A Persian waiter gave me a lot to chew on.............

My sis, mother and I had lunch with the Axis of Evil Tuesday.   There's a Persian restaurant that's been in my neighborhood for years and I'd never tried it for some reason.  Finally, a dear Persian friend who happens to have been a Muslim but converted to Christianity, invited me to go there about 2 months ago.  It's fabulous food and I've been back about four times since.  More than you need or want to know, but it sets the stage for this story:

Yesterday, we were served by a waiter I'd not had before.  He was very charming and friendly.  We talked about the name of a yogurt/water/ice/dry mint drink the Persians call DOUGH (pronounced DOOGH) which we Armenians call TAN (pronounced tawn)....it's very refreshing and delicious and my grandmother used to make it a lot so drinking it brings back happy memories.   When "Mo" the waiter told us the word for it in Turkish, I asked "Are you Turkish?"

Mo said "No, but I wish I was!"    I asked him "Where are you from??"  "Teheran......but I don't like to say so because I don't like being part of the Axis of Evil!"    I said "But, most Americans don't dislike the Persian people, we dislike the government.......and I wish our government had helped the Persian students last summer..."  He said he wished that, too....... I asked him why he thought we don't like the people and he talked about the hostage situation you will remember finally ended the day Reagan took office..." those were regular students who took your Americans hostage........those weren't government people but they were influenced by them!"   He added that he didn't blame Americans for feeling as they do about people from Iran. 

The time with him was like a look into a Persian heart, a look I'd never imagined.  I was so glad to meet him and to hear how he feels and I knew he couldn't be alone in those feelings.  He said he's been here four years but he has very little accent...he told me most people in Iran speak English.  Mom asked him if he was an American citizen and Mo said "No, not yet, but I hope to be."  Then I joked with him that, with Americans of Armenian descent, like we are, saying you're Turkish to us could be a bit of a problem!" and he laughed and gave us the statistics of the Armenian genocide, years and numbers of dead...this guy is no dumby.

The food was good but the conversation was better.  I think understanding happens when we hear the people, not their governments.   I wish you could have met Mo.

By the way....next time you make Basmati rice, first saute finely chopped cilantro and green onions and then throw them into the water in which you're going to steep the rice........OH, man, was that good.
Z