Chapter 10: Turkish Cuisine
_
Under Margaret’s driving, the car quickly returned to downtown Chicago.
Along the way, thanks to Josh’s deliberate flattery and his experience as a time traveler, Margaret and he chatted quite happily.
Josh thus gained a certain degree of trust from this beautiful woman and, through their conversation, gained a general understanding of Margaret’s family situation.
As Margaret had previously stated, she was not a celebrity but a housewife.
However, this housewife was not ordinary, just as Josh had suspected.
Her husband was a tennis star who was constantly active in tournaments throughout the United States and rarely was at home.
But that wasn’t the point.
The point was Margaret herself.
Her father was a famous jewelry and real estate dealer in Chicago, and she was his only daughter.
After her father’s death two years ago, his wealth naturally fell into her hands.
So whether it was luxury cars, diamond rings, or other luxury goods, they were all paid for with her own money.
In comparison, although her husband was a tennis star, the income of sports stars in this era could not be compared to that of later generations, and he could not support the family’s luxurious consumption. Instead, to maintain a decent lifestyle, he needed Margaret’s support.
Therefore, Margaret was a wealthy woman.
Josh couldn’t help but marvel at his luck. Just by hitching a ride, he could meet such a top-notch woman.
However, from their conversation along the way, Josh could also sense that this lady was relatively simple-minded and was not satisfied with her current life, especially with her husband, who was often absent and had many complaints about it.
Although Josh did not have any particular thoughts about Margaret because of this, it was undoubtedly not a bad thing to know such a woman from Chicago’s upper-class society.
Especially with her deceased father being a jewelry dealer, this meant that if Josh could get along well with Margaret, he might have a secure path for selling gold in the future for the jewelry industry, and hundreds or thousands of kilograms of gold were no small matter.
Furthermore, this was a win-win situation.
For jewelry dealers, having an additional source of goods was also a good thing. The Roosevelt government’s control over private gold made it difficult for the jewelry industry to obtain enough gold.
Of course, while extracting Margaret’s personal information, Josh also subtly revealed some of his information.
For example, the deaths of his parents and the fact that he was alone and looking for a new place to live.
To some extent, this evoked Margaret’s sympathy, and she took the initiative to offer help.
“When it comes to houses, my father once developed a community in Evanston. Although it’s not very good, it’s a very safe community. Most of it has been sold, but I still have a few buildings left. You can go and have a look,” Margaret recommended.
“Oh? How much do they cost? If they are too expensive, I may not be able to afford them,” Josh asked with some interest upon hearing Margaret’s words.
Evanston belonged to a satellite city of Chicago.
But that didn’t mean Evanston was not good; on the contrary, it was perfect because it was in the north of Chicago.
What is the north of Chicago? That is a legitimate wealthy area.
Although Evanston was only a satellite city, its environment was similar to the North District. The famous Northwestern University was also located there.
And the place where Josh had lived before was in the near North District. Although it had “north” in its name, it differed significantly from the real North District regarding the environment.
Of course, it was much better compared to the black community in the south, Little Italy and Chinatown in the southwest, and the Irish community in the west.
What? Why is there no east district?
Of course, there couldn’t be an east district because the east side was Lake Michigan.
So there was no strictly defined east district, only the Lakeshore area.
“Buy? No need to buy; you can live there. It’s empty anyway,” Margaret shook her head. “You are still a child. When you are an adult and have a job, we can discuss it again.”
She was genuinely considering Josh’s situation. Josh is alone and not yet 16 years old, so that he couldn’t find a good job.
“That won’t work, Madam. Don’t worry; my parents also left some assets before they passed away. Although not a lot, it’s enough to buy an average house and support me until adulthood.” However, Josh refused Margaret’s kind offer without hesitation. Although he intended to use Margaret, he wouldn’t take advantage of her.
Although the housing prices in Ashton wouldn’t be low, they wouldn’t be sky-high.
