Bottom of the Pot Quotes

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

“Don't wait for that special occasion. Today, tomorrow, and every day are special occasions. Use your saffron. She's worth it, and you're worth it.”
― 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

“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

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

“Rice is the crown jewel of Persian cuisine.”
― Naz Deravian, Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories

“. . . there we pause. Mother and daughter at the rice pot. Tradition, culture, and the meaning of life contained in this one critical moment.”
― Naz Deravian, Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories

“When I first moved out on my own, whenever my mom visited she would fill my freezer with individual containers of various stews, kookoo [Persian frittatas], aash [soups], and rice dishes.... These days when I visit my mom, I try to fill her freezer with some of these same favorites. The cycle always comes full circle. Hopefully with a packed freezer ready to serve, feed, and comfort.”
― Naz Deravian, Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories

“Scatter the herbs across the table, sit together, and pick off the tender stems and leaves. There is a meditative rhythm and ritual to it all. It's one of those rare times we are asked to slow down, and we are able to converse, to commiserate, to gossip, to air out grievances, to share secrets and dreams. Life happens in these spaces, amid a field of greens.”
― 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

“Iranians love nothing more than an excuse to gather outdoors, preferably next to a body of water, be it a fountain, river, lake, or sea, with plenty of food, drink, and slices of kookoo--Iranian-style frittatas--nestled in warm pieces of bread.”
― Naz Deravian, Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories

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

“. . . Baba filled the void the only way he could think of: a faceoff with the two-burner stove, the two pots, and a heaping bag of sabzi--fresh herbs. The permanent lumps lodged in our throats were temporarily soothed by a steaming pot of khoresh ghormeh sabzi--fresh herb stew. The royalty of all Persian stews.”
― 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

“No matter what, there will always be tahdig. It's who we are. It's where we come from.”
― Naz Deravian, Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories

“Growing up it seemed like all Iranians naturally knew which foods fell into which category, and meals were subconsciously, or at times consciously, due to illness or the weather, designed around this hot and cold concept. Out of respect to the scientists and doctors in our family I will say that none of this is based on hard science, but even the doctors in the family agree that if it brings comfort (like a warm bowl of. . . soup), then that is all the more reason to embrace it.”
― Naz Deravian, Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories