Chapter 11

When Quentin had settled down at the table, Chris said, “What did you order?”

“Same thing I always do—the best Camel Rider in town.”

“That’s what I ordered, only I got it by accident. I’d never heard of a Camel Rider until now. What’s the story?”

“Let me give you a bit of history.”

“Okay, fire away,” Chris said.

“Jacksonville has one of the largest Middle Eastern communities on the East Coast. There are a number of sandwich shops around town operated by people whose ancestors fled the economic decline and religious persecution of the Ottoman Empire. They’re mostly Christian and came from Syria, Lebanon, and other parts of the Middle East during the early twentieth century and shortly before.

“All of the sandwich shops offer sandwiches in a pocket of pita bread. The Camel Rider is a pita pocket stuffed with lettuce, slices of tomato, cheese, and cold cuts with some mustard and a dash of olive oil. It’s a very simple, but amazingly satisfying sandwich.”