The Fortune Cookie Chronicles


  • #26 on the New York Times Best Seller List
    and featured on The Colbert Report, Martha Stewart, TED.com, CNN, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Charlie Rose Tomorrow, Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly, and NPR stations coast to coast. Also selected for Borders Original Voices and Book Sense. Follow me on Twitter! Fan me on Facebook.

  • « | Home | »

    A welcome letter to the Baghdad Chinese Restaurant

    By Jennifer 8. Lee | February 6, 2008

    A friend of mine who works in the Baghdad bureau ofThe Los Angeles Times sent me a welcome letter that his translator wrote to the owner of the new Chinese restaurant in Baghdad (which was informed, in part, by reading this blog).

    Dear Sir,

    I was yesterday following up some stories on the web about your restaurant, and let me relay to you how I was inspired and touched by having you and your fellow colleagues here in my country among all this chaos.

    As soon I read the stories about you and your restaurant yesterday night, a big smile drawn on my face and I couldn’t feel but hope which I thought I lost it since 5 years ago. All of you leaving your families behind, and coming here is nothing but spirit lifting and deserves the greatest respect and admiration. In fact I couldn’t sleep yesterday, no matter how I tried, thinking about and admire all of you.

    Also allow me to welcome you to my country, don’t mind what you see around you, we are a very friendly and warm hearted people. Allow me to welcome you as a guest, on behalf of my fellow Iraqis, in Iraq. You will notice soon, if not already, that you will be overwhelmed with famous hospitality that Iraqis are known for.

    I am here at your restaurant for another different reason, I came to taste the delicious Chinese food I hear about all the time. I am certain I’ll be a regular customer of yours!

    I wish you a prosperous business and to enjoy yours stay here, and I want you to remember whenever I will feel down or face hardships… that I will remember the example that all of you had set.

    Yours Truly,
    Saif

    Of course, they don’t read English. So he needed it translated.

    Topics: Chinese Restaurants | No Comments »

    Comments are closed.