After consulting family recipes and traditions, I held a number of interactive events that addressed the intersection of food and culture. “Do not open until 2021” focuses on Persian new year traditions and the practice of making Iranian pickled garlic (torshi-eh seer), known as Seven-Year Pickle because it is best eaten after being aged several years. I contrasted the traditional Iranian folk methods of pickling vegetables in large clay pots and aging them in cellars, with the more strict rules of Chicago health codes that prohibit commercial kitchens from canning because it is considered a risky food preparation process.
