Ask An Iranian

You asked for it, we done did it. We joined forces with the Persian Girl Podcast (https://persiangirlpodcast.com) to discuss the expectations and complications with dating Iranians — or should we say Persians? Having the Persian Girl Podcast girls join us meant that we were able to present the domain of dating Persian girls from both the view of men and women. Among other topics, we discuss hidden aspects for Iranians when dating, such as the pressures placed on them by parents and the community. Being based in America, our guests were able to balance out the perspectives, giving us insight into how it is to date as an Iranian in America, while we provided perspective from Iran. So, listen in to learn what you should know about before dating a Persian girl. We also get answers to these questions - Are Iranians Persians, or Persians Iranians? - Who are the Persian Girl Podcast girls? - What should you know about before going on a date with an Iranian? - Who should get the bill when going on a date with an Iranian? - How traditional should an Iranian girl seem on a date? - Should you meet Iranian parents before getting married? - How important is the subject of virginity for Iranians? - Are Iranian parents ok with Iranian kids living with their boyfriends/girlfriends? - How do I fake being a virgin? - Should you introduce your boyfriend/girlfriend to your Iranian family? - Is being Jewish-Iranian doubly complicated when dating? - How long should you wait before proposing to an Iranian? - How is the economic situation in Iran affected social gatherings? - Lastly, which Middle-Eastern community has the most complicated dating rituals? Photo credit: photo of an old Iranian car advert, adapted by Ask An Iranian, please don’t use without permission — be “bā shakhsiat” please. All of the Ask An Iranian podcast covers are available as NFTs (https://askaniranian.com/nft) Music credit: “Mahvash, Parivash”, Jalal Hemmati Visit https://askaniranian.com and to buy merchs go to https://askaniranian.com/shop

What have we done?! That's a great question —you're a curious one, aren't you? Allow us to explain. So we did a prequel show —but didn't know that it would be a prequel while making it. We'd scheduled a recording with the American-based Persian Girl Podcast (https://persiangirlpodcast.com) at 2am Iran-time, but they were a little delayed. The more industrious of the Ask An Iranian duo decided that the unknown amount of delay should use to create content. The other one of the Ask An Iranian duo—not fully realizing what he'd be signing up for—reflexively hit record. This show is the result — for the most part. Also, for the most part, we try and answer the question, "what does Tehran sound like at 2:22am?", but we deviate a lot. Don't say you weren't warned. This show is unedited — kinda. We haven't cut the original recording, but we have redacted some parts, because... reasons. You might very well complain that we didn't redact enough, because... singing. Music credit: Bensound - The Elevator Bossa Nova. Picture credit: Majid Hujiloo. Visit https://askaniranian.com and to buy merchs go to https://askaniranian.com/shop

In the episode 14 of Ask An Iranian podcast, we were delighted to be joined by Mr Yoshioka, a Japanese expat currently living and working in Iran. Against his better judgement, we wanted to sit, eat Iranian-made sushi, and chat about his experience of living and working in Iran. Music credits: “Ask An Iranian Outro”, The Devildog |“Cherry Blossom”, Ancient traditional samurai koto music. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK2D1zv7TVw) We kind of deal with the following questions: - What do Japanese people think of Iran and Iranians? - Are there Japanese restaurants in Iran? - What types of sushi do Japanese people normally eat? - What do the names for different types of sushi, such as 'maki', 'hoso', 'nigiri' and 'sashimi' translate as? - Which restaurant makes the best sushi in Tehran, Iran? - How should I hold chopsticks? - How much soy sauce is too much soy sauce? - Which type of doogh (Iranian yoghurt drink) is better, fizzy or still? - What does Iranian mukbang (먹방) sound like? - What do Japanese people think about Iranian-made sushi? Music credits: “Ask An Iranian Outro”, The Devildog |“Cherry Blossom”, Ancient traditional samurai koto music. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK2D1zv7TVw) Photo credits: Photo credits: News Dog Media | Final frame photo by David Brooke Martin (https://unsplash.com/@dbmartin00) Visit https://askaniranian.com and to buy merchs go to https://askaniranian.com/shop

In the 12th episode of Ask An Iranian podcast, we are joined by the proprietor of one of Iran's long-standing cultural hotspots, deep in the heart of Tehran's flourishing downtown district. During it, we'll also be chatting about where to go on a first date in Iran. Café 78's owner, Mehrva, sat with us to discuss how Iran's café culture has come to dominate the social spheres, and how it has evolved throughout her 18-years of business. We also chat about the challenges of running a café in Iran and learn about why Iranian cafés often get temporarily shut down. During our discussion with Mehrva, we talk about how her café has been the starting point for relationships and why cafés are common places to go for a first date. So listen to learn about the uniqueness of Iranian café culture, or listen in if you are curious as to where to go for a first date in Iran. You can find Mehrva Arvin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mehrva1

In episode 10 of Ask An Iranian Podcast, we’re joined by the Tehran based, Iranian DJ and music producer, Aryo. He is one half of the drum and bass music group known as The DevilDog, which he formed with his partner, Arshia, back in 2017. We were honoured to have him sit with us and discuss subjects such as, whether the infamous underground dance music scene in Iran truly exists; how various forms of dance music is made available to Iranians; and the difficulties involved in being a DJ in the Islamic Republic of Iran. We get answers to these questions: - Is it true that there’s an underground dance music scene in Iran? - Which type of dance music is popular among the Iranian youth? - What type of people go to live dance music events in Iran? - How popular is drum and bass music in Iran? - Where the red lines are with live music events in Iran? - Is it safe to dance music in Iran? Music Credit: “Shayad Toei (ft. Crimson)” and “Messe Sag“, The DevilDog | “Mahvash, Parivash”, Jalal Hemmati Read more at: https://askaniranian.com

