No comments about History of the Parsis.

1 comments about Parsi Food and Customs.

1. For those that do not know, the term "Parsi" refers to people of the Zoroastrian/Zarathusti religion who left Iran and migrated to India over a thousand years ago to avoid religious persecution. There are only approximatley 150,000 Parsi's in the world today, predominantly in India, but scattered world side. The Parsi's have their own culture and cuisine which is very different from that of the rest of India. The first 86 pages of this book are about Parsi customs, including Navjote (a Bat Mitzvah like ceremony), marriage, death, Navroz (new year), etc... The next 300+ pages consist of recepies compiled by the author from a variety of sources (although mainly her family's recepies) including multiple recepies for the same dish for you to pick and choose from (i.e. there are 2 alternative recepies for dhan sakh, plus alternative recepies for masala ni dar, val ni dar, etc...). The book has the best recepie for Dhan Sakh I've tasted outside of India. The only problem is not being in India, some of the ingredients and measurements will have to be translated/converted to make sense (i.e. some recepies ask for 1 1/2 kilos of lamb, 100g cholai bhaji, etc...). Definitely get this book if you either are Parsi and trying to cook like mamaiji used to, or are interested in trying a completely new and unique food that you will never find in any Indian restaurant.

2 comments about The Good Parsi: The Fate of a Colonial Elite in a Postcolonial Society.

1. After completing her first book (Persuasions of the Witch's Craft) on how rational and otherwise mainstream people make sense of highly non-mainstream religious practice and belief, Tanya Luhrmann went to study Parsis, followers of a dualist religion of Iranian origin, now living mainly in northwestern India. She found two things: first, that dualist theology plays little role in how Parsis make sense of their daily lives; and second, that despite having a high standard of living, many Indian Parsis feel both alienated from the larger Indian society (where they have little place in the debates between Hindu and Muslim majorities) and critical of their own community, leading them either to dwell on the glories of the colonial past, when they were the favorites of the British Raj, or to expatriate to Britain, the US, and elsewhere. Drawing from literary portrayals of Parsis, historical archives, and interviews with Parsis in Bombay and abroad, Luhrmann paints a fascinating and sympathetic picture of a former colonial elite. The psychological lessons she draws contribute to our understanding not only of Parsis, but of the experience of privileged minorities during and after colonialism and in diasporic communities today.



2. I read this book for a class, and really found it interesting. I would recommend it to anyone who is curious about post imperial colonialism, the Parsi, or ethnographies. It was a bit challenging at first, but then I got into it and learned a lot of good stuff.

2 comments about Fire and Spice: Parsi Cooking.

1. I originally ordered this book in JANUARY! Its publication has been delayed multiple times. I would love to see this book, since I enjoy cooking Parsi food for my wife and need all the help I can get:) Please release this book for publication so I can buy it. It may go out of date before it hits the presses! I hope to review this book again and revise this review with a '5' once I get it.



2. I was waiting for this book to be published with much anticipation. However, I was very disappointed with the outcome. And, though I will give much credit to the author for researching the recipes and their cultural origins, the book was kind of a disappointment to me. Some recipes are repeated twice, with different ingredients, and some are like a summarization from the prized edition of the Time and Talents Club Cookbook. This is only MY humble opinion. However, for someone who needs a basic, simple insight into Parsi cooking, this will be a very good book. I liked the way the author has written a few descriptive lines before the recipes; and the simplicity of the text.

No comments about We Lived to Tell: Political Prison Memoirs of Iranian Women.

3 comments about The Teachings of Zoroaster and the Philosophy of the Parsi Religion (New Edition).

1. This is a nice little introduction to one of the world's forgotten religions. There's nothing complex about this little volume of spiritual texts. Basic precepts of Zoroastrian belief are explained and numerous quotations and prayers are given. There are hints of the influence of Zoroastrian belief upon Jewish and Christian thought. Leaving one to wonder what the world would be like if the Parsian faith were more widespread. My only complaint is that I wish it were more indepth, but have to remember it was written in 1908 and was probably a rare volume in its day.



2. An excellent introduction to Zoroastrianism. Anyone interested in comparative religions will love this book.



3. This is not a book that will interest you if you are at all interested in what Zoroaster and the Parsi religion is all about. The script is archaic and leaves one rather bemused as to what the author was trying to convey.

5 comments about Parsis: The Zoroastrians of India: A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY.

1. I bought this book on a whim for a friend and it was one of the best decisions. Sooni's photos really capture a culture and moments in time and help narrate a wonderful experience of sorts. Having visited Bombay several times, I was very impressed by the manner in which she shows the Parsi culture through her simple yet poignant photos. I recommend this book highly!
   ps- I ended up not only gifting the book to my friend but also bought a copy for myself!!



