Efe Yalçın offers a welcoming presence in his restaurant, FISH Istanbul, in the city’s ancient port neighborhood of Karakoy. Two of us walked in off the street into a tiny first floor, half of which was the kitchen manned by Efe’s chef, Serkan. Stay or leave? we asked one another with a glance. Efe, possessing a magnetism twice the size of his place, gave us little choice. He directed us up a narrow, winding staircase to a second floor where five empty tables awaited. It was 5 p.m., early for dinner, explaining the lack of customers. Lucky us. In order, Efe served us two cold, local beers; a main dish of Norwegian sea bass, roasted peppers and sautéed onions; a Turkish salad of local tomatoes, sweet onions and herbs; and french-fried potatoes with spicy ketchup and mayonnaise dips. We ate it all, savoring every bite. The following afternoon we revisited Efe, just to say hello. He greeted us as if we were long-time friends. We learned he once was a star soccer player in the Turkish Super League, that he has a 22-year-old daughter, that he had only been open two months and, with no kitchen experience, he had quickly learned how to debone a fish. When we said goodbye there were hugs all around. Efe, 52, told us we always had a home there. The experience reminded me of the difference between tourists and travelers. Tourists generally follow a pre-determined, guided path crowded with other tourists. Travelers seek unknown, uncluttered roads, knock on mysterious doors and sometimes are rewarded with the gift of meeting a Efe Yalçın, gaining a friend and a precious memory for life.