Sugar in the Milk: A Parsi Kitchen Story

by The Kitchen Sisters

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Niloufer I

chaporia King at age 6, dressed as a Koli fisherwoman.

Her tray held marzipan fish. Fish is an auspicious dish on Parsi New Year's and often sent as gifts on this day.

Courtesy UC Press Parsi Recipes

When Niloufer Ichaporia King's mother, Shireen Ichaporia, turned 90, King began an account of Parsi food. My Bombay Kitchen chronicles a cuisine and culture that is endangered and fast disappearing. Read recipes from the book.

Laura Folger for NPR

Niloufer Ichaporia King prowls about six farmers markets a week in search of greens, roots, seeds and inspiration. Here, she is at Alemany Farmers Market in San Francisco on a Saturday

Parsi Family and FoodListen: Niloufer Ichaporia King talks about planning a menu in musical terms as she plays 'Romance in F#' by Schumann on the piano.

And she describes her first food memory, floating island pudding. add Listen: Author Bharati Mukherjee talks about her family and growing up in India add Listen: Harvard Professor Homi Bhabha talks about the importance of ritual lentils. add
King's mother, Shireen Ichaporia, on the running board (left) of her uncle's car in Karachi in 1925. Courtesy UC Press

A chalk stencil showing a ritual tray of symbolic objects: holder for vermilion, roe water sprinkler, "Happy New Year," betel leaf, rock sugar container, grain of rice, coconut, almonds, fish, ceremonial tray with flowers. Courtesy UC Press
Doug HamiltonKing's Swedish cardamom cake with the Parsi touches of rose petals and edible gold leaves.

Jerry Bauer"Until I came to the United States, I had never really been inside a kitchen," author Bharati Mukherjee says.

