A Voice of Two Cities

Accidents Claim, Bodies Count

(camera broken, still)

It’s harsh after having lived in Iran for two years, to realize that the habitually civilized world of driving in California, USA, Europe, and Japan, run so smoothly and effectively while these rules and the culture of driving is left outside to rot in Tehran.

Yesterday evening, at the crosswalk, I was minding my own business, keeping my eyes from staring too much and from looking lost, when suddenly a beastly yell pulled me out of my existence. A young man, as I saw it, was hit by a car right as he tried to jump out of the way, and what I saw was his body pushed into the air and then landing smack-dab by the car’s left side. Before you could say Jack-Daniels the young man was kicking the car and screaming things I couldn’t understand. Of course, the car that hit him, two young men driving, wouldn’t stop, and after the initial shock took off up the boulevard.

The strangest part, through this road rage, was that the young man who was hit chased the tail of the car on foot, and suddenly stopped because he knew he couldn’t catch up. Right then, out of the blue, a Paykan, poor driver, hits the guy on a screeching halt and knocks him to the floor again. Fortunately he got up, but unfortunately, in his adrenaline rush, he got onto a motorcycle and with a few other young men and motorbikes they rushed after the first car, leaving the shaken old man in his Paykan…

I fear the adrenaline that comes after more than I do the initial accident. Accidents are inevitable, but what happens afterwards is scary. I know enough to say that after these accidents things happen far worse than being scraped off the cement.

A man is fighting with another man, and their wives, both in chadors (the long, traditional Islamic head-body gear) scratching and cursing each other. I’ve seen women fighting each other, one with her infant child in her arms. The police, the Rahnamai Police, or traffic police, occasionally arrive later, especially if the accident hasn’t claimed any lives or hurt anyone severely. I think it’s too late for the road rage that goes on here. Recently, a neighbor was out driving, a woman, when a young man, trying to tease her closed the gap between them on his motorcycle and revved up his engine. Suddenly, for no reason other than trying to get her attention he grabbed her side-view mirror, and of course, she returning the favor, hit the gas and yanked him forward. The guy was dragged with his bike, but luckily, only his bike was damaged when it rolled under her tires. The brawl that ensued between a few men and the young motorcyclist was horrible. Often times, a woman accusing a man of bothering her or making unasked for advances will get the guy beaten up or chased away by goodwill ambassadors. So, she did it.

Here, the adrenaline rush thing bothered me….it seems reasonable that the sick pervasion of half the male population does get to the women. And it’s their right to defend themselves, but really….almost killing the guy and being proud of it (bleh) was too much to handle. Of course, what she could have done was drive slowly and normally, and honked her horn until he got off, or left her alone. Yet again, it’s the surface, the pride, the arrogance that runs for women and men here. It doesn’t matter that the young man crossing the street was crossing illegally, or that the woman driving was going for intentional second-degree man-slaughter. It’s just a matter of an eye-for-an-eye, a blind way to go about it, I think. They have a right to retaliate, perhaps my neighbor could have let it go, or the young man could have sensibly brought the law into it, but it’s not just the people’s fault, the traffic laws are totally ignored. It’s funny, that laws are broken at all times, by all shapes and sizes, and when they have accidents, the same law is used to indict the offender.

Huh.

Simple and Sweet and Sick

(no pictures are uploaded, camera is broken)

Near the streets of eastern Tehran, there’s a bubble. This bubble, if looked at in any light, contains all the fragile pieces of Iran. It holds the rickety hunch-backed beggar woman, who I pay as often as I see (lately, I haven’t seen her near the intercross…if she’s gone; I hope it’s to her heaven). It holds the small boy selling fortunes through Hafez’s recitations. It holds the carpenter; working hard with his apprentices in 44○C weather (Maestro says he can cook his favorite omelets on a rock in the heat!). There’s the pet store which sells only “clean” birds; finely plumaged African Grey Parrots sell for 250,0000 Rials or near 280 dollars. Near those streets, there is filth, as far as the eye can see. Garbage lines the streets; some partially ripped open, some scattered into the sewer system; which also runs openly. There are plants, meagerly planted, and in some places, as in Narmak Region, there is a reminiscent sense of suburban Santa Clara, or Nevada; just green enough to please your palette. Otherwise, the immediate areas of Eastern Tehran are a far cry from Northern Tehran. There are no big brand name stores or shopping malls there, either, just the everyday "baghali" or grocery, and the small-business clothes stores.

