Evidently in the late 19th and early 20th centuries the University of Arizona sent people over to the Ottoman Empire as part of an effort to learn how to better farm in the desert. There are a lot of climatic similarities between the South West and the Middle East. So it makes sense. Maybe my South West/Middle East fusion idea for the Chicken Shack and Hookah Lounge is not as original as I thought. But, I think I can carry it to new heights. Just imagine prickly pear flavored shisha.
That's the shisha for me!!
ReplyDeleteHow about habenero flavored shisha?
Habenero flavored shisha would be like inhaling mustard gas. It would just burn out your lungs.
ReplyDeleteI had a meeting with an Ottoman historian at University of Arizona today and it came up. She told me that all the documentation is sitting at the university waiting for somebody to write a book about it.
ReplyDeleteWhat on Earth is OTTOMAN EMPIRE???
ReplyDeleteKristin, the Ottoman Empire ruled the territory of present day Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan and part of Arabia just prior to its dismemberment after World War One. Its capitol had been at Istanbul since it defeated the Byzantines in 1453. The name Ottoman is a corruption of the dynasty's founder Osman.
ReplyDeleteI thought Arivaca was part of the Otto-Man Empire?!
ReplyDelete(was that too easy?)
Some comparisons are too inviting. Virtually every important river in North America has been referred to as "America's Rhine River." Perhaps the climate of Turkey made for the most "Europeanized" desert from which to take inspiration.
ReplyDeleteNathanael: I am not sure of all the details of the exchange. For instance I do not know where in the Ottoman Empire they went. Since they were interested in growing cotton it may have been what is now Syria.
ReplyDeleteIt is not the only US West-Ottoman connection. The US cavalry imported camels and people to train them to ride the camels from the Ottoman Empire. It did not work well and the US military gave up the idea of using camels fairly quickly.