2. This is a big book of street and interior photography in Bombay, India. (The author spells the city thus, rather than the official Mumbai.) The focus is on the religious minority the Parsis, who honor the ancient prophet Zoroaster or Zarathustra. Zoroaster was from somewhere in eastern Iran, as best as anyone can tell, and the Parsis in this book indeed look more Persian than they do like their Aryan/Dravidian compatriots, to this admittedly untrained eye. The author approvingly includes a neat quote by Friedrich Nietzsche in the introduction:
   
   "People have never asked me, as they should have done, what the name Zarathustra precisely means in my mouth, in the mouth of the first Immoralist; for what distinguishes that philosopher from all others in the past is the very fact that he was exactly the reverse of an immoralist. Zarathustra was the first to see in the struggle between good and evil the essential wheel in the working of things."
   
   The story of the author's family, temple, and home life is interesting enough, but the book is rewarding on sheerly photographic merits alone. The familiar urban India of crumbling concrete, colorful shutters, thronging streets, and hole in the wall shops is vividly reproduced here. It is oddly refreshing to not have India's poverty on display--we know it exists, but that's not the point of this book. The people herein range from the wealthy to the shopkeeper class. It is not, as similar books by non-Indians are prone to be, a cavalcade of exotica.
   
   Some of the uniformly excellent photos include these:
   
   A deaf, wizened grandfather shouting at a fountain pen repairman.
   
   An abandoned, one-room temple, still with its devotional portraits and wall clock, inhabited only by a crow on the ceiling fan.
   
   Middle-aged businessmen, most half in the bag already, crowding the bar at a celebration
   
   Young priests performing a rite over a ceremonial feast, on the floor in a daylight interior space.
   
   A wealthy art patron and wife, in their sumptuous living room.
   
   Several river scenes, with devotional activity such as reciting verses or praying in the water.
   
   A Parsi and a Nepalese seated together on the train--a contrast of ethnic types.
   
   A man with a distinctive face, such as Leonardo da Vinci collected in his sketchbooks, snapped with the telephoto lens while waiting for the bus.
   
   And plenty of home scenes, like one of mother, friend, and tots, enjoying a play date on the English-looking lawn. Except that it isn't grass, but some other wide-bladed carpet plant, instead.
   
   These scenes are all expertly and affectionately photographed, and presented with genuine warmth.



3. I have not read the book, but I'm willing to give it the benefit of doubt and give it a rating of "5".
   
   The purpose of my "review" is to put the term "Parsi" in its proper perspective. "Parsi" literally means "Persian", since "Pars" is the true name for Persia. If we are to follow this logic, then to all intents and purposes the Zoroastrians in Iran today are the true "Parsis". Therefore, only the second part of the title of this book "The Zoroastrians of India" is correct. The dichotomy can therefore be explained very simply - If you are Indian then you are not "Parsi" and vice versa. One cannot be Persian and Indian at the same time.
   
   The Zoroastrians of India have adopted Indian customs and ceremonies, do not speak a word of Persian and therefore do not understand the content of one-third of the Avesta, which is written in Persian. This is tantamount to completely losing their original identity as a people. Blending in with the country of adoption to the point of adopting the language and customs of that country and willingly losing all trace of their origins, and practicing a brand new identity is fine, if they would prefer to do that. However, by labeling themselves as Parsis, they are committing a travesty of justice to the true Parsis in Iran who have practiced the faith against insurmountable odds.
   
   And if the Zoroastrians of India are bent upon propagating and promoting their new identity, then they should not create their own sectarian institutions in India but should be willing to blend in with the rest of the Indian community. They cannot have it both ways. And as for not allowing intermarriages or conversions, well, study the Kalme-e-Din in the Avesta. It tells you that the Zoroastrian faith was "sent for the people" (baraye khalk ferestade). That perhaps is the single-most damning evidence against the proponents of non-conversion. But one needs to know the Persian language to understand that.
   
   And one last word on this: The Kisse-E-Sanjaan never happened. There is no documented evidence of such an event in the annals of "Parsi" history. And even if it did occur, then it's an affront to scribe a monument in its memory, in Gujerati. That's how far the "Parsis" of India have strayed from their true beginnings. Naming their children with meaningless Persian-"sounding" names will not make them Persians or should I say "Parsis". And as for preventing intermarriages to save the purity of "race", they should take a look in their mirrors and be honest with themselves.



4. The book is beautifully done, but to use it as a coffee table book I cannot display with broken corner. Advised them second time, but no reply. As I live in Mexico it is difficult getting mail in and out and also expensive. Very disappointed.



5. Parsis: The Zoroastrians of India: A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY is the best dipiction of the Parsis...

5 comments about My Bombay Kitchen: Traditional and Modern Parsi Home Cooking.

1. Having grown up in Bombay, I loved this book. Have tried a few of the recipes, and it took me back to when I lived in Bombay. And, as a Parsee, I loved it all!!



