Egyptian hospitality, which some claim is now a thing of the past, was also key to opening many doors for the food business of eating out. Just as in homes, receiving was always a pleasure enjoyed by the rich, and to a great extent also the poor who took pride in providing bread to break with relatives and friends, so was it with the commercial version of feeding a customer in your restaurant. Mr. Pastroudis greeting his customers cum guests in all his elegant attire, Mr. Fotis of the Union, and of times gone by, or Alleco spanning several generations of a loyal clientele, and though, contrary to recommendation, rarely sporting a smile, still manages to draw a following of stellar standing which his employer cannot help acknowledging. Osta Ibrahim, chef at the Syrian Club, worked on the ship Esperia on its trips to the Lebanon; his son Tony was later to become head waiter there. Famous barmen, like Am Ali at the Sporting Club bar all testify to tradition, all have borrowed from a distinctive past and lent a flavor to the nature of the profession. Like Stelios the waiter obsessed with finding the tomb of Alexander, many Alexandrians long to unearth some of the treasures of those days gone by, just as many others look to the future propelled by winds of change and fragrant vapors from the past.