where the hell is matt?

A testament to humankind, kindness and compassion.  This is what life is all about. With best wishes to all of you for the new year:

persian style thanksgiving

In the true spirit of Thanksgiving, I would like to share a story and recipe from my part of the world (Iran), both of which have been taken from a worn and beloved cookbook of mine. I would love to read your stories and recipes.
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If a Pot Can Multiply
One day Mulla lent his cooking pots [...]

walking through the streets of cambridge

I spent a week in the UK and returned a few days ago.  I got to travel around a bit and see London, Cambridge, and Oxford.  It was a lovely trip and I had a wonderful time, ignoring the incredibly high cost of everything in Europe.  London is a crowded city which reminded me of [...]

happy wednesday

Eid ul-Fitr mubarak to those of you who observe Ramadan. Happy Rosh Hashanah to those starting the Jewish New Year today. Happy Navratri to those of you who are Hindu. And a blessed and happy Wednesday to everyone. Please take today to observe the common threads that runs through us all.
 

tale of “change”!

My aunt sent me this letter to share with our blog readers.  It is about hope and change and has a strong message for all of us, whether you are from New York City, Tehran, Tokyo, Cairo, London, or Los Angeles, even though the topic is on the existing situation in the United States.  Enjoy reading it and send [...]

kuoban

A friend sent me this clip from a performance by Kuoban ensemble (formerly 40-daf) in Tehran.  It is a combination of Kurdish and Luri music. We recently had a trip to Sanandaj in Kurdestan.  The nature, people, music, and costumes are breath-taking and fascinating.  Delightful yet traditional, proud, and strong. Enjoy:
 

ignorance!

On the way to a conference last week, I was faced with a more or less challenging situation: an intense dialogue among a few colleagues about the significance of different cultures in world history and development.  This is a complex topic and it’s hard to make simple conclusions on the matter.  I want to write about this [...]

baby with 2 faces

I was speechless when I read the news.  I only hope this baby’s parents will allow doctors to check her internal organs and make sure surgery is not needed for her health.  It is interesting how different communities look at an event/outcome from different angles based on old beliefs/traditions and that an extremely negative situation in one society may [...]

international dance

Last week, on Sunday morning while the streets of New York City showed small signs of spring but cold winter winds could still freeze my bones early in the morning, we got on the bus to go to Manhattan for a special event.  The Iranian community in New York (and many other parts of the [...]

norooz

It is this time of the year again; I feel the nature’s longing for spring, I feel its heart beat for spring, its open arms to welcome spring as the trees, flowers, and every living creature (on the northern hemisphere) show their excitement for the New Year and are once again filled with life, waiting [...]

reading & rushdie

A few weeks ago I heard a lecture by the world renown author, Salman Rushdie. A man whose mere mention evokes controversy and emotion for many. Even my mother asked me, “Why do you want to hear what he has to say?” But I thought, what good has my education and upbringing done for me [...]

my culture, your culture

I came across this quote today by the Bengali poet, Rabindranath Tagore. Such powerful words and yet such a simple message about culture. 
 
“Whatever we understand and enjoy in human products instantly becomes ours, wherever they might have their origin.
I am proud of my humanity when I acknowledge the poets and artists of other countries as [...]

freedom

Last week the Pakistani government denied access to YouTube for a short period because some of the content was deemed offensive.  According to the BBC article, reports said the content included religious cartoons that already caused worldwide outrage.  Once those questionable videos were removed, YouTube was back up in Pakistan.  But regardless of one’s opinion, it brings [...]

khaastegar

It was a cold day in late February, a Friday afternoon busy with homework and exams during high school.  My aunt had a “khaastegar” (translated to a suitor) that night!  Well, in Iran like many other countries, when a man is introduced to a girl or her family (either independently or through family or friends) and [...]

power of colors

On our way to Iran from San Francisco, we stopped in Amsterdam to change planes.  Shawhin and I got our coffee and orange juice (I’m the coffee person and he’s the healthy one) and we were on our way to find the gate for the KLM flight to Tehran.  It turned out finding the gate [...]

home & calcutta

Shideh & Manata, I really enjoyed reading your posts. When I think of the places I call “home”, it is defined by the people who are there. In the past 3 years I have lived in 3 different cities. And each time I have left one place, the new place never feels like home even [...]

belonging

Cultural exchange in Omani desert. A group of young women from Europe and the Arab world travel through the desert in Oman, in a project aimed at increasing cross-cultural dialogue. BBC News.

hamed nikpay

A remarkable talent and an amazing voice: Hamed Nikpay’s music takes me back to Tehran’s old “khocheh baagh’s” (narrow streets separating beautiful gardens of Tehran), the remains of which can still be found in places like Darband or Maghsood Beig.  At the same time, his music amazingly represents a multi-cultural background and his recent songs show a [...]

prayer beads

Shideh, thanks for the post. The images are beautiful.  One of the pictures that caught my attention:  the one of the three men sitting with prayer beads dangling from their wrists.  The image reminded me of one of my father’s friends, Mihan.  He was from Iran; his wife was American and they and their two children [...]

plug-in air freshener

It’s ironic how Manata’s post reminded me of my own memories of flowers in Pakistan. My grandmother would take the small jasmine flowers and place them in her ear lobe as earrings. And at weddings the bunches of tiny white flowers can be seen hanging over the bride’s shoulder; when you bend close to congratulate [...]