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Dipping my Culinary Toe into Persian Waters with Funny in Farsi
by
The Crispy Cook
Calificación: 4.0
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,%20is%20a%20collection%20of%20lighthearted%20essays%20that%20illuminates%20her%20childhood%20experiences%20growing%20up%20as%20an%20Iranian%20transplant%20in%20Southern%20California.%20She%20and%20her%20family%20arrived%20before%20the%20Iranian%20hostage%20crisis%20and%20Revolution,%20and%20she%20clearly%20shows%20how%20she%20and%20her%20family%20were%20treated%20before%20and%20after%20this%20great%20divide.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThere%20were%20two%20reasons%20that%20I%20picked%20this%20book%20for%20the%20April/May%20selection%20for%20the%20online%20foodie%20book%20club,%20Cook%20the%20Books,%20that%20I%20and%20my%20wonderful%20blogger%20buddies,%20Deb,%20Simona%20and%20Debra,%20organize.%20First,%20this%20book%20offered%20me%20an%20excuse%20to%20explore%20the%20beautiful,%20fragrant%20Persian%20cuisine%20that%20Dumas%20describes%20in%20her%20book.%20Lucky%20Californians%20that%20get%20to%20dine%20out%20in%20numerous%20Persian%20restaurants%20started%20by%20Iranian-American%20immigrants!%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ESecond,%20I%20picked%20this%20title%20because%20I%20feel%20like%20too%20often%20Iranians%20(and%20Iraqis,%20Aghanis,%20Pakistanis%20and%20now,%20Russians%20-%20yet%20again)%20get%20demonized%20in%20the%20press%20because%20of%20the%20actions%20of%20their%20political%20leaders.%20As%20Dumas%20so%20expertly%20shows%20in%20her%20anecdotes%20about%20her%20goofy%20relatives,%20her%20own%20culture%20clashes%20at%20school%20and%20as%20a%20young%20teen,%20there%20are%20universally%20human%20traits%20that%20we%20all%20share%20around%20the%20world,%20no%20matter%20our%20ethnicity,%20religion,%20etc.,%20and%20I%20wanted%20to%20have%20others%20read%20about%20her%20experiences.%20A%20little%20extending%20of%20the%20olive%20branch,%20or%20rather,%20a%20bowl%20of%20olives,%20out%20into%20the%20world,%20if%20you%20will.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20best%20parts%20of%20Dumas%E2%80%99%20book%20were%20her%20descriptions%20of%20her%20father,%20Kazem.%20He%20is%20such%20an%20interesting%20mixture%20of%20intellect%20and%20childish%20enthusiasm.%20He%20was%20a%20petroleum%20engineer%20back%20in%20Abadan,%20Iran,%20and%20later%20earned%20a%20Fulbright%20Scholarship%20to%20continue%20his%20graduate%20education%20in%20the%20U.S.%20It%20was%20during%20his%20American%20sojourn%20that%20one%20of%20his%20professors%20took%20him%20on%20a%20road%20trip%20to%20Princeton%20where%20he%20met%20(and%20flummoxed)%20Albert%20Einstein.%20After%20launching%20into%20a%20endless%20monologue%20of%20his%20American%20experiences,%20Einstein%20was%20rendered%20somewhat%20speechless.%20Or%20perhaps%20he%20took%20a%20mental%20vacation%20to%20hone%20his%20Theory%20of%20Relativity%20during%20Kazem%E2%80%99s%20%22year's%20allotment%20of%20conversation%22.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20didn't%20have%20any%20cookbooks%20at%20the%20bookshop,%20or%20in%20my%20home%20library%20about%20Persian%20cooking.%20The%20local%20library's%20few%20volumes%20were%20out%20on%20loan,%20and%20I%20ordered%20a%20copy%20of%20%22Cuisines%20of%20the%20Axis%20of%20Evil%20and%20Other%20Irritating%20States:%20A%20Dinner%20Party%20Approach%20to%20International%20Relations%22%20by%20Chris%20Fair%20(NY:%20Globe%20Pequot%20Press,%202008)%20but%20it%20arrived%20after%20I'd%20made%20the%20meal%20I%20was%20planning%20for%20this%20post.