2. I never can quite believe cookbook editors and designers who put these tomes together making them difficult to use as, yes, a cookbook. The recipes are densely packed into a design that practically shouts out: "Don't Bother." Additionally, except for the use of a garlic/ginger paste in nearly all dishes there is really very little in these recipes to make them stand out or be unique from countless other Indian cookbooks. including the very good and useable "Indian Home Cooking" by Suvir Saran. I think the author is a bit full of herself.



3. Anyone who loves parsi must get this book. I enjoyed preparing and serving the dishes to my friends. I also recommend Finger Licking Different!!!



4. Some people use cookbooks, I read them. I believe a cookbook, especially an ethnic or exotic one, should be as entertaining as a novel, as detailed as a travel guide, and as warm and witty as a good neighbor's kitchen. It's rare to find a cookbook that fits the bill as completely--and cleverly--as this one. No tiresome list of esoteric ingredients and daunting prep, Niloufer's explanations of products, procedures and substitutions are clear and organized enough for newcomers to Middle- and Far-East cooking to march confidently, yet salted with options for more advanced cooks to flex their jazz and improv muscles. The obsessive attention to detail and organization presciently addresses issues like storage and substitution, often with memorable mirth. (In a description of a recipe that can be successfully "thawed": "Note, I didn't say 'frozen.' Anything can be successfully frozen.") Moreover, she provides a brief and eloquent history of the Parsi people, giving the reader a solid foundation to better appreciate this somewhat obscure culinary creole.
   
   Of course, the deal breaker is, "How's the food?" Well, her Major Ordle's Chutney is the best mango chutney I've ever made (and she explains why), her Mother's Wobbly Cauliflower Custard slides into a pie shell to become God's own quiche, and her masur (without tongue, thank you) is itself worth the price of admission.



5. Great book, I have tried a number of recipes and all have worked out very well

5 comments about Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States.

1. Anyone who attempts to defend the murderous actions of Islam extremists in any way, shape or form is the lowest of the low. This book belongs in the kindling bin. It's unfortunate that this rating system does not allow for NO stars.



2. american people should read this book, everyone. israel is not the angel most people think they are, and they might be interested in knowing how the government works in this covert way around the world, not just in iran



3. The trilateral relationship between Israel, Iran, and the United States is complex. Alas, Treacherous Alliance does not explain it. Based on the Johns Hopkins University doctoral thesis of Trita Parsi, best known as a Washington-based Iran lobbyist who trades on his connections to officials within the Islamic Republic, the narrative wallows in half-truths and conspiracy rather than fact.
   
   Parsi begins, for example, by stating that neoconservatives "desperately wish" for a U.S. war with Iran. Perhaps Commentary founder Norman Podhoretz does, but he is in a minority. Further, Parsi suggests that foreign policy hawks worry about Iran itself, rather than the Islamic Republic's covert nuclear program and terror sponsorship, an obvious mistake.
   
   Basing his research largely on interviews, Parsi picks and chooses what he wants to include. The result is a hodge-podge.
   
   He emphasizes Iranian pragmatism and dismisses the role of ideology. Iranian support for Hezbollah, in his rendering, has more to do with regional power ambition than ideology--this would come as a surprise to Hezbollah, which defines itself in opposition to the Jewish state and whose secretary-general, Hasan Nasrallah, on October 23, 2002, encouraged Jews all to gather in Israel, thereby saving Hezbollah "the trouble of going after them worldwide."[1]
   
   Parsi breaks no new ground in his treatment of the early relationship between Iran and Israel, offering little more than a potted history. He omits the role of Ziama Divon, the first Israeli to visit the shah and Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion's confidential assistant.
   
   He treats as a primary source the views of Lawrence Wilkerson, chief-of-staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, without ever bothering to ask whether Wilkerson has direct knowledge of events he describes. Had Parsi asked, Wilkerson would have had to admit he attended none of the interagency policy meetings and lacks first-hand knowledge of them.
   
   Parsi suggests that in 2003 Tehran offered to disarm Hezbollah, but this is false. He makes much of a freelance proposal by the Swiss ambassador Tim Guldimann in Tehran that did not win the support of the Iranian regime,[2] which at that time was in fact accelerating its support to Hezbollah. This incident suggests that Parsi's Iranian interlocutors view him as a mechanism for disinformation.
   
   Parsi's manipulation of data undercuts his work. He argues that Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for Israel to be "wiped off the map" was mistranslated and instead renders the phrase more benignly that Israel should be "eliminated from the pages of history." But the Iranian state-controlled news agency used the former translation.
   
   As documents and correspondence are declassified, Yale University Press will appear foolish for publishing this volume, as will Francis Fukuyama, Parsi's academic adviser, who appears to have been AWOL in his supervisory duties.
   
