Podcasts by Ask An Iranian

Is it safe to visit Iran? from 2023-10-03T08:25:01

You have lots of questions about Iran, we know! One of which—maybe the third—is likely to be, “Is it safe to visit Iran?”. If you ask us, we’d say yes. If you ask your Home Office, they’d say no...

Baba, why did you circumcise me? from 2022-06-23T21:38:16

We put it out to our Iranian audience. We asked them if they prefer their men cut, i.e. circumcised. They mostly preferred it. We also asked...

How deep will an Iranian uncle’s love go? from 2022-02-14T18:01:32

You might have uncles, and you might have aunties. Iranians, however, have uncles, and they have uncles, and they have non-uncle uncles. This is because the titles given, differ, depending on th...

WTF are NFTs and why are Iranian artists into them? from 2022-01-06T13:53

[NOTE OF WARNING: please read below before setting up an account for NFTs.]

How much is a really good replica of a Mona Lisa worth? It might only be worthy of wiping your rear with — w...

What’s it like being Christian in a Muslim nation? from 2021-12-24T10:20:21

Jesus Christ! We love him! Muslims love him! He’s one of the prophets that we Muslims recognise. In fact, in the Quran, he gets mentioned by name 25 times, making him the most mentioned person i...

Are all Iranian men mummy’s boys? from 2021-11-26T16:05:46

In Iran we don't refer to somebody as the special child of a family — we refer to them as the golden willy. And, we think that's cute, if not a little sexist. Fret not though dear sisters, becau...

What MUST you do in Iran? from 2021-11-08T14:32

No, this isn't about tourist stuff — no, no, this one is about what you're kinda forced to do in Iran. And yes, you'd be forgiven for thinking that a list of what you must do in Iran would be lo...

Farsi or Persian — who’s wrong? from 2021-10-24T12:30

You might say you speak German, French, or Swahili, but you never say you speak Deutsch, Français, or Kiswahili. This is the logic behind people saying they speak Persian—when saying it in Engli...

What is the most Iranian thing? from 2021-09-08T07:00

The Americans have obesity, the French have snobbery and the Saudis have hacksaws, but what is the most Iranian thing? To help figure this one out, we called on the help of our audience, and the...

Fingilish, or is it Pingilish? from 2021-08-22T13:33:47

You make sounds — mouth sounds. You make them with intention because you probably want to ask your Pilates instructor if you can swap Tuesdays for Mondays. Other peoples do this, but with differ...

Why do Iranians think we’re better than them? from 2021-08-01T16:12:14

To Iranians, ze Germans are foreign, but ze Chinese… well, they're just Chinese! It’s the same with many other nationalities and ethnicities for Iranians in Iran — some are foreign and some are ...

How much do Iranians tip? from 2021-07-02T09:00

You do it. We do it. Even educated Iranian PhDs do it. Let's do it. Let's show a little extra gratitude. So yes, Iranians do have a culture of tipping, but there are differences. Now, where, whe...

Why bother? from 2021-06-24T00:00

We want your questions, BUT... not those questions! No, we're not talking about the ones where we get asked about where men can meet men in Iran. No, no, it's that one question that we ...

What do Iranians vote for? from 2021-06-17T19:39:16

Yes, Iran has a functioning democracy, and no, this episode won't help you fully understand its complex structure. We can, however, help you understand that its structure has a presidential role...

What doesn’t happen at Iranian birthday parties? from 2021-06-08T01:59

Birthdays happen to the best of us, and Iranians are no exception. To make things worse, these yearly occurrences won't just happen once a year — no, no... Think about it, there are many Iranian...

Can women play football…in Iran? from 2021-05-31T07:00

In 2005 our guest, Katayoun Khosrowyar, arrived in Iran, fresh-off-the-boat and completely unaware of how her visit would change the direction o...

Are All Iranians Hairy? from 2021-05-25T19:35

An inquisitive English lady by the name of Lucy got in touch with us, hoping to settle a question that has been on her mind. She lives on an artis...

Flight stories…what’s Iran got? from 2021-05-19T03:30

What better way to derive stories than to surround yourself with unfamiliar people, in an unfamiliar place, and with unfamiliar expectations. One specific way in which you can do this is to simp...

No? from 2021-05-05T07:33:30

Iranians are not ones for saying no, but occasionally when they do say no, they don't actually say no. Having said that, they will either be polite with you while not saying no or will be impoli...