Bruce Williams"Parsi cooking is hidden behind the wall of the family home," says Homi Bhabha, a Parsi from Bombay who is director of the Humanities Center at Harvard University and professor of Englis
David KingEach year, King creates an elaborate ceremonial meal for Parsi New Year, on the first day of spring, based on the auspicious foods and traditions of Parsi culture. The menu for the 2006 Parsi New Year celebration at Chez Panisse was designed and illustrated by King and her husband, David. They used the spice turmeric to create the yellow dot on each menu. More from Hidden KitchensSee more about Parsi culture, recipes and a reporter's notebook chronicling Niloufer Ichaporia King's Parsi dinner at San Francisco's Foreign Cinema restaurant.Sugar in the MilkMorning Edition, March 20, 2008 · Niloufer Ichaporia King lives in a house with three kitchens. She prowls through at least six farmers markets a week in search of unusual greens, roots and seeds, traditional food plants from every immigrant culture in the Bay Area. King is an anthropologist, a kitchen botanist, a one-of-a-kind cook, and a writer. A Parsi from Bombay living in San Francisco. Parsi culture is about 3,000 years old and goes back from India to Persia. UNESCO's Parsi Zoroastrian Project estimates only 75,000 Parsis remain, and it has begun an effort to salvage what's left of the culture — its clothing, traditions and food. UNESCO projects that by 2020, only 25,000 Parsis will be left.King is also known for her ritual celebrations of Navroz, the Parsi New Year, on the first day of spring, when she creates an elaborate, ceremonial meal based on the auspicious foods and traditions of her vanishing culture. Often she and the chefs of Alice Waters' legendary restaurant, Chez Panisse, collaborate on this ritual feast together. On that night, the restaurant is decorated with garlands of gardenias, tuberose and fragrant flowers in the doorways. Rice flour stencils of fish and other auspicious shapes are powdered onto the sidewalk and steps of the restaurant to bring good luck. King cooks while her husband, biochemist David, chalks the stencils and designs and illustrates the menus. King's parents are both Parsis. Parsi means a person from Persia. To be a Parsi is to be born of a Parsi father at least. "Parsi, like Afghani," she says. Descendants of the followers of Zoroaster, the Parsis left Persia after it fell to the Arabs in the 8th century. The Parsi LegendThere are many legends of how the Parsis were allowed to settle in India. The priestly leaders were brought before the local ruler, Jadi or Jadhav Rana, who presented them with a vessel "brimful" of milk to signify that the surrounding lands could not possibly accommodate any more people. The Parsi head priest responded by slipping some sugar into the milk to signify how the strangers would enrich the local community without displacing them. They would dissolve into life like sugar dissolves in the milk, sweetening the society but not unsettling it. Jadi responded to the eloquent image and granted the exiles land and permission to practice their religion unhindered if they would lay down their arms, adopt local dress, respect local customs, conduct weddings and other ceremonies only at night, and learn the local language, Gujarati. Homi Bhabha, professor of English and director of the Humanities Center at Harvard University, is also a Parsi from Bombay. He talks about this founding myth of sugar in the milk, or as some tell it, rosewater in milk. (Still others say it was a coin that was slipped into milk). Bhabha recounts Parsi New Year at his grandmother's house. "We drank this absolutely delicious milkshake-like drink, falooda, made of pink rosewater and ice cream and little jelly bean-like seeds, basil seeds," he says. "As I sipped my drink, I often recalled the founding story of the Parsis dissolving like sugar or rosewater in the milk." On Parsi New Year, Bhabha says, his mother always had new clothes made for the children and would bathe them in milk in which rose petals had been crushed. The family would then go to his grandmother's home, where a long table was laden with auspicious foods, like fish for fertility. Magpie Cooking"Parsi food is disappearing with us. Our numbers are dwindling," King says."Parsi cooking is one of the least known cuisines in the world," she adds. "Coming from desert plateaus in Iran to this incredibly fertile coastal plain with fish jumping out of the water. Coconuts, mangoes, layered on top of the Hindu influence the Muslims, the British and the Portuguese. You could call it a kind of magpie cooking. We see something appealing and we fly off with it to our nests, take the gems and make something of it that's our own." "Parsi cooking, magpie cooking, I love that image," says Bharati Mukherjee, noted novelist, short story writer and lecturer. The Middleman and Other Stories, Jasmine, Desirable Daughters and Holder of the World, are just a few of her works. We spoke with Mukherjee about Parsi cooking and her Indian kitchen. "I was exposed to [Parsi cooking] first in Calcutta, where I grew up, and then later as an adult in Gujarat and Bombay, where there is a larger concentration of Parsis," Mukherjee says. "Magpie to me implies keeping intact the different kinds of gems collected and then making something new out of it, whole new entities. "Until I came to the United States, I had never really been inside a kitchen," Mukherjee revealed. Her family had four cooks. There was one for Muslim cooking. Another, for Hindu cooking, who had to be a Brahmin by caste (her widowed paternal grandmother could eat only food cooked by a Brahmin, by cultural taboo). And there were two Christian cooks: One used to cook with very-hard-to-get items like anchovies; the other was trained by Mother Theresa's nuns to be a British dessert specialist.Mukherjee and her two sisters never entered the kitchen. That was the cook's domain. Her father was of the first generation after independence of Bengali industrialists. It was a time of national euphoria, when the lifestyle was extravagant. Her father had only daughters and he lavished his love and ambition on them. He did not want them married at age 14 and to be housewives as was custom in Indian culture. "Until I came to the U.S. and got married and had to go cook for myself, I didn't know what different kinds of lentils looked like, what rice looked like," Mukherjee says. "I didn't know the surface of boiled water has bubbles." But cooking and food was the center of family life. Parsi food is family-based. It is not easily available in restaurants. Almost the only place to eat it is at home. Bhabha, the Harvard professor, describes Parsi food as a rose hidden behind a wall of the family home. "It's a food of family rituals and celebrations," he says. "It's really rather a private world of homes and clubs — one that you have to get invited into to really experience." Parsi New YearAlice Waters of Chez Panisse came to Parsi New Year dinner at King's house in 1989 and suggested that she might do this at her Berkeley restaurant. Alice loves New Year celebrations, and here was another one. "It's Navroz, the first day of spring, the old Persian New Year. And because of a calendrical miscalculation we now have two new years — one now and one in August," King says. "Some Parsis celebrate [on the first day of spring] and some celebrate the New Year as a moveable feast in August whenever it fetches up. In my mother's house there would have been plain dal and rice because it was an auspicious day. Dal was eaten on happy days, sad days, days when you passed your examinations."Vegetable ExcitementKing is a beloved regular at many farmers markets throughout the Bay Area. "The farmers market week starts on Saturday for me with Alemany Market and sometimes the Ferry market as well," she says. "Sunday there's Civic Center, Tuesday there's Berkeley. Wednesday you have another go at the Civic Center. Thursday there's Serramonte. Friday there's Oakland." She is constantly on expedition. She trades seeds and tips, and learns the botanical names of plants, the medicinal uses and the possibilities for new dishes with new spices she might have yet to discover.As a UC Berkeley graduate student in anthropology, King wrote her thesis about Cost Plus, an import store that sold antique Parsi sari borders. King began conservation efforts of her culture as she watched its traditional crafts and textiles being sold on the shelves of discount design stores. King is a woman of many missions. She tends and feeds her community, preserving Parsi culture through its food, and passing on her love of greens and the huge array of food plants she thinks most Americans are unaware of. "What we need to do is make more vegetable excitement. I've always seen the great drama on the plate as coming from vegetables rather than the animal involved. What I really want to do is make exotic things seem familiar and then just put a little bit of spin on the familiar and make it exotic." 'My Bombay Kitchen'It was the occasion of King's mother, Shireen Ichaporia's, 90th birthday that made King sit down and begin to really collect and organize her recipes and stories into a book. The book is riveting; the glossary alone reads like a travelogue of India and the subtropical world. Her recipes open a whole new world for cooks. And with these dishes, one is creating a meal while also taking part in a small act of preservation. Carlo Petrini, the founder of Slow Food in Italy, said that preserving a traditional cheese is as important as preserving a 16th-century building. So it is with King, a kind of Parsi Sheherazade, who never really cooked until she left India and came to America, and then felt compelled to cook, chronicle and preserve the food of her home. My Bombay Kitchen: Modern and Traditional Parsi Cooking is an intriguing and unusual family story and the story of a culture that is struggling to maintain itself. In two or three generations, this culture will be down in numbers to the size of what is considered a tribe. Cook this book. Go to your farmers market and look for some vegetable excitement. Cook a green or toast a seed you never have tried. Talk to the farmer. Ask them to tell you how to prepare it, and if the food has healthful properties. You never know the stories and delights that might be held there at that table piled high with mysterious leaves. You know the motto of the Kitchen Sisters: Talk to strangers. Especially strangers bearing produce. Music and FoodAs with all the Hidden Kitchen stories, we started searching for the right music. The first thing we discovered is that the conductor Zubin Mehta and the late Freddie Mercury of Queen are both Parsi, but there is no "Parsi" music. There is music from Persia, from Gujarat, from Bombay, from India. None of these were the soundtrack of King's childhood. King loves music. Food and music are central to her world. "I studied Western music," she says. "Classical music. Haydn, Mozart, Schumann, Chopin. I started piano at the age of 6. That was Parsi music for me. I did not grow up listening to Indian music. We never heard it in school except for right on the edges. If a village band went by, the nuns used to say 'Oh, that dreadful racket.'" King began listening to Indian music once she moved to the U.S., just as she began cooking Parsi food once she was here. Our music search led us to Harmonia Mundi and its World Village collections of Persian and Indian music, including Shujaat Husain Khan and Aruna Sairam and the compilation, Without You, Masters of Persian Music. World Music freak Joe Boyd and Brian Cullman led us to the haunting singer Reza Shajarian and the kamanche playing (a kind of spiked violin) of Ghazal. The music heard in the story came from several of the soundtracks of Indian film legend Satyajit Ray, and also from a collaboration of Ry Cooder with V.M. Bhatt, from their album A Meeting by the River. "For me food and music are just completely interrelated and I see planning a menu in musical terms," King says. "When I make birthday cakes for people, what do they want? Mozart, Schubert or Brahms? Mozart may be a hazelnut meringue. Brahms, chocolate, deep and dark and orange."King is getting ready to cook for Parsi New Year. She is celebrating and reflecting. "Our kitchens are hidden," she says. "It's not a widely known cuisine, although our sphere of influence is wide. Parsi cooking is disappearing with us. It's cultural artifact, a dish. And in tending it and being the steward of that particular thing in your lifetime, you're handing down an heirloom the way you would any other precious cultural artifact. I think we'll have the souffle eggs that Parsis are so fond of. It's one of the great tricks up the Parsi sleeve."