%20Fair's%20book%20is%20so%20wonderfully%20witty,%20educational%20and%20droolworthy%20all%20at%20the%20same%20time,%20so%20I'll%20be%20featuring%20something%20out%20of%20its%20pages%20here%20sometime%20soon.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20was%20rescued%20in%20my%20quest%20for%20Persian%20culinary%20education%20by%20the%20wonderful%20Persian%20food%20bloggers%20out%20there.%20I%20spent%20a%20few%20rhapsodic%20hours%20perusing%20their%20recipes%20and%20food%20memories%20until%20I%20finally%20settled%20on%20the%20meal%20I%20would%20make%20for%20my%20family.%20Since%20we%20are%20Persian%20food%20newbies%20I%20didn%E2%80%99t%20want%20to%20make%20anything%20too%20wild%20or%20for%20which%20I%20would%20need%20to%20purchase%20endless%20amounts%20of%20exotic%20ingredients.%20I%20was%20struck%20by%20how%20fragrant%20-or%20perfumed%20might%20be%20a%20more%20descriptive%20word-%20the%20Persian%20food%20palette%20is;%20there's%20a%20heavy%20emphasis%20of%20great%20bunches%20of%20herbs%20and%20complex%20combinations%20of%20spices,%20and%20rosewater%20enters%20the%20scene%20too.%20It%20also%20seems%20like%20presentation%20is%20very%20important.%20As%20is%20copious%20amounts%20of%20available%20cooking%20time,%20for%20as%20Dumas%20explains%20in%20Funny%20in%20Farsi,%20ingredients%20are%20seasonal%20and%20require%20special%20attention:%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%22Summer%20meant%20eggplant%20or%20okra%20stew%20fresh%20tomatoes,%20and%20tiny%20cucumbers%20that%20I%20would%20peel%20and%20salt.%20Winter%20meant%20celery%20or%20rhubarb%20stew,%20cilantro,%20parsley,%20fenugreek,%20and%20my%20favorite%20fruit,%20sweet%20lemon,%20which%20is%20a%20thin-skinned,%20aromatic%20citrus%20not%20found%20in%20America.%20There%20was%20no%20such%20thing%20as%20canned,%20frozen,%20or%20fast%20food.%20Everything,%20except%20for%20bread,%20which%20was%20purchased%20daily,%20was%20made%20from%20scratch.%20Eating%20meant%20having%20to%20wait%20for%20hours%20for%20all%20the%20ingredients%20to%20blend%20together%20just%20right.%22%20(p.%2025)%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20finally%20settled%20on%20meatballs%20spiced%20with%20sumac%20(already%20had%20it%20in%20the%20spice%20cabinet)%20and%20a%20dried%20rose%20petal-less%20advieh,%20that%20Persian%20spice%20mixture%20that%20contains%20cardamom,%20cumin,%20and%20coriander,%20all%20of%20which%20I%20did%20have%20on%20hand).%20I%20got%20the%20recipe%20for%20the%20fragrant%20meatballs%20at%20Silk%20Road%20Diary,%20and%20then%20made%20up%20a%20pot%20of%20rice%20seasoned%20with%20sauteed%20garlic%20and%20cumin%20seeds%20which%20I%20shaped%20into%20the%20traditional%20Persian%20dome%20shape%20and%20decorated%20with%20radish%20roses%20and%20curling%20parsley%20springs.%20Our%20Iranian%20feast%20was%20rounded%20off%20with%20pitcher%20of%20cold%20mint%20tea,%20a%20chilled%20cucumber,%20tomato%20and%20herb%20salad%20and%20some%20fresh%20fruit.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EYou%20can%20still%20join%20us%20at%20Cook%20the%20Books%20by%20reading%20and%20blogging%20about%20this%20wonderful%20book%20by%20the%20June%201,%202014%20deadline.%20I%20will%20have%20a%20roundup%20of%20posts%20up%20a%20few%20days%20later%20so%20that%20we%20can%20all%20enjoy%20our%20various%20takes%20on%20the%20book%20and%20partake%20of%20our%20virtual%20Persian%20feast.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EOur%20next%20Cook%20the%20Books%20selection%20will%20be%20The%20Apprentice:%20My%20Life%20in%20the%20Kitchen,%20by%20Jacques%20Pepin.%20Deb%20of%20Kahakai%20Kitchen%20will%20be%20our%20CTB%20host%20and%20deadlines%20for%20posts%20are%20due%20July%2031,%202014.%20Come%20join%20us%20in%20reading,%20blogging%20and%20cooking%20up%20this%20great%20book!%3C/p%3E){kind=link}