Non-Pork Ham? & Tourists!

Last night Mohammad's cousins and I went to a nice coffee shop where I had a lovely milkshake and cheese sandwich. The sandwich said it was ham, but apparently ham in Iran is actually made from beef (non pork ham??  So strange!).

This morning Madar-joon, Mohammad's aunt, Mohammad's grandma, and I went out around the city. We went to Imam Zadi mosque which is solo beautiful inside! The walls and ceilings are all mirrors and it just looks solo beautiful! The lady in the mosque asked me to wear a chador and then complemented me on how beautiful I look in a chador.  We found a man who spoke some English and he described to me what was unique about this mosque.  He was so excited to learn that I am from America and he kept apologizing for his broken English.

Next stop was another less ornate but much more crowded mosque. This mosque was full of women and girls! It was so crowded that it was difficult to walk around.  Inside two girls were brave enough to begin speaking with me in English and they were so excited! A real American here in their city!  They asked questions like: "Can you wear hijab in America?" "Do you like Iran?" "What do Americans think of Persians?"

We also visited a little shop where I bumped into a Swede on vacation and a couple from Portugal! I was super excited to see  tourists and practically ran toward them smiling and shouting loudly in English.  Both were so happy to meet another foreigner too!!! All three spoke English very well and it was so nice to have some conversations in English. The Portuguese couple were extremely friendly and wanted a photo with me, so I called over madar-joon and we took some pictures. They were a little overly excited for the opportunity to take photos of women in chador... they even took pictures of madar-joon driving her car in chador!  How surprising to see two other blonds in Yazd on the same day!

 

Me in a borrowed chador inside the mirrored mosque

The walls of the mosque

as you can see, there are mirror tiles everywhere

 

I admit, I am still an under-cover mullah photographer

Me and my sweet cousin's precious daughter at the fancy coffee shop

Madar-joon and me with the Portuguese tourists



Nothing is so dangerous as being too modern...

"Nothing is so dangerous as being too modern;

one is apt to grow old-fashioned quite suddenly."

Oscar Wilde

 

After the typical evening nap I headed out on a drive around town. At night the cultural heritage sites are lit up and look absolutely beautiful. Rising above the old bazaar (which is still in use today) is masjid jummeh with its elegant blue tile work illuminated at night in a glowing blue light. Did you know that the mosques are traditionally decorated in a turquoise-ish blue because in ancient times this was the color of victory?

Iran is forever confusing me. The Farsi phrase for historical/heritage site has been somehow translated to English as historical texture. Therefore, I encounter a dozen or so signs proudly stating in English "Historical Texture this way" as I drive around looking for Alexander the Great's prison or the famously charming Dolatabad Garden (which is probably my favorite place in Yazd).

To those wanting a one paragraph summary of modern Iran:
(from a young American's point of view)
Iran was once considered a modernizing country (pre-revolution), however, it now seems stuck in time and in some ways traveling backward. How I long to say that the look of the country is progressing, but, alas I fear it is not so (Yes, there is a new president who is very VISIBLY trying once again to move in the right direction). The clothing style is more suitable to the disco era along with the makeup style and average look of cars around (cars in Tehran, however, are in fact mostly modern). I even saw a few collectors style bicycles being ridden around town when I venture out. Fortunately, this time warp is only present in the physical appearance of people and things. The minds of the youth and young adults are as much engrossed in Facebook, YouTube, texting, video chatting, music, sports, cars, fashion, travel, and politics as elsewhere in the world. The youth are searching for a modernization of the physical to support the modernization of their thoughts, unfortunately, no approved outlet can be found.  In general the young people of Iran love all things western including western people (especially tourists).  However, I have encountered several people in both the big cities and smaller villages, that dislike all things western (including westernized people) and are not affraid to make their opinions known.

Me and my cousin's little baby!!!

 

The "Historical Texture"

not my picture

 

Eid Tabatabaei Style

It is officially Eid in Iran. One of the biggest holidays of the year, when you absolutely must visit your relatives. Like true Persians, we headed out early to Bafru (the city of Mohammad's ancestry, where many relatives still live). First stop, Agha's house. Agha is a delightful grandfather who loves babies and me! In fact, he often asks for me on the phone and speaks at length about how he misses me and wishes I would visit him with Mohammad. Agha's air conditioned room (yes, one room with A/C) has a wall of windows overlooking his baq-che (backyard). As I stand at the window, beckoning Agha to join me, I see a mid sized grove of pomegranates, apples, a trellis of grape vine which horshid-khanoom (Mrs. Sun) has unfortunately spent too much time shining down on and some roaming chickens. Agha is the one we explains to me about horshid khanoom's devious nature. How she has simply refused to lighten her rays and how she has proudly shone down on his poor grape vines everyday.

At Nana's house (grandmother's) we have a lot of laughs. After eating eggplant stew and split pea stew with rice the men head off to the masjid across the street. I think they were actually going to the masjid because it has central A/C and they wanted to nap :) sneaky men! Us women (plus Baba and Mohammad's brother) sat around talking and making fun of each other. The little girls desperately wanted to ask me questions, but they are so shy. I don't blame them, I hesitate to ask them what it is they want to know as well. Baba's sisters are very funny. Always making fun of each other and coming up with stories about each other.  The girls have definitely ruled the house. Nana is the sweetest ever. I just love her so much. She is always grateful, always smiling, and not concerned with the small things in life.