You may notice that there is a true balance of theory in this area of Tehran, where most citizens drive a Paykan (built and no longer manufactured by Iran Khodro Co.), or a Pride (manufactured by Kia, another Korean MNC with offices in Iran). There are the occasional Maxima cars (built by another Korean company) which cost nearly 350-400 million Rials, and the rare Political “Siasy” car (Benz, Mercedes, Toyota Prado, and SUVs) driving through for business/pleasure. The reality of Iran in theory is the greater middle-class-poor and the rich-to-richer tycoons in the north. A poor-middle-class citizen, in the East of Tehran, driving a taxi (Paykan or Pride) geting nearly 2,000,000 Rials a month is more common in Iran than a Mitsubishi/Honda/Peugeot 206, rich-to-richer man, getting nearly 20,00,0000 Rials a month, besides foreign investments and or business gifts/bonus salaries.

It’s noticeable that the majority of the east, although similar to the southern grottoes, has a bit more of money running through it. One can see it in the Istikbal furniture vendor in Hengam Avenue (a high priced furniture and interior design of Turkish roots), or the Haft-Hoz shopping area. The concentration of what I’m interested in is found near Resalat Square, and its surrounding region.

This section of the city glows with an honesty that reflects the Iranian nature by its streets, people, stores, surfaces, and sights. There are areas here that police rarely visit, highly-populated areas like Shemiran-Neau which is rarely ever visited by the Entezami forces; MB says that it’s because, after the “Inghelab” this neighborhood never changed, continuing its neighborhood watch, rules, and social guidelines which is why, he says, there are no cops, seeing that the “mafia” (in no relation to Al Pacino) and the people keep the peace.

However, considering that Tehran as a whole is a melting pot or mixing bowl of different classes, at all places and times, the East of Tehran is a great place to sharpen your visual, vocal, and social skills, the Iranian way. This issue was just to highlight the East of Tehran, show some of its beauty, although you’d have to wipe at the grime to get at it.

Ties That Bind

There are at least 30,000 people living in Iran, who are considered to be the descendants of one of the ten lost tribes of ancient Israelites. There very essence is written in history, where in 727 BC, Jewish peoples fled from the Mediterranean to Ecbatan/Hamadan, a central western plateau area of Iran. Here, they stayed, until a new wave arrived, fleeing from the wrath and persecution of Nebuchadnezzar, the Assyrian King.

In history, it is written that Cyrus (the Great) of Persia, dominated the Babylonian kingdom, destroying their system of persecution and murder of Jewish people in Babylon. His first orders were to allow free movement and open practice of their religious rites and rituals. The Temple of Marduk was also rebuilt, by order of Cyrus, who stated; “As for the house of God which is at Jerusalem, let the house be built.....And let its cost be given from the king's house. Also let the gold and silver utensils of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the house of God and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought again to the temple which is in Jerusalem, each to its place. And you shall put them in the house of God."

Although the Persian Empire and Persians held the highest positions in the state structure, it was also subjected to the control of many ethnic and religious minorities such as the Jews. The Persian King, Cyrus, decided that it would be much easier, if not healthier for his empire, if these minorities were given legal, cultural, and administrative elasticity in order to govern their own people. This status quo of the Persian Empire was probably one of the first successful advocates of a society in which tolerance and compromise between different peoples could be achieved. As for Jews, it was a breath of fresh air after years of segregation and disenfranchisement. Now, Jews were legally accepted as equals, allowed to marry out, hold office, buy or sell land, and pass laws.

For many Iranians, Esther, the Queen of Persia (the wife of the King) is relatively unknown. Her history is even less endearing to them. The fact that her grave purportedly lies in Hamadan is ignored if not ridiculed by many; Esther, the niece of Mordechai, was one of the roots of this new social structure, probably convincing the King to change his political stance on Jews in favor of all minorities. I can’t accept any rational reason why the Persian Empire would not loosen its restrictions on the Jews, especially when they were a people of loyalty and industry once trusted. Visit a synagogue for the Festival of Purim to hear her story and more.