Related NPR StoriesDec. 12, 2004

Photo Collection Tells Stories of Parsis in India Oct. 17, 2002

Masters of Persian Music June 26, 2002

India's Mysterious Vulture Die-Off Dec. 28, 2000

The Shrinking Populations of Parsis Dec. 17, 2000

Preserving Parsi Tradition

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Zander on How Stress Can Help You
Americans are stressing out as never before. Last year, a survey of 1,848 people by the American Psychological Association found that a disturbing 70% of respondents reported having physical and psychological symptoms of stress. But the survey also had some good news -- 60% of those polled said they would be motivated to change, including learning to manage stress more effectively, in order to feel better. With that encouraging news in mind, I called life coach and frequent Daily Health News contributor, Lauren Zander of the HandelGroup (www.handelgroup.com) for her unique advice on managing stress.
MUCH STRESS IS PERCEPTION
First, Lauren says, it is important to understand what stress really is. Sometimes stress comes from painful circumstances, like illness or loss of someone dear, that only time can heal. But there are loads of other potential stress triggers, from unpaid mortgages to difficult relationships or health problems, that you can do something about. These circumstances themselves do not create stress. Rather the stress results from how you respond to them. "Stress comes from wishing something were different and the worry that you cannot change it, which leads you to feel stuck," says Lauren. You feel upset, you feel helpless and the result is you feel "stressed."
However, Lauren doesn't believe we should always view stress as negative. She views it as a natural outcome of an increased desire for a better life. "We live in a smarter world today," she says, "and our agenda now is to do well for ourselves." Stress symptoms can serve as an invaluable ally to help people achieve a better life. They are an informing voice that tells us it's "time to do something" -- if we try to ignore the voice, it gets louder and more insistent. Lauren teaches her clients to make stress work for them, instead of against them. How? First step is learning to accept it as a positive force and motivator... kind of like a wake-up call or feedback from a good friend.
THE TWO LEVELS OF STRESS
Given that stress is a call to action, it is critical to investigate the nature of life stressors to decide what the appropriate action should be. There are two levels of stressors... the first, Type 1, belongs in what Lauren calls the "to-do" world. This incorporates bills, appointments, arrangements and the many other tasks that involve making and spending money and managing life as a grown-up. Although people moan and complain about the frustrations of handling these aspects of their lives, Lauren points out that in the to-do world there are always solutions. You may not love the solutions -- for example having to rein in spending habits to live within a compromised income, or disappoint someone by saying no to an invitation -- but they are there for you to find and implement.
Type 2 stressors, though, include the ones few people talk about... they are the "scary" ones in the world of emotion, says Lauren. Fear fuels many of these stressors -- fear that underneath it all you aren't capable... or lovable... or that your marriage is no longer working... or that you aren't attractive enough... or that you will get a terrible illness. The list of hidden stressors in the emotional world is long and complex, but this is where stress can be used to make life better, as we shall see.
If you feel stress because you've gained 15 pounds and don't feel sexy, that's a call to action -- but if you weigh the same as always and still feel undesirable, it's different. This feeling deserves a confession. You can "tell on yourself" to your husband or a friend, which is how to get what you need to feel better, such as a hug or a compliment, a "you're crazy, you have the best body and I love it!" Personally, I use funny consequences for "bad mind habits." When an inner dialogue causes stress, I charge myself a dollar if I dwell in those negative stressful thoughts longer than 30 seconds... and it stops me dead in my tracks. My "no harping" rules keep me from adding stressful thoughts and feelings to my life.
You can learn to view your worries as an alert to take an action to feel better. When you actually go to the gym, make the phone call you've been putting off, or pay the bill that's weighing you down, you will feel calmer. You will have heard what the stress is telling you and responded to it. It is only when you don't take such an action that stress continues to build. This is how your body and mind communicates about what is not working well in your life.
CUTTING STRESS DOWN TO SIZE
Once you recognize these two types of stress, it becomes feasible to take control of them on both levels. Here are Lauren's recommendations for doing that:
Start observing your crazy-makers, the things that annoy or irritate you. It may be easiest to make a list. Most, if not all of these are truly insignificant -- small stuff such as traffic or long lines. Stressing about them is useless. One way to eliminate the stress of crazy-makers is to alter whatever you can in your schedule or arrangements to decrease what annoys you so much. Leave earlier to escape heavy traffic, take care of errands on off-hours whenever possible... don't say yes to social invitations you don't really want to attend... that kind of thing. Changes like this will help, but a shift in attitude about them will likely help even more. Deflate the stress by refusing to take these situations so seriously or accept demands as "required" and you will see that their upset-quotient begins to diminish.
Write out the list of your responsibilities that fall somewhere between Type 1 and Type 2 stressors. These are in the "to-do" world and therefore, have "to-do" ways to solve them. Start with those that most distress you, but include them all. Big to-dos such as paying off debts or dealing with a difficult medical diagnosis for you or a loved one can seem especially difficult and overwhelming. Cull through the list slowly and carefully and come up with ways you can address these problems. Ask for help if you need it and consider the value of hiring someone when appropriate. For instance, if you have no time to clean your house, hiring someone will cost money of course, but it may pay dividends for you in time, positive energy and orderly surroundings.
The next challenge is the big one -- to take on the Type 2 stressors directly. Write out what you would like to change about you and your life. Oftentimes these desires live just under the surface as unconscious wishes and exist as stress because you are frustrated or unhappy with your current situation. The act of writing them out makes them conscious and gives you the means to evaluate their content. Your wishes might include a different career, living in another city, being nicer, thinner, or maybe more athletic. A good deal of your stress, though, may come from factors you cannot possibly change -- wanting to be young again, say -- or can't change now, such as moving. In those cases Lauren says a shift in attitude is mandatory. Pining away for something you cannot have -- ever or for the time being -- only heightens stress. It may feel hard to do this at first, but here is how you make such an attitude shift -- tell yourself that this is the way it is, just like some days its raining when you wish it was sunny. You can't control it, so you accept it. Once you accept the fact of your situation, realize that you are capable of living with it. Tough, yes, but you can do it... which leaves you free to move on to the stressors you can do something about now, and put this in the category of "later."
Now decide what life changes on your list you consider important enough to tackle... and gather ideas about how to achieve some solution. You may even find that among these are ways to address even the seemingly impossible ones. Let's say you wish your mate didn't have a serious disease, Parkinson's for instance, but you have accepted that you can't change the diagnosis. What can you do? Find activities that you and your partner can continue to participate in together, in spite of his/her disease. But remember, select just one or two areas to start with and take baby steps toward your goal. You will see that even small changes here and there bring you to a place where you do indeed feel better, says Lauren, and that you are not so stuck after all.
Stress will never go away. "It's called being alive," says Lauren. Once you see it as a necessary and useful tool to make life better, stress becomes your friendly messenger, an ever-present well of energy for you to draw from.
Source(s):