“Okay, but there’s no need to rush about the price. Let’s go take a look first. Do you have any other business here? If not, why don’t I take you to see it now?” Margaret said.
“Well, I don’t have any other business, but I haven’t had lunch yet. Madam, since you just returned from outside the city, you probably haven’t had time to eat either, right?” Josh never expected this noblewoman to be so concerned about him, so naturally, he couldn’t refuse. However, before that, he still wanted to fill his stomach.
After all, Josh was at the age where he was rapidly growing, and he couldn’t bear to go hungry.
Margaret had gone horseback riding at a stable in the western part of Chicago in the morning that it was also her personal property. Based on the time she returned, she probably hadn’t had lunch yet.
“I had a light refreshment at the stable, but just as you said, I am feeling a bit hungry now.” Margaret nodded.
“May I have the honor of inviting the beautiful lady to lunch? It’s also a way to express my gratitude,” Josh immediately invited.
“Of course! I happen to know an excellent restaurant nearby,” Margaret agreed readily and turned the steering wheel towards the lakefront.
They arrived at an upscale lakefront restaurant about ten minutes later.
It was a Turkish restaurant, which was somewhat unexpected for Josh. However, Turkish cuisine was one of the world’s three major cuisines, so it was still a good experience for him.
Honestly, Josh hadn’t eaten much Turkish food in this life or the previous one. Of course, the concept of the world’s three major cuisines didn’t exist in this era, especially with Chinese cuisine, which would eventually dominate the list, not being popular at the time.
After all, cuisine is a form of culture, and its popularity is closely related to the strength of a country. The real popularity of Chinese cuisine worldwide began after Nixon’s visit in 1972.
Turkish cuisine, on the other hand, was different. Turkey’s location is at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa, with more exposure to Europe. Turkish cuisine is greatly influenced by Mediterranean culture, and its cooking methods, serving procedures, and dining etiquette are closer to Western cuisine. Naturally, its popularity in Europe was higher.
So in this era, the popularity of Turkish cuisine among Western countries was far higher than that of Chinese cuisine.
Chapter 10: Turkish Cuisine
_
Under Margaret’s driving, the car quickly returned to downtown Chicago.
Along the way, thanks to Josh’s deliberate flattery and his experience as a time traveler, Margaret and he chatted quite happily.
Josh thus gained a certain degree of trust from this beautiful woman and, through their conversation, gained a general understanding of Margaret’s family situation.
As Margaret had previously stated, she was not a celebrity but a housewife.
However, this housewife was not ordinary, just as Josh had suspected.
Her husband was a tennis star who was constantly active in tournaments throughout the United States and rarely was at home.
But that wasn’t the point.
The point was Margaret herself.
Her father was a famous jewelry and real estate dealer in Chicago, and she was his only daughter.
After her father’s death two years ago, his wealth naturally fell into her hands.
So whether it was luxury cars, diamond rings, or other luxury goods, they were all paid for with her own money.
In comparison, although her husband was a tennis star, the income of sports stars in this era could not be compared to that of later generations, and he could not support the family’s luxurious consumption. Instead, to maintain a decent lifestyle, he needed Margaret’s support.
Therefore, Margaret was a wealthy woman.
Josh couldn’t help but marvel at his luck. Just by hitching a ride, he could meet such a top-notch woman.
However, from their conversation along the way, Josh could also sense that this lady was relatively simple-minded and was not satisfied with her current life, especially with her husband, who was often absent and had many complaints about it.
Although Josh did not have any particular thoughts about Margaret because of this, it was undoubtedly not a bad thing to know such a woman from Chicago’s upper-class society.
Especially with her deceased father being a jewelry dealer, this meant that if Josh could get along well with Margaret, he might have a secure path for selling gold in the future for the jewelry industry, and hundreds or thousands of kilograms of gold were no small matter.
Furthermore, this was a win-win situation.
For jewelry dealers, having an additional source of goods was also a good thing. The Roosevelt government’s control over private gold made it difficult for the jewelry industry to obtain enough gold.