How do I propose to an Iranian girl? from 2021-04-29T10:49:05

This is Amir, minutes after proposing to the girl that's grabbing his face. She said yes, and the day after, Amir went to her parent's house to do it as it should be done in Iran. Don't be Amir ...

Which Iranian national anthem is which? from 2021-04-20T05:01:35

The most fun part of any Olympics is when the medals are given and you get to experience the differences between national anthems. Unfortunately, you'll be listening to the American, Chinese and...

How do I“fakefast”? from 2021-04-13T06:52

Even the world's fastest-growing religion occasionally needs to take a break. Yes, each year it takes a month-long break and fills ...

Norooz, Norouz, Nowruz? from 2021-04-05T06:53:07

Time—it has been said—is a concept, by which we measure our pain. We're gonna say it again... time... is a concept... by which we measure... our pain. Now, let's take that concept (with its acco...

Why do Iranians blackface? (feat. Tehran Von Ghasri) from 2021-03-28T14:29:28

Colour plays an important role in the social hierarchy, and it's important that everyone knows their place. Such social constructs play an important part in elevating the important people above ...

Why do Iranians“hamash”code-switch? from 2021-03-04T21:22:34

There are languages you know you speak, and there are bits of other languages that you don't know you speak. New concepts arrive; those concepts get coined, and as and when they get used elsewhe...

How do I“hodl”Bitcoin in Iran? from 2021-02-23T16:15:54

It was Voltaire that once said, "paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value: zero". The US dollar is getting close in t...

What $#!± should I not say in Persian? from 2021-02-17T09:45:58

What are the first words you learn when learning another language? It's always the same of course! You learn how to ask if the meat is halal, if the toilets have a botty-hose, and of course, the...

[redacted] in Iran? from 2021-02-09T22:51:32

You're a curious one, aren't you! You're not alone though, you are most likely a human, which means you think things like, "what happens if I put an effervescent tablet in sparkling water?". The...

What are the weirdest Iranian names? from 2021-02-02T22:58:51

What is the sweetest, most important sound in any language, and why does it have so many variations? Well, according to Listen

What’s the deal with Iran? from 2021-01-25T16:14:54

Are you bored with the long-running spat between Iran and everyone? Us neither! It's so long-running that academia has kinda coined a word for it. Yes, don't be surprised if you later find out t...

Do Iranians do it louder? from 2021-01-18T14:41:03

It goes without saying that Iranians invented pretty much everything, ever! So it shouldn't come as a surprise that the two-handed finger-snap is better known as the Iranian finger-snap. This me...

Persians vs. Iranians…who wins? from 2021-01-12T18:14:18

What somebody identifies as has been all the rage in recent years, but like nearly everything—ever!—Iranians did it first. Since 1935, when Iran ceased to officially be Persia, Iranians have bee...

How much English can Iranians e’speak? from 2021-01-05T11:56:07

Unfortunately, you don't yet have a Universal Translator, and most likely, you don't have 200 years to wait for one. You do, howe...

What do Iranians think of America? from 2020-12-28T13:34:23

There's beef; there's a whole lot of beef; and there's a meat-feast, at a carvery, on a Sunday, at the Annual Cannibal Conference, level of beef. This is the level of beef that we've arrived at ...

What went right in 2020? from 2020-12-22T21:44:40

We're "glass-half-full" kinda people, which is why we never look at an empty pistachio shell with a frown. No, no! There are many applications for an empty pistachio shell, and we're sure that w...

Should I spend the night with a Persian poet? from 2020-12-14T19:04:52

Each year, Light conquers Dark. It's not even a competition! Light is truly a bad-ass battler, and Dark's heart is really never in it. It's for this reason that the bookies will never give you g...

How do I avoid a hard Irexit? from 2020-12-07T21:45:08

You say hello, and we Iranians say goodbye, goodbye, and goodbye. It is an almost ritualistic ending to any gathering and is a practice that you should definitely know about. In this episode we ...

What does Tehran taste like? from 2020-11-30T14:40:42

Catering to 8.5m Tehran residents with increased exposure to, and an increased expectation for international dishes is tough. Although tough, it's also been one of the reasons behind the capital...

How do I sweet-talk an Iranian? from 2020-11-23T14:19:43

Words of affection, for Iranians, will flow out like endless rain into a paper cup. In fact, the Iranian universe is positively overflowing with them — so much so that even the Iranians can't ke...

Taxi stories…what’s Tehran got? from 2020-11-16T00:46:46

Taxi trips are more than just a means of getting from A to B — they are about the experiences on the journey. Taxi trips in Iran however, are somewhat similar and somehow different. On a taxi jo...

