Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, March 2008, page 70

Books

Rana’s Wedding

Directed by Hany Abu-Assad, 2002, DVD, 90 min. with special features. List: $24.99; AET: $20.

Reviewed by Jamal Najjab

PREPARING FOR A wedding is a hectic ordeal anywhere in the world. In the film “Rana’s Wedding,” however, the bride’s situation is even more complicated than most. She awakes from her bed in East Jerusalem with an ultimatum from her father to either marry one of the up-and-coming eligible bachelors who have asked for her hand from a list he has given her, or accompanying him to Egypt—and he wants her decision by four that afternoon. But Rana has other ideas. She sets out to find her true love, Khalil, a struggling theater company director in near-by Ramallah, persuade him to propose, find the registrar, have her father accept her beloved and then marry—all by the 4 p.m. deadline. Because her life is constrained at every turn by the Israeli military occupation, Rana’s task is a journey of epic proportion.

Palestinian novelist Liana Badr wrote the screenplay, along with Ihab Lamey, based on her own trials and tribulations in order to marry the Palestinian politician Yasser Abd Rabbih. The film’s Palestinian director, Hany Abu-Assad, whose later “Paradise Now” was nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign film, carefully shows us the daily life of those living under occupation. As they watch a Palestinian home being demolished by an Israeli bulldozer, Rana tells a friend, “They are destroying homes as I am trying to build one.”

Through it all Rana (played with quiet resolve by Palestinian Clara Khoury) is determined to succeed. Even though at times she is disappointed and despairing, Rana presses on—not unlike the people of Palestine.

Jamal Najjab is AET’s administrative director.

Persian Cooking For the Healthy Kitchen

By Najmieh Khalili Batmanglij, Mage Publishers, 2006, paperback, 199 pp. List: $22.50; AET: $17.

Reviewed by Nina Hamedani

Many important events in Persian family life and culture revolve around or include food. Najmieh Batmanglij, who has dedicated herself to enhancing Americans’ minimal knowledge of Persian food, is passionate about sharing her personal knowledge about Persian culture via its cuisine and has traveled as far away as China to do just that.

As the back cover of her latest book boasts, Persian Cooking for a Healthy Kitchen includes some “95 exquisite recipes that are low in fat yet high in flavor.” The books offer options for all levels, from novice and beyond, whether the reader is looking to prepare a multi-course gourmet meal, or just seeking tips on how to make perfectly steamed long-grained rice (polo).

In addition to the recipes’ easy-to-follow steps, Batmanglij includes helpful pages explaining different spices, measurements, and a list of Persian groceries and restaurants by state. The recipes themselves are organized into a variety of categories, including Appetizers, Soups, Vegetables, Meats, Chicken, Fish, Rice, Pastries, Desserts and Drinks. Among the ingredients are quince, Cornish hens, pomegranate, rose water, dates and nuts, apricots, lentils, artichoke hearts, eggplant and fava beans, to name just a few. Some of the common Persian spices called for are cardamom, saffron, rose petals, dried limes, sumac, and turmeric.

But the cookbook’s most tantalizing pages are the ones with the beautiful photographs accompaning each recipe. The plates are expertly laid in Provençal food presentation, reflecting the South of France, where the author has lived.

Batmanglij currently lives in Washington, DC, where she has been known to offer high-level cooking classes—sometimes even from the comfort of her own home, in the true spirit of Persian hospitality. For more information on Najmieh Batmanglij, visit her Web site: <www.naj­miehskitchen.com>.

Nina Hamedani is an intern with the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.