A couple of days ago, my advisor Ms. Sen-Das and fellow advisee Charlotte ’26 hopped in Ms. Sen-Das’s car and headed to the new Patel Brothers in Nashua, New Hampshire to scavenge for ingredients for Groton's Cultural Night. Charlotte and I had big aspirations for our Iranian table, but we were out of luck in finding a Persian restaurant within a reasonable delivery radius. So, we decided to make the food ourselves. We had hoped to prepare ghormeh sabzi, a traditional Persian stew, and tahdig, crispy rice, but due to time constraints, we reasoned that it would be best to prepare some quick traditional side dishes.
When entering the supermarket, we were met with the tantalizing scent of spices and fruit. We quickly hurried in and out of isles grabbing vegetables and fruits here and cheese and bread there. Our mouths watered as we filled our baskets with ingredients for the comforting dishes from home to share with the community. We rushed out, bags in hand, prepared to cook up a (clean) storm in Ms. Sen-Das's kitchen.
In two hours, Charlotte and I chopped onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes into small squares to make a simple shirazi salad. Shirazi salad is a bright and refreshing mix of veggies rich with dried mint and dressed in lime juice. It’s the perfect complementary side dish to every meal. We also sliced pita and cheese to assemble naan-o paneer (bread and cheese) with gerdoo (walnuts) upon Cultural Night. In addition, we also prepared maast-o-khiar, which is Persian cucumber and yogurt dip––or tzatziki’s Middle Eastern cousin. While we assembled all of our dishes, Ms. Sen-Das’s cat Cricket kept us company.
The next day, the Cultural Night festivities began. Charlotte and I set up a table decorated with two posters: the Iranian flag and a Persian tile. We displayed all of our homemade delectables and prepared for the arrival of hungry students and faculty. Before the night even officially began, people were coming up to our table begging to sample our treats. The crowd favorite was an Iranian snack called lavashak, which is similar to a fruit leather.
As one of two Iranian students, I was eager to share my culture for the first time in a formal setting at Groton. Although many students were unfamiliar with the native language and capital of Iran, Charlotte and I were excited to teach the community about our heritage. Not only was I able to share a piece of my background, but I was also able to explore the cultures of my fellow peers as well.