Local before arrival
As a young officer, Atatürk was a regular guest at Pandeli, an Anatolian Greek restaurant. Knowing that civil servants are hard up for cash, Pandeli would always say, “it’s okay, you can pay at the beginning of next month.” After becoming Prime Minister of Turkey, Atatürk returned one day with his entourage and when he went to pay, Pandeli repeated what he always said. Atatürk turned to his men and said, “that’s why I love this infidel!” Atatürk clearly loved traditional Turkish cuisine as well—and rightly so.
