Turkish woman feeds 35 Syrian refugees, leaves restaurant without paying

ISTANBUL

CİHAN photo





The unidentified woman gathered together the refugee children who were begging near Istanbul’s iconic Taksim Square at around noon on Aug. 21. She then walked with them to a nearby restaurant and ordered döner kebabs for all 35 children, as well as ayran, a refreshing Turkish drink made of yoghurt and water.



As the children feasted for free, the woman told the waiters that she had to go to the nearby exchange office to convert the 200 euros she had into Turkish Liras. The owner of the restaurant, Cengiz Aydoğan, waited for hours after the woman left but she never came back.



“The bill, including 10 beef döner kebabs and 25 chicken döner kebabs, was 275 Turkish Liras ($94). The woman said she would return after converting her 200 euros but she didn’t,” Aydoğan told private news agency Cihan.



A heart-warming story in Istanbul turned into a heart-breaking one for a business owner, when a local woman fed 35 Syrian refugee children before fleeing the restaurant without paying.