Ever since I was young, my father (who is of Persian heritage) has instilled in me a deep respect for our Middle Eastern culture. Whether it was our various trips to Persian restaurants, in which we sampled Iranian delicacies – or the countless hours my father and I spent raving like lunatics in front of our television at the Iranian national soccer teams’ many heartbreaking moments – my father always thought it important to expose me to some of the finer points of our heritage, our culture. (more…)