Lauren Zander, life coach and chairman, the HandelGroup, www.handelgroup.com.

Easy Way to Cut Heart Attack Risk

With stories about health so prominent in the news, we sometimes see technical terms tossed around as though everyone understands what they mean. "Triglycerides" is one of those, it seems to me. They are talked about more and more as doctors realize that cholesterol is only one of the markers for heart disease and heart attack risk, yet I'm not sure people understand the important role triglycerides play in nutrition and health. A National Lipid Association survey in 2006 found that nine out of 10 doctors agreed that elevated triglycerides are an independent risk factor for heart disease -- but that message isn't reaching their patients, as only 13% of the adults queried knew what are considered normal triglyceride levels. With triglycerides gaining importance as a measure to watch, we all need to understand what they are and how to control them.
TRIGLYCERIDES ARE FATS
According to Jonny Bowden, author of The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth, triglycerides are the main form in which most fat exists, both in our bodies and as components of the foods we eat. "About 95% of the fat stored in your fat cells is in the form of triglycerides," he said.
In our bodies, triglycerides are packaged, along with cholesterol and protein, into lipoproteins, two kinds of which are familiar to us as "good" and "bad" cholesterol. HDL ("good cholesterol" or high-density lipoprotein), has a higher proportion of protein, while LDL ("bad cholesterol" or low-density lipoprotein) has less protein and more cholesterol and triglycerides. The body uses these broken down-triglycerides as fuel.
But there can definitely be too much of a good thing, and there are significant problems with high levels of triglycerides. A Harvard research group led by J. Michael Gaziano, MD, found both triglycerides and HDL cholesterol to be sensitive indicators of risk for heart disease -- and taken together, more accurate than cholesterol alone. The figure derived from dividing the triglyceride reading by the HDL reading turned out to be predictive of heart attack, researchers found. Those with the highest ratios of triglyceride to HDL were 16 times more likely to have a heart attack than those with the lowest ratios. A ratio of five or higher is of concern -- and the lower the number, the better odds for your health. For example, a person with triglycerides of 200 and an HDL of 40 would have a ratio of 5, whereas someone with triglycerides of 100 and the same HDL of 40 would have a ratio of only 2.5. Usually people with elevated triglycerides will also have low HDL, Bowden told me.
It turns out that people with high triglycerides often have other major risk factors for heart disease, such as diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. Even so, emerging evidence indicates that triglycerides themselves are a risk factor -- not only for heart disease but also for stroke.
CONTROL TRIGLYCERIDES THROUGH DIET
Beyond the ratio, is there a target level of triglycerides for optimal health? The guidelines themselves are a matter of debate among physicians and nutritionists. Many of the forward-thinking ones believe that while current standards state that triglyceride levels of less than 150 can be considered "normal," the top of that range is far higher than is optimal. "We like to keep the triglyceride readings of our patients below 100 if possible," Mary Dan Eades, MD, and Michael Eades, MD, authors of The Protein Power Life Plan, told me, adding that in most cases dietary changes alone can accomplish that.
Reducing intake of excess carbohydrates and sugars, especially processed carbohydrates -- those nasty "white flour foods" -- can effectively lower triglyceride levels in the bloodstream. Bowden explained that this is because the body turns much of the extra calories and sugars in those foods directly into triglycerides to be stored as energy for future use. "Some of the calories are converted to glucose for immediate use," he said. "Excess calories left after that get made into triglycerides. That's why cutting back on foods with excess calories and sugar can lower triglyceride levels."
Because triglycerides are the main form of fat in food, conventional wisdom is that eating less fat reduces triglycerides in the bloodstream. This can work, particularly when fiber is increased and weight loss accompanies the lower-fat diet, but the real leverage in lower triglycerides is reduction of simple carbohydrates. Carbs don't have to be completely eliminated, Bowden says, "just concentrate on eating the ones from vegetables and fruits and those with high fiber. Don't eat 'the white stuff.' "
Reducing triglycerides is not just about what you can't eat -- Bowden says adding fish oil and garlic to your diet will also help. Numerous trials have established that fish oil supplements significantly lower triglycerides, leading the American Heart Association to recommend 2 to 4 grams of EPA and DHA (from omega-3 fatty acid supplements) daily for people who need to lower triglycerides. Other studies have shown a reduction of triglycerides with garlic which has the added benefit of lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol in the bargain. You can take garlic in supplements too, but this is best done under expert supervision as they can interact with medications and also affect blood coagulation. Or, you could revise your dinner menu to include fish entrees seasoned with garlic a couple of times a week... easy, delicious and healthy, too.
Source(s): Jonny Bowden, CNS, a board certified nutritionist and frequent Daily Health News contributor. Bowden is author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth (Fair Winds) as well as Living the Low Carb Life: Controlled Carbohydrate Eating for Long-Term Weight Loss (Sterling). He is the weight loss coach on iVillage.com and a frequent contributor to America Online. His free audio course on weight loss essentials is available at http://link.dhn.bottomlinesecrets.com/h/WAWG/2WIS/50/A7DJCF.

