IRAN / IRANIANs from what I see
The following is what I see/feel/think/experienced/learn/overheard from my days in Iran.
1. In general, Iranians are insecure. (Gets upset easily from criticism; Easily offended from positive remarks; Arrogant upfront but has no qualities to support the arrogance; Afraid to stand up; Afraid to take responsibility; Always make decisions in a group rather then alone; Easily threaten but presence of someone new to the group etc.)
2. In general, Iranians are vain. (Appearance is important; Cosmetic Surgery is a huge lucrative business; More nose jobs performed to male/female in Iran compare to other countries; Every-time you take a portrait of someone he/she request to have a look at the photo and demands to delete/retake if the photo is not pretty as what he/she thinks; Freakishly male hairstyles unseen to other parts of the world etc.)
3. In general, Iranians preferred to be call Persians but not all or not many are pure Persian origin.
4. In general, Iranians don't like Arabs & hate Israel. (historical and current day affairs related)
5. Some Iranians are lazy/too laid-back/over relaxed.
6. Some Iranians are non-Muslims (Zorostrians, Bahai, Christians, Jews, etc).
7. A few Iranians I know are not what I mentioned from 1-7.
8. A few Iranians are controlling the majority of the Nation's wealth and power.
9. I am fortunate to meet some very friendly and very warm Iranians.
1. All Iranian food are oily. (Buttered, Animal fat, Deep fried, Boil with fat etc.)
2. Rice is the main staple, Bread is 2nd.
3. Almost all Iranians eat at least 1 onion and 1 lemon every meal.
4. Almost all Iranian dishes are meat based. (Kebab, Shislik, Aab Goosh, fried this and fried that)
5. Iran grows some of the best seasonal fruits (unavailable to most tropical countries) e.g. Apricots, Peaches, Cherries, Oranges, Pomegranate, Grapes etc.
6. Pomegranate juice is used in alot of dishes in Iran.
7. Almost all Iranian chefs/cooks/household (that I met/tried) does not know how to cook proper seafood dish. All they know is fried fish, fried shrimps and boiled shrimps.
8. Green vegetables are uncommon OR misused in Iran. *Greens are normally shredded and deepfried with a mix of starch of eggs.
9. Serving portions in Iran is extra extra large compare to typical Asian meals. e.g. In a typical Chinese Restaurant a normal serving of rice will be 1bowl/person (subject to an extra bowl upon request). Here in Iran, a normal serving of rice will be equivalent to 3-4bowls/person + 1-2slice of chapati like bread. And in most cases half of it will be left uneaten and discarded as garbage.
10. Fresh Milk, Fresh Yogurt, Fresh Cheese, Dairy Product (which are considered premium items in East Asian countries) are easily available and of good quality.
11. Cooking methods like Steam, Stir-fry, Double boil, Braise are not common or not at all used in Iranian cuisine.
12. Salt, Butter & Fresh/Artificial Lemon/Lime juice is added to almost everything Iranians eat. e.g. rice, bread, salad, grill meat, stew etc.
13. Non-alcoholic beer OR what i would call, carbonated drinks are a plenty... sweet, carbonate, fruity flavoured.
Iran is a country so rich in history and culture BUT a lot of it is restrained, banned, discontinued, shunt from the outer world by the government OR by the outer world.
Photo source: National Geographic
Iranian traffic is one of the worst in the world (Parts of Africa, Egypt,some FSU countries). Main reason for traffic jams are inpatient drivers, indiscipline drivers. e.g. U-turns are made almost everywhere, anytime disregard. Lanes are not followed. Any space on the road, a driver will squeeze his vehicle in. When someone decides to take left, he will just swerve left immediately without planning/consideration. bla bla bla... You will have to see it for yourself...
BUT the roads, highways, country roads, etc are all in very very good condition.
1. When you ask someone to work/to decide/for a favour, the general reply will be "Insya Allah (God Willing)". The outcome will always be work not done OR decision pending. *Because is God's willing for him to finish his work, and most of time God's not so willing.
2. When you depart, people will greet you "Khoda Hafez (God Bless You)" as good bye.*As you can see God plays a very important part in everything they do.
3. During Ramadan (Muslim fasting month), I observed the most non-fasting Muslim so far. BUT these people will take fasting as and excuse to go home early (gov ruling), to work less, to work slower etc.
4. Whenever you ask/approach someone on why he/she/they work so slowly or work in a manner unusual to other parts of the world. They will say, this is Iran, because of embargo/sanctions/restrictions we cannot do this or do that as an excuse.
5. Compare to other strict Muslim countries like Saudi/Sudan/Yemen/Pakistan... women dress-code are more relaxed in Iran. Instead of full hijab, a scarf will be sufficient to cover the head/hair or part of it.
*THE ABOVEMENTIONED are just my thoughts and observation. It is in no intention to disrespect anyone OR in no way overwriting facts.
** All above photos are not to be retag, reblog, reshare. Copyright 2010-2011 Mervyn Leong
gracieabrams
snowghoul
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
tangentwithtanner
amandla
gamechangershow
blakekathryn
titsay
2087
germansingergirl