The Importance of the Melungeon Community to Turkish-American Relations by David Arnett
One of the most heart-warming aspects of the Turkish character and tradition is the love of family. Another is the extraordinary sense of hospitality. When these two are combined—family and hospitality—you can begin to understand why Melungeons receive such a warm welcome in Turkey. That welcome is very similar to what you will find in Tennessee, or in my father’s home state, Kentucky, when relatives, kinfolk, return to their homes. Nothing is too good for such visitors. The best food is served, the best china is used, and the host will sleep on the floor if he has to so that his guests can have the most comfortable bed. In Turkey, the poorest villager will offer whatever he has to a visiting stranger, particularly a foreigner, out of a time-honored sense of hospitality and honor.
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