TIPS FOR THE FAST

BASIC NOTES FOR THE FAST

The purpose of the fast is to spiritually cleanse and sacrifice that which is higher for which is lower. For the body’s sake, people fast to cleanse their bodies. Shoghi Effendi said we need to take care of our nerves and our bodies, for it is the horse upon which the rider (our soul and personality) carry.

This is a great time for a typical spring cleansing of the body. It’s the time of year when we change seasons, and our energies will be shifting as well. This is why most people get sick in the fall and in the spring. We need to detoxify our bodies of all the winter foods, comfort foods, American “cuisine” we indulge in.

View this next 19 days as a time to recreate yourself…create new habits in eating, treating yourself and healing your spirit. Below are some helpful hints for physical fasting:

Basic hints:
Fiber is the key to cleansing the digestive track. It is sensitive to emotional turmoil. Choose foods high in fiber, and whole grains. Chew your food at least 10 times if not 20 when eating. Carbohydrates are almost fully digested in your mouth with the enzymes. Don’t drink during meals. You can sip tepid water if needed. Substitute green tea for coffee if you can. (It is an antioxidant and adds digestive enzymes) Avoid fatty fried foods. Avoid sugars. Substitute with honey, molasses, or pure maple syrup. Avoid mixing more than 5 foods together. Start a movement routine; aerobics, walking, yoga, tai chi, etc.. Get to know stress management techniques. Practice deep relaxation.
Detoxification of the digestive track will help keep you young!

Helpful Aids:
Check if any medicine you are taking will interfere with these prior to consumption.
HERBS: Aloe Juice, licorice root, and comfy root. They heal the digestive track and sooth it.
DIGESTIVE ENZYMES: Probiotics (friendly flora) take with water in am, papaya enzymes (taken after the meal), chlorophyll.
GARLIC: Great for the heart, antioxidant, and immunity.
L-GLUTAMINE supplements for digestive healing. Supplements of antioxidants to help with detoxification: C, E, beta-carotene, Quercetin, CoQ10 Master Cleanser drink: 2 TBS lemon juice, 1tsp cayenne red pepper, 1 T pure maple syrup, and 6 oz water. (Please don’t drink on a trip, driving, etc.. This will cause elimination pretty quickly! J)

NOTES: Headaches and fatigue are normal the first 5 days of cleansing. Sauna/sweats are helpful to detoxification. Massage at least 3 times during the fast to move toxins and induce deep relaxation.


Am Nutrition
SPIRIT: Upon waking, say “Allah u Abha’s” Have Persian/Arabic chanting CD to play
WATER: Drink 1 cup spring water (or more if you can) tepid in temperature.
FRUIT: If you have a juicer, leave on counter the night before with a plate full of fruit/veggies you will juice in the morning. If you don’t have a juicer, eat fresh fruit or buy pure juiced fruits/vegetables. Drink/eat while preparing your breakfast meal. Fruits will digest within 20 minutes.
FOODS: For slower metabolisms, eat oatmeal, potatoes, whole grain breads. Try a smoothie with fruits & protein powders, flax, silk tofu.
For faster metabolisms, add eggs or other proteins as they can take up to 2.5 hours to digest. Be creative, plan frittatas, quiches with spinach, veggies, lots of garlic for its detoxification properties.
Add blackstrap molasses to anything, as it will be as a rock in your stomach! Try a recipe for gingersnap pancakes/waffles with flax, whole grain flour, etc..

PM, breaking the fast
SPIRIT: Prayer of thanksgiving/praise, or say “Ya-Bahul-Abha!”
WATER: Drink 1 tepid glass of water, spring water preferably.
FIBER: If you have a juicer, same instructions as above. If not, have some raw fruits/veggies on hand to eat right away to balance blood sugar. Break the fast SLOWLY. Do not rush to fill the stomach, and resist the temptation.
FOODS: For the 19 days, it would be great to concentrate on brown rice, basmati brown rice, a mix of veggies, and small amounts of proteins through nuts, fish, white meats. Try to eliminate red meats. Eat plenty of complex carbohydrates, whole grains.

