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Naz Deravian Quotes

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Famous Naz Deravian Quotes

“These are the kinds of stews that bring us running to the family table. Whether the table is firmly planted in its destined place or lingering somewhere in between. The kind of stew that bridges the path to a new continent, a new country, a new life, a new kitchen with its own stories to tell.”

FamilyFoodCookingImmigrationIranPersian CuisineIranian Cuisine
Book:Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories
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“So we improvised and made do, substituting where possible, always with an eye out for the postman and packages from Iran. Packages bursting with dried herbs and spices, well-traveled scents and secrets from home. Envelopes with a few perfunctory words from family (lest officials be monitoring them) and a photograph or two pulled from all the picture albums that were left behind. Substitutes for all the loved ones that were left behind.”

FoodCookingImmigrationIranSpicesPersianPersian CuisineIranian Cuisine
Book:Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories
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“There's something that happens to the newly displaced. Whatever power or choice that was stripped away in the process of reluctantly leaving one's homeland is fervently reclaimed in other situations, and honing in on the best spot to sit and enjoy a meal, be it at a restaurant or a lakeside, takes on the utmost importance. . . . If nothing else, we were always prepared for any and all circumstances and with plenty of provisions to see us through.”

ImmigrationIranIranianAssimilationMigrationPersianDiaspora
Book:Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories
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“I have a complicated relationship with airports. A space that once held promise, the gateway to summer vacations and adventure, now makes my heart race a little faster, beat a little harder. A seemingly random red strip of tape on the ground, a dated stamp and ink pad, a place of birth forever etched on a passport, and a somber uniformed officer determine our future, our lives.... I wonder what new family is anxiously pacing back there, sleep-deprived and confused, hoping for that stamp to hit the ink, hoping to step into a new life.”

ImmigrationIranAirportsMigrationPersianDiasporaDiaspora Minority
Book:Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories
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