Francois' mother did not approve of firoozeh, even before they met. Being catholic, she could not stand the thought of her son marrying a Muslim. While Firoozeh's parents had always hoped she would marry an Iranian, they liked Francois because he was kind and because she loved him.
Much of Francois' family declined to attend the wedding, but his mother ended up coming. On the other hand, almost all of Firoozeh's relatives were eager to attend. Despite neither Firoozeh or Francois practicing their respective religions, they decided to both have a Catholic ceremony and a Persian ceremony. The Persian ceremony included a sofreh (a hand sewn cloth on which the family arranges food and objects), a mirror, and candleholders.
For the reception, they chose an Indian-Chinese restaurant, since it was the only place that met their needs.As part of the tradition, they paid for a lamb to be slaughtered and presented as a centerpiece. When the lamb arrived, it was just a carcass, with all the meat removed, providing more of a terrifying sight than a symbolic one appropriate for a wedding.
Notes: In Iranian culture, a lamb is slaughtered whenever something good happens. Whenever someone buys a car, graduates from school, gets married, or has a child, a lamb is slaughtered. Iranians living in America would pay to have a lamb slaughtered in Iran, with the meat donated to the poor.
After their wedding, Francois and Firoozeh moved to San Francisco. One day an earthquake shook the entire building, so firoozeh planned to evacuate the building, but on her way out, she saw an old lady named Golda who looked like she was about to have a heart attack. Firoozeh stopped to assist her, and was able to get the color to return to the lady's face when they sat down in her apartment.
A few days later, the lady bought a chocolate Bundt cake to Firoozeh, thanking her again and again for saving her life. As the weeks went on, Golda came to the door again and again with a chocolate cake to show her gratitude.
Another effect of the earthquake was Francois' mother did not want them to keep the china she had given to them. Because of this, Francois and Firoozeh agreed the china was bad karma. They decided any money from it would be as well, so they donated it to a home for families of children undergoing long-term treatment at a nearby hospital.
Eventually Firoozeh stopped working odd jobs and started writing scholarship essays, an occupation that proved to be much more lucrative than her prior attempts.
For Iranian women, their nose is the most important part of their features. Many women opt for plastic surgery to rectify any problems with their noses. firoozeh came from a family with less than ideal noses, so everyone assumed she would need plastic surgery. When she turned eighteen, she went to a consultation with a plastic surgeon, but opted to not have anything done, which her father was thankful for.
Notes: This is one of the shorter chapters of the book, but it gives some of the only insight into the cultural differences between America and Iran. While many Americans opt for plastic surgery to get things fixed, others are told that beauty is on the inside. According to Dumas, that same attitude was not present in Iran.
Celis, Christine. "TheBestNotes on Funny in Farsi".
TheBestNotes.com.
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