THEY HIDE BECAUSE THEY FAST
A TRUE STORY OF THE THREE SIBLINGS & FASTING
THE ‘CHALLENGE’
While others might take it for granted, some Baha’is find it ‘challenging’ to fast. This is not because of observing the fast itself but rather physical aspects of Baha’i fasting that tend to be misunderstood as Muslim fasting. The challenge is particularly true in the context of first-generation Chinese Baha’is in Malaysia. While others have no issue in their practice of fasting; Chinese Baha’is are facing prejudice by their own kind. And due to social complex, fasting of such kind is not welcome by Chinese community in general. More so, it’s a highly sensitive issue if it’s not handled wisely.
Whatever the situation might present, this had not stopped the three siblings (pictures)



from partaking their bounty.
THEIR BACKGROUND
They came from a typical Chinese family in Malaysia. All of them became Baha’is without the notice of their parents who were strict in their choice of religion. And Baha’i Faith was certainly not a favored religion for the parents. Though they were new souls, their love for Baha‘u’llah find no bounds. Being touched by the spirit of Baha, these young souls couldn’t resist observing the fast straight after their declaration. Undeterred, they fasted. Their first fasting was observed without the knowledge of their parents, which they couldn’t. They just couldn’t!
THIS WAS HOW THEY OBSERVED THEIR FAST:
Every morning during the fasting period, all of them woke up before sunrises. Their mother bought them food from the market to which the children have requested. Up to a point, the mother felt sort of weird why her children woke up so early in the morning! She didn’t know that her children’s intention was to observe fasting and neither could the wonderful young souls utter a word about it. They ate their food and the whole process went on with silence mode.
Quietly, they had their prayers and started their fast. Then, all of them went for their respective schools. At school, again they had to keep silent when friends queried them why they were not eating during break-time which they used to be. They couldn’t tell because the friends would think they are Muslims and if reported to their parents’ knowledge, their life would be in trouble. They managed to ‘escape’ somehow.
And in the afternoon, some went home; while others went for tuition. Those siblings who went for tuition faced no problem because they came back only after evening, just right for the time to break fast. In this case, they managed to ‘escape’ from the query of their parents. But this was not so happened for the ones who had no tuition class. They had to come home after class. Being ‘creative’, what they did was quickly ran into their bedroom and slept for the whole day until sunsets. What a poor soul who needs to withstand the 'persecution' of its unique kind! They would not wake up even though their mother asked them for lunch. With this 'method', they managed to ‘escape’ again.
Finally, when the sunsets, it was their hour of relief! One and all would happily gather and break their fast together! Again, it was observed in silence mode; but their heart bound with joy and happiness!
Above story happened about 3 years ago. Today, all the siblings were rather ease in observing their fast because their parents had finally come to trust the Baha’i Teachings after observing themselves the transformation of character happening in their children who joined the Baha’i activities and the good deeds that Baha’is had done to the community. Still, the siblings are dedicated servants of Baha‘u’llah, actively involving in four core activities.
(For further information, please contact Soon Kam: soonkam9@gmail.com)
"Whosoever experienceth the holy ecstasy of worship will refuse to barter such as act or any praise of God for all that existeth in the world. Fasting and obligatory prayer are as two wings to man’s life. Blessed be the one soareth with their aid in the heaven of the love of God, the Lord of all worlds." – Baha‘u’llah –

QUOTATIONS AND STUDY QUESTIONS REGARDING
THE 19-DAY FAST
Prepared by the Deepening Committee of the Bahá’ís of Toronto
February 2002

