Shalma

“Naan (the Persian word for "bread") at the table is not only a constant companion but a revered guest. Wheat is considered sacred, a symbol of life and the beginnings of civilization. Not a single crumb is ever to be wasted and should always be repurposed.”
― Naz Deravian, Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories

“. . . as much as I missed the warmth of my family left behind in Iran, every inch of my being needed to settle and stay put. . . . Even talk of changing apartments was too much to bear. They say children adapt and adjust to change much easier than adults do. Like a soft ray of light settling on a pool of water, children bend and go with the flow. I was done bending and flowing. I was ready to stake my flag. . . .”
― Naz Deravian, Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories

“Come dinnertime, we could always rely on the permanent fixture of two pots, standing at attention, prepared for their marching orders.”
― Naz Deravian, Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories

“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.”
― Naz Deravian, Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories