag was finished, the group didn’t step on it and didn’t let anybody else step on it. 

“As an association which doesn’t have any budget, it was a work that we had difficulty completing,” added Bayar. 

The 40-membered group used 250 kilograms of salt and 1.5 tons of powdered chili pepper to make the flag, which was 250 meters long, in an event that lasted 45 minutes. 

“It took time, money and our efforts. It was an organization that all of us were happy about,” said Bayar, adding that it was the biggest flag made out of spices in the world.