The last days of the Persian Empire marked the last rays of a setting sun, as the Moslem conquerors took over the Empire, turning heads. These conquerors called for the harassment, segregation, and prosecution of all non-Muslims. Because the Islamic Shari’at laws called for the punishment of non-believers, “najess” (dirty) Jews were not allowed to be citizens of the Islamic empire. They were barely differentiated from the untouchables of India nowadays. Minorities, and in particular, Jews, were not allowed to take high office, build large houses, or intermarry. The Jewish people were practically living in ghettos and even forced to wear yellow badges to mark their status. All religious minorities were forced to pay a religious tax to continue with their traditional ways. The Qajar dynasty did not help.

Eventually, during the 20^th century, with the help of European imperialists and politics, the Pahlavi dynasty reversed the social environment for all Jews, giving them full rights, and accepting them as equals. This marked difference was also a slap in the face to the fire-buckling Clerics who deemed Jews as pigs and only good enough to be abused. (A Jewish family owned the Cinema Rex in Tehran, one of the successful theaters of Iran.)

Although this minority is not prosecuted openly in the country, it is a noteworthy fact that their people are markedly lower than a Muslim being that the country now runs on a neo-legal shari’at system. On average, it is still very much taboo to discuss Judaism or Jews, as well as being a social error (to many) for a Jew to mingle with Muslims, although there might be changes to that very soon.

This is a small portrait of an immense world; the treatment and the lives of these Jews has scaled many years, however, their persecution was far more tolerant than the Spanish Inquisition, or the Russian Pogroms, let’s not forget. The Jews based in Ottoman territories were the least harassed, compared to the Jews of the region of Asia and elsewhere.

After many ordeals for the Jews of Mashhad, you can find more of them in New York City than you would in Mashhad today. That is the case for many Iranian Jews, who live either in Los Angeles, New York City, or Israel.

Here is a little read from a comment posted by F. Ashkey:

“Such outbreaks prompted the Jewish communities in some of the European nations, by now enjoying far greater tolerance and better treatment than their co-religionists in the "East," to petition the Persian monarch,

Naser-al-Din Shah

, for protection and improved conditions of the Jews in Iran. Naser al-Din Shah received several petitions in the European capitals and in his 1873 memoirs provides this account of his conversation with the celebrated Rothchild, the Jewish leader and capitalist: "He greatly advocated the cause of the Jews, mentioned the Jews of Persia, and claimed tranquillity for them. I said to him: ‘I have heard that you, brothers, possess a thousand crores of money. I consider the best thing to do would be that you should pay fifty crores to some large or small State, and buy a territory in which you could collect all the Jews of the whole world, you becoming their chiefs, and leading them on their way to peace, so that you should no longer be thus scattered and dispersed." We laughed heartily, and he made no reply. I gave him an assurance that I do protect every alien nationality that is in Persia."

It is ironic that Naser al-Din Shah would be discussing a concept central to Zionism with the Rothchilds which were instrumental in passing of the Balfour Declaration leading to the eventual establishment of the state of Israel. But the most important part of this passage is the last sentence which refers to the Persian Jews, people who had lived in Iran for over two thousand years, as an "alien nationality," lumped together with other aliens in Iran. This best reflects the sovereign's attitude toward his own people, though of a different religion. Hence under the Ghajars, little changes took place before the Constitutional Revolution of 1905-11. “

Note: The links tell more.

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Opinion

This account is different from the majority of accounts that I’ve read; it seems whitewashed.

Rugs-n-Mugs

Kebabs On An Empty Mind

I suppose many of our fantasies revolve around food, and many of our daily activities involve munching, crunching, and stuffing; Some would even consider food a sport (Kebabs as Javelines)

To start with, the word Kebab equates to many things one of which is a grilled, and sweet smelling lavash bread- a thin, flat, large piece of bread that is molded and baked by hand in most parts of Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan. Traditionally, these breads are the staple for all people, from the rich to the poor, lavash is a MUST. When there is no lavash accompanying kebabs, it could be considered an offense, a social error... It’s delicious though, easy to digest and thin enough to barely melt.

With the Kebabs, come the greens. Often times, central Asians and people of the Caucasus are famous for their diets of heavy animal fat. Most delicious kebab dishes are made from red, lamb meat. The practical rule-of-thumb is that kebab’s tasty-factor is from lamb meat. In order to help counter the effects of this drool-factor food, Central Asians preserve their longevity by accompanying it with greens. Another offense is excluding spinach, mint, onions, spring onions, parsley, and garlic from the table. These are washed, and set in a bowl at the table, and it’s first come first serve with this appetizer, or antacid. It’s known that the food fibers in such fresh vegetables decrease the assimilation of fat in the stomach. These vegetables are almost always fresh, and almost never GE, because Central Asians don’t have the technology or the financial assistance to run modern farms and never accept vegetables that are droopy or frozen.