The pistachio grove of Agha was our next stop. After picking up Agha we headed down several maze like dirt roads and past dozens of un-marked pistachio groves until we arrived at his. Agha proudly showed me his groves and plucked fresh pistachios for me to try. In the distance stood an old mosque with its clay dome rising above the trees. Without the power lines in the foreground it would be easy to imagine standing in the same place a few hundred years back and having the exact same view. After almost falling down a small canal, and being completely overwhelmed by the heat, we sought shelter in the nearby abanbar (ancient water storage facility).

After two stops at nearby relatives houses we returned to Agha's for dinner and then finally, around midnight, headed home. The two relatives were super kind and so,very welcoming. One had a traditional old style house with the courtyard and water pool in the center. I love these old estates. If Mohammad and I ever build a house here in Iran, I will insist on an inner courtyard with open patios and a nice pool full of fish!

 

(How to Survive) Cooking in Iran

What an adventure! If you are ever in Iran (and if you are not Iranian) you must try to cook at least one meal. I don't understand how these women can cook at all! It is a miracle! Let's use lasagna as an example:

• First, I would go to the super market (which Persians will claim has everything you can think of). At the super market, I will walk down the 6 isles and buy lasagna noodles and tomato paste (spaghetti sauce hasn't made it to Iran yet). This will take about 30mins from the time I walk in the door to the time I walk out.  Note: this is one of the only places in Iran where I have seen people calmly waiting in a single file line.

(Not my Picture)



• Next, I head to the dairy shop down the street where I will search for mozzarella cheese which is called paneer-e-pizza here and if I am extremely lucky I will find rincotta cheese, but chances are I will have to substitute for some other kind of creamy goat cheese. Forget about the Parmesan. This will take about another 30mins of shopping and purchasing plus 10mins to get to the store and park.
 
• Then I head up the street to the produce store where I find mushrooms, carrots, parsley, tomatoes, and onions. Luckily this produce store is laid out pretty well and since all the produce is easily visible it will only take 15mins to find and purchase everything unless one of the items is not so fresh, in which case I will add another 5 mins to search for fresh items and another 10mins for travel and parking.

(Not my picture)

• Next to the produce store is the butchers shop where I will fight flys and leaking blood to find ground beef. It's likely that I will have to choose a peice of beef and then have it ground there while I wait.  Once the butcher hands my selected fresh ground meat to me I will need to smell it and inspect it to make sure it's fresh. This can take anywhere from 20mins to an hour depending on how busy the butcher is and if he has any pre-ground beef or if you will need to choose steak meat to be ground for you. Note: this probably sounds unsanitary to my friends who have never traveled outside the U.S.  Only in the U.S. and large cities outside the U.S. do they have boneless, skinless, chicken breast that has been washed and places in nice little packages of sterile plastic for you to purchase and take home.  Really, I am not joking. Go buy meat in Italy and yuo will experience the same thing I described above.

(Not my Picture)

• Add another 20 mins to get home and we have a grand total of 150-160 mins. That's around 2 and a half hours ladies and gents! And that was only for the lasagna; I didn't get any bread, side items, dessert, or drinks!

I forgot to mention that most of these stores will be only slightly air conditioned or open air stores with no air conditioning at all.  It is currently 110 degrees outside. How do these women ever find time to shop? No wonder Mader-joon has two freezers full of meat, spices, and dairy products!

If Mohammad and I were ever to move to Iran (and not live in Tehran, where they have modern grocery stores similar to the ones in the U.S.) I think we would have to invest in at least two large outdoor freezers like the one my grandmother used to have in her garage. That way, I would only have to go out daily for things that expire like, veggies, fruit, and bread. We don't know how good we have it in the U.S. God bless America!

Not so fast food, Irani style!

Tomorrow will be Eid! It seems every country has sighted the moon and declared today the last day of Ramadan, Alhumdulillah! However, the supreme leader and Ayatollah (religious leader) has declared tomorrow the final day of Ramadan and announced Friday (the day after tomorrow) as Eid for Iran. I believe he has not sighted the moon and has therefore confirmed for his followers one more day of fasting. As one ummah (body of believers) I have decided to celebrate tomorrow as my Eid with my home country (the wonderful America, of course).

Yazd comes alive at night! Driving around the city center there are twice as many cars and motorcycles than there were during the day time. Many traffic circles are decorated with bright Christmas lights and various lit up statues. Every available grassy green is dotted with young men and women, sitting talking and having chai. The girls are wearing tight American style tunics with scarfs loosely draped around their chic hair and thick makeup adorning their faces. This is the night scene in Yazd, a very traditional and strict city.

