Migrating memories

 As part of the diaspora, as a Persian immigrant, and for anyone who has lost connection to their roots, food becomes far more than sustenance.  It steadies you when displacement begins to blur who you are; it restores continuity when language shifts and time zones stretch relationships thin. Gastronomy can be resistance, memory, and emotional survival woven into one ritual. Political borders and visa restrictions may dictate distance, but they cannot suppress the scent of saffron blooming in hot water or the slow simmer of ghormeh sabzi on the stove. In a world where headlines can reduce you to a policy, cooking becomes an act of reclaiming identity.