How do I move to Iran? from 2020-11-09T22:14:17

A question that has likely crossed your mind this week is, whether you should move to Iran or not. Well, you're not alone. To help those wrestling with this decision we brought in Katya, the wom...

Are Iranians funny? from 2020-11-02T15:46:42

As is said in Persian, "Iranians worship strangers", and therefore lavishing them with nuts and tea is a standard. To take it to the next stage however, Iranians need to bring out the compliment...

What animal will lead the US? from 2020-10-26T15:12:55

You know how you sometimes look at a person and think, naked mole rat? Well, this episode is kinda mostly about those kinda moments. These moments seem to exist because we, as humans, can't help...

Are Iranian girls players? from 2020-10-18T23:33:21

So, we recently learned that you can make a living, sitting on your behind and shooting at virtual characters... even in Iran. To help us get out heads around this, we chatted with 'Yeggiz', an ...

Am I also expected to die for an Iranian? from 2020-10-12T11:04:21

Those of you with Iranian friends might have had that moment. You know, the moment when your friend casually suggests that they'll sacrifice him or herself for you. It could have come in respons...

What the f_@k is with that music? from 2020-10-05T08:11:09

Most of you love it, and a few of you absolutely hate it. We know this because you've begged us to change it. We're talking about the intro music to our show<...

Do Iranians live in a different time? from 2020-09-28T07:30:43

Nothing about how Iranians perceive time correlates with universally understood principles. Regardless of whether it's years, calendar events in the year, months, weeks, days, or even moments, I...

What should I know before dating a Persian girl? from 2020-09-21T14:08:46

You asked for it, we done did it. We joined forces with the Persian Girl Podcast to discuss the expectations and complications with da...

What does Tehran sound like at 2:22am? from 2020-09-14T10:35:20

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 sche...

What does Tehran sound like at 2:22am? from 2020-09-14T10:35:20

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 ...

What do Japanese people think of Iranian-made sushi? from 2020-09-07T13:00:37

In this episode, 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...

How do I spot the Iranians in the room? from 2020-08-31T13:57:02

In this episode, we try to equip you with the knowledge needed to help you understand whether you're talking to an Iranian or not. Iranians may hide among you, they may appear wearing your natio...

Where do I go for a first date in Iran? from 2020-08-24T12:36:25

In this episode, 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 ...

Why won’t Iranians take my money? from 2020-08-17T09:00:48

In this episode, we discuss the peculiar Iranian practice of wanting to give you anything and everything for free... until they don't. We help you understand when it happens, why it happens and ...

Is there an underground dance music scene in Iran? from 2020-08-10T13:00

In this episode, 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, A...

Do Iranians have daddy issues? from 2020-08-02T09:00

In this episode, we discuss the many peculiar Persian expressions using the word 'dad'. Listen in to learn how to express frustration, how to be sarcastic and how to tell someone where ...

How do I make a successful podcast in Iran? from 2020-07-26T08:00

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...

Who are the most famous Iranians? from 2020-07-18T17:25:36

There are many lists of top famous Iranians available online, but we decided to tackle this matter differently. In this ep...

Why is all Iranian bread flat? from 2020-07-10T20:00

In this episode, we are joined by an Iranian chef, Shahriar of Shahriar's Kitchen. He helps us answer a question from one of our listene...

Why do Iranians support Trump? from 2020-07-05T20:00

In this episode, we discuss what happened when 6,769.5 Iranians on Twitter, answered a poll on whether they support Listen

Why do Iranians think I am tired all of the time? from 2020-07-01T10:00

In this episode, we discuss an odd question by Karen, who we suspect has Iranian friends that keep telling her, "don't be tired". This is the translation of the term, "khaste nabashi", ...

What souvenirs should I bring for my Iranian friends? from 2020-06-26T09:23:33

In this episode, we do our very best to answer a question by Murat, who seems to know how important it is to bring Iranians souvenirs.

Listen

Why can’t Iranians get through doors? from 2020-06-21T18:00

In our second episode, we answer a question submitted by James — who we imagine knows exactly how the door stand-off goes between Iranians.

James is referring to the Iranian social pro...

What’s the best way to greet an Iranian? from 2020-06-16T13:52:09

Listen to our first show, and learn how you can best greet an Iranian. During this first ever episode of Ask An Iranian we tell you when to shake hands and how to say hello in Persian.