Next to obligatory prayer, fasting constitutes one of the most important laws of the Revelation of
Bahá’u’lláh. We are fortunate to have a multitude of guidance on this subject in our Sacred
Writings. We will study some of these Writings together in order to gain a better understanding
of the law of fasting and to try and put it into practice in our lives. You can study and meditate
on these quotations throughout the period of the Fast.
Suggested study guidelines:
Please read every quote at least twice. Discuss any difficult words or concepts and then answer
the questions in each section on your own before discussing them in groups of 8-10 people. Keep
the discussions around the Writings you are studying.
SECTION 1
“We, verily, have set forth all things in Our Book, as a token of grace unto those who have
believed in God, the Almighty, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. And We have ordained
obligatory prayer and fasting so that all may by these means draw night unto God, the Most
Powerful, the Well-Beloved…. We…have commanded them to observe that which will
draw them nearer unto Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Loving. Say: Observe ye the
commandments of God for love of His beauty…”2
Complete the following sentences:
We, verily, have set forth all things in Our _______, as a token of _________ unto those who
have ___________________, the Almighty, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting. And We have
ordained ____________and _________so that all may by these
means___________________________, the Most Powerful, the Well-Beloved…. We…have
commanded them to ______ that which will ____________________________________Who is
the Almighty, the All-Loving.
Say: _________ ye the commandments of God for____________________________________.
Questions:
1. Why and for whom has Bahá’u’lláh set forth all things in His Book?
______________________________________________________________________________
1 Unless otherwise noted, all quotes are from the compilation entitled The Importance of Obligatory Prayer
and Fasting, Compiled by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, 2000. The number
following the author of the quotation, corresponds to the number of the quote in the compilation.
2 Bahá’u’lláh, I
2
2. Why has Bahá’u’lláh ordained obligatory prayer and fasting?
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Why should we observe the commandments of God?
______________________________________________________________________________
“All praise be unto God, Who hath revealed the law of obligatory prayer as a reminder to
His servants, and enjoined on them the Fast that those possessed of means may become
apprised of the woes and sufferings of the destitute.”3
What is another purpose of the law of fasting?
______________________________________________________________________________
What do we learn when we fast?
______________________________________________________________________________
SECTION 2
One of the powers that can help us keep the Fast is our love for God. Bahá’u’lláh says:
“Observe, for My Beauty’s sake, the fast, O people…”4
And again in a Tablet revealed for the Fast He says:
“How great is the blessedness of him who, for love of Thy beauty and for the sake of Thy
pleasure, hath curbed the desires of a corrupt inclination and observed the precepts laid
down by Thy most exalted Pen! He, in truth, is to be numbered with them that have
attained unto all good, and followed the way of guidance.”5
Why do we obey the laws of Bahá’u’lláh such as that of fasting?
______________________________________________________________________________
How does our love for God help us to keep His laws?
______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3 Bahá’u’lláh, II
4 Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 337
5 Prayers and Meditations, pp. 298-299
3
SECTION 3
When we love God and try to obey His laws, we should have complete trust that He will come to
our aid. Bahá’u’lláh says:
“We beseech God to assist His people that they may observe the most great and exalted
Fast… We pray God to confirm His loved ones that they may succeed in accomplishing
that which they have been commanded in this Day.”6
“All praise be to the one true God Who hath assisted His loved ones to observe the Fast and
hath aided them to fulfill that which hath been decreed in the Book.”7
We can ask God to help and assist us to keep the fast, especially at those times when we find it
difficult to do so. Bahá’u’lláh has revealed several Tablets specifically for the Fast. In them He
says:
“These are, O my Lord, the days in which Thou hast bidden Thy servants to observe the
fast. Blessed is he that observeth the fast wholly for Thy sake and with absolute detachment
from all things except Thee. Assist me and assist them, O my Lord, to obey Thee and to
keep Thy precepts. Thou, verily, hast power to do what Thou choosest.”8
“…I beseech Thee to grant that I may be assisted to observe the fast wholly for Thy sake, O
Thou Who art full of majesty and glory! Empower me, then, O my God, to be reckoned
among them that have clung to Thy laws and precepts for the sake of Thee alone, their eyes
fixed on Thy face.”9
When you find it difficult to fast, what are some of the things you can do to help you?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
SECTION 4
When we try to keep the laws of God out of our love for Him, He rewards us a thousand fold and
showers all His blessings upon us.
“Fasting and obligatory prayer are as two wings to man’s life. Blessed be the one who
soareth with their aid in the heaven of the love of God, the Lord of all worlds.”10
“There are various stages and stations for the Fast and innumerable effects and benefits are
concealed therein. Well is it with those who have attained them.”11
6 Bahá’u’lláh, XII
7 Bahá’u’lláh, XVIII
8 Prayers and Meditations, p. 10
9 Prayers and Meditations, pp. 298-299
10 Bahá’u’lláh, III
11 Bahá’u’lláh, XIX
4
“We, verily, have commanded all to observe the Fast in these days as a bounty on Our
part… Say: By God! His Law is a fortress unto you, could ye but understand. Verily, He
hath no purpose therein save to benefit the souls of His servants…”12
“These are the days whereon Thou hast bidden all men to observe the fast, that through it
they may purify their souls and rid themselves of all attachment to any one but Thee, and
that out of their hearts may ascend that which will be worthy of the court of Thy majesty
and may well beseem the seat of the revelation of Thy oneness. Grant, O my Lord, that this
fast may become a river of life-giving waters and may yield the virtue wherewith Thou hast
endowed it. Cleanse Thou by its means the hearts of Thy servants...”13
“These are the days of the Fast. Blessed is the one who through the heat generated by the
Fast increaseth his love, and who, with joy and radiance, ariseth to perform worthy deeds.
Verily, He guideth whomsoever He willeth to the straight path.”14
“Grant, O my Lord, that the fire of Thy love and the heat produced by the fast enjoined by
Thee may inflame them in Thy Cause, and make them to be occupied with Thy praise and
with remembrance of Thee.”15
“Even though outwardly the Fast is difficult and toilsome, yet inwardly it is bounty and
tranquility.”16
“Verily, I say, fasting is the supreme remedy and the most great healing for the disease of
self and passion.”17
“Moreover, obligatory prayer and fasting produce awareness and awakening in man, and
are conducive to his protection and preservation from tests.”18
“Fasting is the cause of the elevation of one’s spiritual station.”19
“This Fast leadeth to the cleansing of the soul from all selfish desires, the acquisition of
spiritual attributes, attraction to the breezes of the All-Merciful, and enkindlement with the
fire of divine love.”20
Why are fasting and obligatory prayer been compared to wings to man’s life?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
12 Bahá’u’lláh, XIV
13 Prayers and Meditations, pp. 79-80
14 Bahá’u’lláh, XV
15 Prayers and Meditations, p. 67
16 Bahá’u’lláh, XVI
17 Bahá’u’lláh, XVII
18 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, VII
