Iranian Hospitality and the Roots of Kindness

Summer had just begun. As promised, Agha Bozorg and I were going to drive toward Tehran to visit my uncle’s family and let me see a little of the world. Near Pol-e Dokhtar, Agha Bozorg turned off the bypass and drove into town. He stopped outside a house. “Wait a moment. Let’s see if Ali Agha is home and pay him a visit.” There were no mobile phones or anything like that in those days. He knocked, and an old woman opened the door. She was delighted to see Agha Bozorg and invited us in. “Wait here. I’ll send the neighbor’s boy to Ali Agha’s shop and ask him to come home.” She poured us tea. “While we wait for him, I’ll put together a little lunch.” I was about to say we didn’t want to impose, but Agha Bozorg put his hand on my leg. “Please do,” he told her. “That’s very kind of you.” Ali Agha arrived soon after and sat talking with Agha Bozorg. A little later they laid out the cloth for lunch: rice, chicken kebabs, and all sorts of side dishes. I couldn’t believe how delicious it was. I can still remember the taste. After lunch and a little more conversation, we set off. Once we were some distance away, I said, “Agha Bozorg, I feel bad. We showed up unannounced and put them to all that trouble. They didn’t seem to have much money. Wouldn’t it have been better to eat at a restaurant?” “On the contrary,” he said. “They’re very rich. Their wealth is their honor and their Iranian roots. You saw how happy they were.” “Yes, very. It was as if they were old friends of yours, though I’d never heard you mention them.” “Hospitality is one of our most important and beautiful qualities as Iranians. “Many years ago, this couple came to Khuzestan. Their son was swimming in the Karun River when something went wrong and he began to drown. I was passing by. I jumped in and saved him. “They thanked me again and again and said they were in my debt. I didn’t want them to feel that way. I’ve never liked owing anyone a favor, or having someone else feel they owed me one. “So we came to visit, to let them do something for us, whether small or great. They could be happy to have welcomed us. “Now I know they feel lighter and happier than ever. For us Iranians, what greater pleasure is there than welcoming a guest?” Let’s remember our roots and what runs in our blood and our souls. Let’s neither let someone hold a favor over us nor leave anyone feeling forever in our debt. Our wealth is our honor and our Iranian identity. Long live Iran. Long live the Shah.