Scion though he is of a line of distinguished Ottoman pashas, he stands out among the politicians for being both modest and honest.

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Their millionaire executives are swimming in stock awards and options, with the perks of pashas, while many of their employees are making barely more than minimum wage.

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What makes it unique, however, is not the vast array of fine art on display, nor the fact that the galleries are housed in a glorious mansion once home to high ranking pashas (a high ranking Ottoman general) and Egyptian governors.

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So we join the rich in beautiful dining rooms, like The Peninsula's Mei Jiang (peninsula.com) where we eat exquisite dim sum - rolled noodles with black beans and chilli, snow pea pastries, roast pork puffs so buttery they're like pig shortcakes - and are treated like pashas.

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