Of course, while extracting Margaret’s personal information, Josh also subtly revealed some of his information.
For example, the deaths of his parents and the fact that he was alone and looking for a new place to live.
To some extent, this evoked Margaret’s sympathy, and she took the initiative to offer help.
“When it comes to houses, my father once developed a community in Evanston. Although it’s not very good, it’s a very safe community. Most of it has been sold, but I still have a few buildings left. You can go and have a look,” Margaret recommended.
“Oh? How much do they cost? If they are too expensive, I may not be able to afford them,” Josh asked with some interest upon hearing Margaret’s words.
Evanston belonged to a satellite city of Chicago.
But that didn’t mean Evanston was not good; on the contrary, it was perfect because it was in the north of Chicago.
What is the north of Chicago? That is a legitimate wealthy area.
Although Evanston was only a satellite city, its environment was similar to the North District. The famous Northwestern University was also located there.
And the place where Josh had lived before was in the near North District. Although it had “north” in its name, it differed significantly from the real North District regarding the environment.
Of course, it was much better compared to the black community in the south, Little Italy and Chinatown in the southwest, and the Irish community in the west.
What? Why is there no east district?
Of course, there couldn’t be an east district because the east side was Lake Michigan.
So there was no strictly defined east district, only the Lakeshore area.
“Buy? No need to buy; you can live there. It’s empty anyway,” Margaret shook her head. “You are still a child. When you are an adult and have a job, we can discuss it again.”
She was genuinely considering Josh’s situation. Josh is alone and not yet 16 years old, so that he couldn’t find a good job.
“That won’t work, Madam. Don’t worry; my parents also left some assets before they passed away. Although not a lot, it’s enough to buy an average house and support me until adulthood.” However, Josh refused Margaret’s kind offer without hesitation. Although he intended to use Margaret, he wouldn’t take advantage of her.
Although the housing prices in Ashton wouldn’t be low, they wouldn’t be sky-high.
“Okay, but there’s no need to rush about the price. Let’s go take a look first. Do you have any other business here? If not, why don’t I take you to see it now?” Margaret said.
“Well, I don’t have any other business, but I haven’t had lunch yet. Madam, since you just returned from outside the city, you probably haven’t had time to eat either, right?” Josh never expected this noblewoman to be so concerned about him, so naturally, he couldn’t refuse. However, before that, he still wanted to fill his stomach.
After all, Josh was at the age where he was rapidly growing, and he couldn’t bear to go hungry.
Margaret had gone horseback riding at a stable in the western part of Chicago in the morning that it was also her personal property. Based on the time she returned, she probably hadn’t had lunch yet.
“I had a light refreshment at the stable, but just as you said, I am feeling a bit hungry now.” Margaret nodded.
“May I have the honor of inviting the beautiful lady to lunch? It’s also a way to express my gratitude,” Josh immediately invited.
“Of course! I happen to know an excellent restaurant nearby,” Margaret agreed readily and turned the steering wheel towards the lakefront.
They arrived at an upscale lakefront restaurant about ten minutes later.
It was a Turkish restaurant, which was somewhat unexpected for Josh. However, Turkish cuisine was one of the world’s three major cuisines, so it was still a good experience for him.
Honestly, Josh hadn’t eaten much Turkish food in this life or the previous one. Of course, the concept of the world’s three major cuisines didn’t exist in this era, especially with Chinese cuisine, which would eventually dominate the list, not being popular at the time.
After all, cuisine is a form of culture, and its popularity is closely related to the strength of a country. The real popularity of Chinese cuisine worldwide began after Nixon’s visit in 1972.
Turkish cuisine, on the other hand, was different. Turkey’s location is at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa, with more exposure to Europe. Turkish cuisine is greatly influenced by Mediterranean culture, and its cooking methods, serving procedures, and dining etiquette are closer to Western cuisine. Naturally, its popularity in Europe was higher.
So in this era, the popularity of Turkish cuisine among Western countries was far higher than that of Chinese cuisine.