   Michael Rubin
   Middle East Quarterly
   Spring 2008
   
   1. Daily Star (Beirut), Oct. 23, 2002.
   2. See Michael Rubin, "The Guldimann Memorandum," The Weekly Standard, Oct. 22, 2007.



4. Anyone who wishes to consider themselves minimally informed about Iran's foreign policy, in particular in regards to Israel and the United States, must read this book.
   
   Parsi argues convincingly that Iran's foreign policy under the theocratic regime, after early ideologically-driven disasters, has been fundamentally rational. The trick is that while their actions have been rational, their rhetoric has often been extreme. This has led to misunderstandings from US leaders in particular.
   
   He relates a history of relations between Iran and Israel that are largely unknown to Americans. Israel and Iran had close--though unofficial--relations with the Shah, which included close military and intelligence cooperation through the 1970s.
   
   Relations went downhill once the ayatollahs took over in the late 1970s. However, the change in Iranian-Israeli relations began well before that, as the Shah saw a need to improve relations with the Arab world. Even so, "underground" relations continued between theocratic Iran and Israel.
   
   Despite being well-informed about world affairs in general, much of this history was new to me. Iran gave the USA substantial aid in deposing the Taliban in Afghanistan after 9/11. Their reward? Being included in the "axis of evil" announced by George Bush a few months later.
   
   A key point Parsi makes is that while Iran wasn't able to avoid being excluded from attempts to set regional power arrangements, or to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, they were successful in sabotaging these attempts, in particular their key role in preventing Israeli-Palestinian rapprochement in the 1990s. They are powerful enough to play a role, even when--or especially when--they're not invited.
   
   In the long view of history, considering Iran's size--and history of being a regional power since well before the arrival of the Greeks and Romans--this shouldn't be surprising. They've been a big country for 3,000 years, and once had an empire from Ethiopia to Greece to India. Iranians remember this, so that at times their actions almost seem reminiscent of the Glenn Close character in the movie Fatal Attraction when she says, "I'm not gonna be ignored."
   
   Parsi's recommendation to nudge Iran into the regional and world system is straight from the "realist" balance-of-power foreign policy school of thought that saw Nixon go to China once he recognized that China could not be "contained" forever, and that basing hostile relations on ideology was not productive.
   
   It is worth trying. The one thing Iran needs more than anything in the world is US recognition, so their incentive is high.
   
   The possible rewards? No nuclear bombs from Iran, and help in solving the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The downside? Iran might say no, or still continue bad behavior. The result of this would be their becoming even more of a pariah state than they are now.
   
   That said, there are a few weak points in the book: Parsi notes that in the early 1990s, Israel began a campaign to convince the US that Iran was dangerous, based on Iranian rhetoric calling for the elimination of Israel. Oddly enough, Israel had earlier advised the US not to pay attention to the rhetoric, because Israel and Iran were cooperation. However, Parsi doesn't note that the ongoing Iranian rhetoric allowed Israel an easy opportunity to exercise this option at any time of their choosing, with a very high likelihood of success.
   
   Also, while he notes that the Iranian rhetoric is often a way to play to the Arab street, thus placing pressuring on Arab leaders to not criticize Iran, he doesn't adequately note the catastrophic effect this rhetoric has on the outside world's perception of Iran.
   
   These are minor quibbles, however, in an excellent book.



5. I've been reading Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States by Trita Parsi.
   
   The book details how 3 countries have been sparring with each other calling each other names but also dealing with each other for over 30 years. When the US had an embargo Israel was selling Iran $500 million in arms during the 8 year war with their mutual enemy Iraq.
   
   After 9-11 Iran closed its border to Afghanistan and helped set up the Afghan Govt. The Taleban hate Iran. The Iranians made a secret offer to fund the Afghan army with $400 million, recognize Israel, disarm Hamas and Hezbollah, and give the America 290 Al-Qaeda captives. Cheney and Rumsfeld dismissed the offer by saying we don't talk to the Axis of Evil.
   
   Its distrurbing but interesting reading about how the 3 countries are entwined and misunderstoodTreacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States

5 comments about The Space Between Us: A Novel (P.S.).

1. I loved the book. It portrayed the similarities, differences and insurmountable cultural obstacles that exist in India today. The characters came alive and their problems and concerns became mine.



2. A motivating and inspiring book. A must read for any woman who has or is currently struggling to have her voice heard.



3. Two women from completely different circumstances share equally weighted chains --one of poverty and the other of abuse. Both find accidental liberation. This is a very powerful novel that explores the desperate emotions that only the victimized could feel as well as the appreciation of unexpected freedom.



4. beautifully written, with dialogue that one can savor. the characters are multi-layered, thoughtful, credible. the story is gripping. I was sorry when I finished it......



5. The book is quite depressing. No major, exciting plot, just day-to-day story.
   I Wonder why women who are beat by their husbands don't run?