In this episode, we discuss the many peculiar Persian expressions using the word ‘dad’. Learn how to express frustration, how to be sarcastic and how to tell someone where to go when they’ve ticked you off. So, do Iranians have daddy issues or not, listen to find out. Buy t-shirts, mugs and stickers with similar Persian expressions from our shop: https://teespring.com/stores/askaniranian We also get answers to these questions… • What are the Persian words for Dad, Daddy and Father? • What Persian language phrases use the word Dad, Daddy and Father? • Is there a Persian word for “dude”? If we've missed something, be sure to let us know in the comments below.

In this episode, we’re joined by the creator of one of Iran’s most popular podcasts. Our guest, Farshad, set up the Persian language podcast, ‘Digesttt’, around two years ago and has been simply summarising societal matters ever since. Subjects of his show have ranged from Israel & Palestine, Feminism and Brexit. The monthly podcast recently passed a milestone of one million downloads, so we wanted to invite him on the show to discuss what’s involved in setting up a successful podcast in Iran. In this episode, we discuss popular Persian language podcasts, the Iranian podcast community, how podcasts have changed over time in Iran, and where the red lines are for podcast content made in Iran. In the episode, we get answers to… • What are the names of popular podcasts made in Iran? • What is the famous Iranian ‘Channel B’ podcast and who runs it? • How long does it take to make a podcast episode? • Is there an Iranian podcast community and if so, how is it? • How many Persian language podcasts are being made in Iran? • How have Persian podcasts evolved over time? • What percentage of Iranians listen to podcasts? • What platforms do Iranians use to listen to podcasts? • What Iranian companies are active in the Iranian podcast scene? • What type of podcast content is popular in Iran? • Where in the world are Persian language podcasts listened to? • What subjects should you avoid when making a podcast in Iran? • What should I consider before setting up a podcast? • How do I get sponsorship or donation for my podcast? • How long it will take before you give up podcasting? You can listen to the Digesttt podcast online via the website http://www.digesttt.com, or find the show on your preferred podcast provider. FAQs about the Persian language, Iranian podcasts: The answers to the following questions were made using information from our interview with Farshad of Digesttt podcast. What are the names of popular podcasts made in Iran? Channel B, Digesttt, Stringcast and Radio Joloon. – What is the famous Iranian ‘Channel B’ podcast and who runs it? Ali Bandari runs Channel B podcast, a Persian language podcast based in Iran. – How long does it take to make a podcast episode? The Digesttt podcast takes around a month to make each show. – Is there an Iranian podcast community and if so, how is it? Yes, there is a Persian language podcast community in Iran, and according to Farshad, there are over 500 available to listen to. – How many Persian language podcasts are being made in Iran? There are over 500 available as of mid-2020. – How have Persian podcasts evolved over time? There have been two main phases leading up to 2020. The first phase involved more cultural and intellectual podcast, with a second wave introducing general entertainment content. – What percentage of Iranians listen to podcasts? Around 1% of the Iranian population listen to podcasts as of mid-2020. – What platforms do Iranians use to listen to podcasts? Castbox, Podkadeh, Podbean and Apple Podcasts less so, due to Android having a larger user base in Iran. – What type of podcast content is popular in Iran? General entertainment content is the most popular category. – What Iranian companies are active with Persian language podcasts? Shenato, Namlik, Podkadeh and Fidibo are all Iranian companies involved with either creating or hosting podcasts. As of mid-2020, each of these companies has its own podcast app. – Where in the world are Persian language podcasts listened to? In the case of the Digesttt podcasts, it is mainly listened to in Iran, America, Canada, Germany and Australia (listed in order of listenership). Other Persian language countries such as Afghanistan and Tajikistan also have listenership. – How do I get sponsorship or donation for my podcast? Donations to help set up Iranian made podcasts can be handled via a platform called Hami. This site functions like Kickstarter.

What happened when 6,769.5 Iranians on Twitter answered a poll on whether they support Donald Trump or not? Listen to this episode to find out what happened when we put a poll together and posted it in response to a tweet by TheTweetOfGod, who seemed a little puzzled as to why Iranians would support the American president, Donald Trump. Also in this show: • What percentage of Iranians support Trump? • Which social media platforms are popular in Iran and why? • How do Iranians view social media even though it’s restricted for them? • Are there Twitter trolls helping influence the vote? • Who is TheTweetOfGod on Twitter? • What is TheTweetOfGod’s political opinion? • Does TheTweetOfGod have the ability to strike me down? • AND AN EPIC DISCLAIMER! Who is TheTweetOfGod? ‘TheTweetOfGod’ is His holiness, personified on Twitter, and although the person behind this begun by tweeting the type of tweets you’d expect of such a character, recently He’s become rather political. The heavens were seemingly shaking when He saw that an Iranian wearing a MAGA hat tweeted that she was an #IranianForTrump. His holiness somehow saw this as blasphemy and tweeted to Iranians that she is “…making you look really stupid”.