Food and Consequences

Yesterday, I was having a very bad day (for reasons that are not currently entirely relevant) and my best friend took me out to eat, just the two of us, to make me feel better.  He asked me where I wanted to go, and I just told him "Someplace different" which is a tall order, as we have been to a huge variety of places in Atlanta, and many of the places we haven't been are because of food allergies.

We decided to drive up Roswell Road because that is where we knew some Persian restaurants to be, or at least to have been in the past, and at least there are tons of restaurants there.

We found Persepolis, and opted to go there because we miss 1001 Nights that was off Roswell Road in Sandy Springs back in the late 1980s.  We recently tried 1001 Nights in Johns Creek in hopes that it was the same, but it was a hugely expensive, bitter disappointment.

Not so with Persepolis.

They start by putting a lavash on the table with a plate of herbs, feta cheese, radish and walnuts.  We had them take away the raw onion because neither of us can eat them.

The waitress, Maria, was friendly and knew the menu well.  When my friend asked her about a dish that he had had, and loved, and been searching for, since that one visit to 1001 Nights in 1988, she directed him straight to a dish that fit the description (which the owner of 1001 Nights in 2014 could not do), and one similar to it.  We ordered it with Chicken Barg, and were thrilled to find that it was exactly right.

There was also a drink that we were warned many Americans do not like because it's a bit weird.  It was described as a yogurt drink that was carbonated and had salt in it.  We decided, after a while, to go ahead and try it, even though it sounded like nothing so much as a salt lhassi (which is my least favorite kind of lhassi). It was called Abali Yogurt Soda.

We were pleasantly surprised, and ordered a second.

We spent a fair amount of time talking to Maria about foods from different countries.  She, also, likes trying foods from different countries.  We told her about Machu Pichu, our favorite Peruvian restaurant, and after my friend described a few of the dishes on the menu, she described similar ones from her home country, Mexico.  She, herself, had a strong desire to try Ethiopian food, so we directed her to our current favorite, Queen of Sheba.

All of that sounds like a food review, but the real centerpiece of the conversation was the spicing of the food, both there, at Persepolis, and at the different restaurants of other countries' foods.

I realized, suddenly, the big difference between American and English food (well, and much Chinese as well) and the foods of places like India, Persia, Thailand, Ethiopia, and the Middle East in general.

All of those other countries use spices in their foods, not just for heat, not just for flavor, but because those particular herbs and spices are soothing and/or stimulating to the digestion.  Granted, if you get too much heat it can cause heartburn, but generally, if your food is properly balanced with herbs and spices, you will find that your foods will make you feel better rather than "I feel like crap, but it was worth it."

Think about it.  When you eat Texas Chili, pizza from New York or Chicago, fried chicken, or any of a number of other "American" foods, all of which are either too oily or too spicy, most people get heartburn.  If you're willing to try them, if you eat the more pungent dishes from places like India and Ethiopia, you may find that your digestion "cleans itself out" within the next day, but either way, your digestion is happier for it.

Remember the words of Hippocrates: "Let your food and drink be your medicine. "