At the "fast food" restaurant (how can fast food be a restaurant? I think the meaning of fast food was lost somewhere in translation) I ordered a meat pizza without mushrooms. Since I am American, they kindly removed the mushrooms for me, though I got the impression they would not normally be so accommodating. Pizza Irani is a whole experience in itself. A personal size pizza with oil soaked, doughy crust, topped with a generous stack of minced meat and various chopped veggies, and covered in mozzarella was placed in front of each of us guests. We were then encouraged to drench our sauce-less pizza with ketchup and ranch dressing. Of course, this was none of our first time eating Irani pizza, so we were all aware of the process. I kindly declined the ketchup and ranch (I just can't bring myself to put ketchup on pizza...). After some sodas and shifting to be sure we were receiving the most direct A/C possible, we filled up on pizza and boxed the leftovers for later. I suggest you all try Irani style pizza at least once in your life! I assure you, you will not easily forget the taste and after some time you will come to crave the minced meat pizza with or without sauce.

Pizza Irani

Of course, I MUST have my Coke Zero w/my pizza

(these are the left overs from last night)

My favorite pizza place in Yazd which my brother-in-law

and sister-in-law are kind enough to take me to :)

 

Life is a balance of holding on and letting go ~ Rumi

Perhaps nowhere in the world is this more true than in Iran. All around this country I have found modern and ancient, nestled right next to each other; forced to share the same space. It is sometimes a striking contrast and it is always a huge reminder of where we have been and where we are going. Just as the heart does not easily give up an old love, mother Iran cannot give up her ancient traditions. Here the past is alive, existing with the future.
Alhumdulillah (praise be to God) tomorrow should be the last day of Ramadan! Today was not an easy day to be fasting. It was so hot! By the time we left for cooler weather in the afternoon, I felt as if I might pass out. Thankfully, as we climbed the dangerous mountain roads (did I mention before how crazy driving in Iran is?) the temperature dropped from 115 to the high 80s. It felt so nice that I contemplated asking my brother in law to leave me there for the night!

The mountain area is a collection if small-ish vacation houses all with gardens, and sparse permanent residences. For some reason, the locals love to paint their roofs bright colors. Baba's baq (garden) has really grown in the past few months! The trees that line the yellow brick walls are almost two stories tall and so much produce is being produced that we have to give much of it away (there is no way I am being forced to eat 50 cucumbers).

I also got to see my brother in law's baq. He is just completing the walls and hopes to build a vacation house. By the way, we did all this veggie picking and exploring before maghrib, before breaking our fast, and if I thought I was thirsty earlier, just imagine how exhausted I must be now! Thankfully, while we were on a small hike we heard the ahzan called out from 5+ local mosques so we quickly returned to the car and headed back to Baba's baq for Iftar.

Laying on the roof of the water cistern at Baba's baq in almost complete darkness after eating some nice chicken kebabs I was again reminded how ancient this land is. Rigid mountain peeks surround my view. I can just make out the steep mountain tips with the help of the moon. Stars are everywhere, shining down on me as I lie on my back and I begin to wonder who may have watched this same night show thousands of years ago. Did Cyrus the great ever pass through these mountains and stop to admire these same burning lights? I would like to think so. In fact, I would like to think that the water I hear trickling into the garden and the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind are the same sounds someone long ago would have taken comfort in just as I am today.

Alas, I must return to this forever spinning world and make the short but treacherous journey down the mountain.  First we make a pit stop for bastani (ice cream) my beloved dessert!

Baba's Baq

From the roof of the water storage building

on the roof of the water storage building

harvesting

khiar-sabz va felfel

Cucumber and pepper

Peaches

watermelon

eggplant

our dinner, yum!

the beginning of my brother-in-law's baq

 

Yazd Is Hot!

Today it's about 115F outside; good thing I didn't leave the house! It is so hot that all I want to do is lay around reading my book and sleep. A/C in Iran, or the "cooler" as they call it, is not like the central A/C I am used to. There is no wall mounted computer to program with desired temperatures for different times of the day and night. There is no thermostat and no elaborate vent system. It is simple, each room has one air outlet which is either on or off. To help circulate the air, I turn on the fan. If the "cooler" becomes to cold I open the window a bit. The on/off button controls the "cooler" for all bedrooms, so I must be careful not to make anyone else too cold or too hot. I am extremely grateful for the A/C. I had envisioned hot sweaty nights spent sleeping on the rooftop being attacked by bugs, but, alas, A/C has become man's best friend (sorry to all the dogs out there, but truly A/C's are better friends).

 

Yazd is the kind of place you can imagine ancient kings and warriors roaming around. If I sit in the hyatt (front yard) and close my eyes, I  (think I) can hear the neighbor singing ancient songs or reciting poems from the eternal lover, Rumi. There under the shade of the fig tree with my fingers drawing lazy circles in the tiny pool/pond I have the feeling that many things are the same as they were hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years ago. The little Nowruz (Persian New Year) fish that has managed to stay alive hides under leaves that have fallen in the pool and waits for me to remove my hand from his home. I can imagine stories from the Bible coming to life in courtyards like this one with little fish in little ponds and big fig trees. After all, it was a courtyard much like this one where Esther would have spent much of her time.