19 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, XXVII
20 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, XXVI
5
Why does Bahá’u’lláh compare His law to a fortress?
________________________________________________________________________
List some of the benefits of the fast.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What should our attitude be when fasting?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What effect can fasting have on us?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
SECTION 5
The early hours of the morning when we start fasting and those in the evening when we break our
fast, can be especially spiritually invigorating times and are filled with bounties. In one of His
Tablets for the Fast Bahá’u’lláh states:
“For Thine ardent lovers Thou hast, according to Thy decree, reserved, at each daybreak,
the cup of Thy remembrance, O Thou Who art the Ruler of rulers! These are they who
have been so inebriated with the wine of Thy manifold wisdom that they forsake their
couches in their longing to celebrate Thy praise and extol Thy virtues, and flee from sleep in
their eagerness to approach Thy presence and partake of Thy bounty.
Lauded be Thy name, O my God! This is the hour when Thou hast unlocked the doors of
Thy bounty before the faces of Thy creatures, and opened wide the portals of Thy tender
mercy unto all the dwellers of Thine earth….
This is the hour, O my Lord, which Thou hast caused to excel every other hour, and hast
related it to the choicest among Thy creatures.”21
“I have fasted for love of Thee and in pursuance of Thine injunction, and have broken my
fast with Thy praise on my tongue and in conformity with Thy pleasure.”22
21 Prayers and Meditations, pp. 143-146
22 Prayers and Meditations, p. 79-80
6
Decide whether the following statements are true or false:
We get up at dawn to celebrate God’s praise and extol His
virtues (and to eat a light meal). T [] F []
We get up at dawn in order to eat breakfast. T [] F []
We don’t get up in the morning so we have more energy during the day. T [] F []
The early morning hours are very special as they are filled with bounties. T [] F []
The purpose of the fast is physical recuperation. T [] F []
We break the fast in the evenings with prayers, mediation and dinner. T [] F []
SECTION 6
Now that we are aware of the multitude of spiritual gifts the fast bestows upon us, we realize that
the fast is more than just abstaining from food and drink. It is symbolic of a spiritual fast.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
“Well is it with you, as you have followed the Law of God and arisen to observe the Fast
during these blessed days, for this physical fast is a symbol of the spiritual fast.”23
“Fasting is a symbol. Fasting signifies abstinence from lust. Physical fasting is a symbol of
that abstinence, and is a reminder; that is, just as a person abstains from physical appetites,
he is to abstain from self-appetites and self-desires. But mere abstention from food has no
effect on the spirit. It is a mere symbol, a reminder. Otherwise it is of no importance. ”24
“The fasting period, which lasts nineteen days…is essentially a period of meditation and
prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the
necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces
latent in his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in
character. Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from selfish and carnal
desires.”25
How is the physical fast a symbol of the spiritual fast?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Does mere abstention from food have an effect on the soul?
______________________________________________________________________________
23 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, XXVI
24 Words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Fortnightly Review, June 1911
25 Directives from the Guardian, pp. 27-28
7
Write a few lines on how you are going to make the next 19 days a period of spiritual
recuperation?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
SECTION 7
What else do we need to know about the fast?
“Fasting hath been decreed for you in the month of ‘Alá. Fast ye for the sake of your Lord,
the Mighty, the Most High. Restrain yourselves from sunrise to sunset.”26
“Abstain from food and drink, from sunrise to sundown, and beware lest desire deprive you
of this grace that is appointed in the Book.”27
“We have commanded you to pray and fast from the beginning of maturity; this is ordained
by God, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers. He hath exempted from this those
who are weak from illness or age, as a bounty from His Presence, and He is the Forgiving,
the Generous.”28
“The law of the Fast is ordained for those who are sound and healthy; as to those who are ill
or debilitated, this law hath never been nor is now applicable.”29
In the Synopsis and Codification of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Shoghi Effendi summarizes who is
granted exemption from fasting:
“a. Travellers…
b. Those who are ill.
c. Those who are over 70.
d. Women who are with child.
e. Women who are nursing.
f. Women in their courses…
g. Those who are engaged in heavy labour…”30
During which Bahá’í month do we fast?
______________________________________________________________________________
26 Bahá’u’lláh, XIII
27 The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, # 17
28 The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, # 10
29 Bahá’u’lláh, XXI
30 “Synopsis and Codification of the laws and ordinances of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas,” IV.B.5, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas,
pp. 148-149. For more details on these exemptions please refer to “Notes” 14, 20, 30, and 31, as well as
“Questions and Answers”, 74, 76 and 93. For additional guidance on the law of the Fast see also Lights of
Guidance, XVII, # 775-784.
8
During which hours do we abstain from food and drink?
______________________________________________________________________________
What are we doing by not keeping the fast?
______________________________________________________________________________
At what age does the fast become obligatory? _________________________________________
At what age are we exempted from fasting? __________________________________________
Who else is exempted from fasting? ________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
With the aid and assistance of God we will be able to keep the fast. It is ultimately God Who
decides whether our fast is acceptable to Him. In the prayer for Naw-Rúz Bahá’u’lláh writes:
“Since Thou hast adorned them, O my Lord, with the ornament of the fast prescribed by
Thee, do Thou adorn them also with the ornament of Thine acceptance, through Thy grace
and bountiful favor. For the doings of men are all dependent upon Thy good-pleasure, and
are conditioned by Thy behest. Shouldst Thou regard him who hath broken the fast as one
who hath observed it, such a man would be reckoned among them who from eternity had
been keeping the fast. And shouldst Thou decree that he who hath observed the fast hath
broken it, that person would be numbered with such as have caused the Robe of Thy
Revelation to be stained with dust, and been far removed from the crystal waters of this
living Fountain.”31
Complete the following sentences:
“Since Thou hast _________ them, O my Lord, with ___________________________prescribed
by Thee, do Thou __________ them also with the_______________________________, through
Thy ____________ and _____________________. For the doings of men are
_________________ upon______________________________________, and are conditioned
by____________________. Shouldst Thou regard him who hath _____________________as one
who hath ______________ it, such a man would be reckoned among them who from
__________________________________ the fast. And shouldst Thou decree that he who hath
_______________ the fast hath _________________, that person would be numbered with such
as have caused the Robe of Thy Revelation to be____________________, and been far removed
from the crystal waters of this living Fountain.”
31 Prayers and Meditations, pp. 67-68