A Turkish doughnut maker named Niyazi Dumlu serves lokma, a traditional sweet, from a food truck near an Istanbul mosque to honor the deceased. A widow hired him to distribute five hundred servings after prayers to commemorate her late husband, a kebab shop owner. Dumlu, 72, known as "Lokmaci Baba," parks his truck sporting a white chef's outfit and a cowboy hat with a star.

He prepares the ping-pong ball-sized dough balls fried in batter and coated in syrup, an endeavor he often scales to 1,000 portions or more. The tradition serves as a prayer for the soul of the departed, with more eaters generating more blessings. Dumlu's life has been marked by loss; his mother died shortly after his birth, and his father abandoned him.

He apprenticed under a baklava maker in Istanbul before establishing his mobile operation. His customers range from families marking engagements to those memorializing loved ones, including policemen and musicians like Muslum Gurses. Even international figures like David Lynch and Ozzy Osbourne have been memorialized via his trucks.

A medical student named Muhammed Omer Gun noted that sharing the sweet treats makes bereavement easier to bear, turning sadness into something sweet.