Carrot Jam and Cardboard
We rode off on our way to Tehran, where we would need to stop and sort out visas for Pakistan and India, having been refused them so graciously in Ankara. The roads were boring, in excellent condition, and fast. We stopped a couple of times to eat. We managed to get bread, of an unpleasant cardboard texture and, nothing if not consistent, taste. On the second occasion we were a little more adventurous and attempted to use our Farsi phrases. We tried the Farsi for ‘I am a vegetarian.’ The waiter said ‘No.’. We tried again. He shook his head. This was a little confusing. We opted for more bread. By my second day in Iran I had lost a fair bit of weight and my trousers wouldn’t stay up. Meals there run as follows: Breakfast: Flat unleavened bread with carrot jam or spreadable ‘cheese’. Lunch: Kebab. Dinner: Kebab. Little did we know at the point that bread would become our favourite dish… We...