Episode 09: Tehranto
One of the best parts of living in a city as multicultural as Toronto is that there are different cultural neighbourhoods to enjoy. We’ve already explored parts of Koreatown, Little Portugal, and the Bloor-West Village, home to many Eastern-European families. This week, it’s Tehranto a.k.a. the Iranian neighborhood!
Outside of Iran, many Iranians have chosen to make big cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Toronto their home. Here in Toronto, Iranians have chosen the area of North York between Steeles and Finch on Yonge as their home and it is packed with food vendors, artisanal craftspeople and shops. You’ve probably guessed though that the reason we are headed there though is Iranian food!
For those who might not be familiar with Iranian cuisine, it is generally healthy stews and soups, slow cooked meats, and rice dishes. Persians love snacking on pistachios, cookies or other nuts and berries, and sipping hot black tea. They looove entertaining guests and sharing their food with others, and chances are if you have Iranian friends, you’ve eaten at their home before.
In this episode, I enjoy a delicious meal at Shomal restaurant, followed by one or two incredible bakeries in the area. Last but not least, a bit of shopping at the Iranian grocery store makes for a successful visit to Tehranto to prepare for Persian New Year.
Celebrating Nowruz involves creating a table spread (called a “sofreh”). You can see a few images of the one I created above. The sofreh is essentially symbolic of all the good things we are calling into the new year. By placing each of the seven items on our spread, we are ensuring we are ready to receive these good things in the year to come. The seven items all begin with the letter S and in the video I go into all seven, as well as what they stand for.
A powerful way to start the year!
I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about the Iranian culture in this video. No matter where we are from, we all want the same things: peace, harmony and a chance at enjoying the best things that life has to offer.
I hope you can all see that in this video and enjoy your next visit to this part of town!
Especially with the way the country is hurting right now, I think it’s important to share and see the people and culture as separate from corrupt governments giving this incredibly ancient and beautiful culture a bad name.
If you’d like to contribute to causes freeing Iran from its current dictatorship, take a look at the resources below and know that any and all help makes a big difference:
The Abdorrahman Boroumand Center is a non-governmental organization that commits itself to the rights of all victims of human rights violations, and uses research, documentation, publications, and outreach to restore dignity to Iran’s population.
Sign a petition like this one for holding authorities accountable and literally saving lives.
Consider donating to Amnesty International, who have been taking necessary action in Iran to keep tabs on current events and on preventing injustices in the law or human rights.
Check out this article, featuring other ways of taking a stand for what’s right.