(It is a common cultural more that Central Asians will eat anything and everything that is organic, so long as it is in good moderation, and mixed with other foods to balance their diets)

It is practically impossible to find Kebabs without a tiny dish of finely ground, burgundy-colored spice called Sumaq (soo-mAgh). This spice is spread over the white rice and ground meat kebabs as one of the “Balancers” that help to moderate the fat. The spice, in olden days, was used to lighten up the stomach, and counter the heavy fatty starchy meat and rice. It’s a light spice because it is not hot, not sweet, not bitter, but sour.

Lemons or Lemon Juice can also be found by the Sumaq. Many Central Asians enjoy the fruit of love as well, the Pomegranate, and its seeds as an ancient ritualistic food (Zoroastrianism) and healthy addend to the colder seasons. Other drinks are Doogh, a carbonated skimmed milk drink, combined with sea salt, and ground mint, edible flowers, and spices. This drink is not easy to get used to, it took me a whole year to like this drink; salt and milk are not popular among Westerners.

Long, long ago, before Coca-Cola and Pepsi agreed to globalize their drinks in Central Asia and The Middle East, there was something far more delicate, beautiful, and pale on the tongues of the citizens…Yoghurt. Since nearly some-thousand-years-before-BC –till-before-globalization, yoghurt was a staple for digestion and rejuvenation purposes. It is said to clean the body’s system, even used in high-profile day spas in Hollywood as masks for million dollar faces and bodies. Kebabs and Yoghurt were originally lovers, and have given birth to the rest of the ingredients. Doogh can also be made with yoghurt; it’s good for those who are diahhrreatic.

Garlic and Torshi have a respected place on the Kebab menu. Garlic is the King for those of us who enjoy the effects of a long, sweet, and healthy life. Not only does it lower the level of cholesterol in the body, it also improves blood circulation. Imagine eating garlic on a moderate but daily basis, it’s improvements to the cardiovascular system would mean more blood to more organs. Imagine having lovely hair all your life, great skin, great gums, and easy breathing. Garlic was once the Elixir of Life for the alchemists of old. Hah, it even helps those of you who suffer short-term memory.

(Garlic can be mixed with fresh onions, and poured over with white vinegar, and left for about a minute to soak then eaten with kebabs; believe me when I say it’s memorable-no pun intended-)

Don’t forget, Bread and Rice are served on the table, but only because of the easy access, and relative lower prices that both are served at the same time. It is now purely socially illegal to serve Kebabs without both, but it was once considered to be a total waste of foods. Bread was considered as second choice compared to rice, and rice was never eaten with bread as it was a substitute of value for wheat. Kebabs were to once be consumed by either one, and not by both. Today, it is still considered a health risk to eat both together; the serving of both is only a gesture of hospitality and richness. Bread is eaten more than ever before, but it is not a tradition to eat too much of it, especially with kebabs.

(The traditional method is to eat the kebabs and take small bites of the bread, a scoop of yoghurt, and if you still have room, greens and garlic at the same time)

By the way, drinks can range from sherbets, to doogh, to wine. There are too many to list in sherbets, and so much more, but it’s rare to find wine on Central Asian tables, especially if they are popularly Muslim ethnic groups such as in Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan—It could be more proliferate in Azerbaijan and Yerevan and others, but it’s not the kind of wine people eat at an outdoor café in Nice, or Paris; these wines are homemade and rarities. Ever had Pomegranate wine?;)

Take a look at some recipes

Kebabs

Torshi

RIP

Reza Parsa, Director of ISP association DCI uses US made software to censor Iran's Internet fans-

SmartFilter an American software is used to filter and block sites that are deemed threats to this nation's leading regime members. There is a divine right, given to them by the supreme leader of Iran, A. Khamenei, and in the words of Mortazavi (Tehran's chief Prosecutor) to filter "immoral and sacriligious" websites.


Here is one such sacramental filter, that blocks users of Alborz Internet from getting to the heretical site of Macromedia.






You can read more about this at these blogger's sites, as well as Googling the search terms "censorship in tehran"