Turks Marooned in Philadelphia Love Cheese Steaks

yahoo | 9/24/0

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PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Eight Turkish seamen who have spent nearly four months marooned aboard a docked freighter in Philadelphia because of their employer's legal entanglements didn't let the hours of tedium go to waste.

With help from a seamen's welfare group, they studied English, learned to dance the salsa and even sampled some American treats like Philadelphia cheese steaks and doughnuts.

But soon, a federal judge could decide to let the 499-foot Ahmet Bey's eight-member skeleton crew go home.

On Tuesday, ship owner Karahasan Shipping Co. and its creditor HSH Nordbank of Hamburg, Germany, went to federal court over banker claims that the owner defaulted on mortgage payments. Karahasan has denied the allegation.

Meanwhile, the eight ship-bound men aboard have been whiling away the days with foosball, backgammon and the occasional soccer game inside the ship's empty hull, said Jack Mudge of the Seamen's Church Institute, which has been helping the men.

The Egypt-to-Canada-bound Ahmet Bey was impounded by U.S. authorities on June 6 and has since been docked at the Tioga Marine Terminal on the Delaware River.

Some of the original seamen have been allowed to return home to Turkey, leaving eight -- the minimum number required by the U.S. Coast Guard (news - web sites) to maintain the ship.

They are not allowed to go ashore because the ship's owners didn't apply for a $3,500 "crew list visa" in advance of the vessel's arrival in the United States, Mudge said.

"We try every three or four days to have some kind of entertainment such as soccer matches or dinner," Mudge said. "We try to keep their minds off the case."

[dfwgator]

They soaked up Philly "like a sponge."

[Frank_Discussion]

Yeah, and every once in a while the harbormaster comes in to check on them: "How YOU dooin'?"

[Skooz]

The new Philly Cheese Steak pizza by Dominoe's rules.

[ctlpdad]

i just may have to try that, but i am not big on their pizza, even though my kids would eat it every other day, if mama let em'

[ctlpdad]

it's a bummer these apparently law-abiding sailors can't even get off the ship, meanwhile on the other coast, criminals are given drivers licenses & social security, etc.

[ffusco]

Phil's or Geno's?

[theDentist]

Now where did we put that photo of John Kerry daintily eating a cheese-steak?

[Liberal Classic]

Pretty soon you'll be able to get one at Aziz' Philly Cheese Steaks in Istanbul. :)

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not being a Philly guy, i don't know.

BUT, I'm willing to accept suggestions & free samples.

[ffusco]

http://www.genosteaks.com/

I recommend the classic with onions and provelone.

[Eagles2003]

Thanks for the link! Haven't eaten there in years, but did a drive by last time I was in the 'hood just for old times sake.

Some of the best cheesesteaks I ever had came from chuck steak sliced at a local 7-11. Maybe I'll check that place out again and see if they still have some. More gristle and more taste than ribeye.