Döner

Drunken munchies. Cheap dinner. Late night regrets. These are all acceptable descriptions of the döner kebabs sold in shops throughout Spain and other European countries. Although all of my friends in Spain swore by the döner kebab, my skepticism of no-frills stores and unidentifiable meat prevented me from ever indulging. Despite my dislike of the liquor absorbing snacks, I am a little sad to learn that Mahmut Aygün, the alleged inventor of the 5 euro feast, has passed away.

Döner kebabs (pronounced dough-ner) were the late night chomps of choice by all of my friends after drunken Spanish revelry. Different people and companies ran the kebab stands, but all had the exact same food. It’s as if McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s all sold Big Macs; Döner Kebab was everywhere. The storefronts were open late after the bars and clubs closed and all had the same ubiquitous mountain of rotating meat and (sometimes) refrigerated counter of vegetables and toppings.

The Döner stores were all set up in a way so various drunkards, bums and college students could stumble up to the counter, pay five euros and receive and greasy pita filled with unidentified meat and veggies. Some döners even served falafel to accommodate the non-meat eating sector of society.

I’m sure if I were still in Spain döner kebabs would be hoisted in the air by drunken hedonists everywhere in tribute to their savvy creator; Even I might have purchased one in honor of old Mahmut. In the meantime, read this article and wonder if these artery clogging treats are the true secret to long life.