Everything needs to smell like lemons, OK?

"You greeted the guy across the aisle, you invited him for a bite of potato bolani or a little quabuli, and you chatted. You offered  tassali, condolences, for the death of a parent, congratulated the birth of children, and shook your head mournfully when the conversation turned to Afghanistan and the Roussis - which it inevitably did." pg. 138

This quote, to me, goes beyond mere dialect or style. It's a crucial description of an important routine of, it seems many, Afghan immigrants. What really spices this and the rest of the story up is the constant bombardment of Farsi words. Who knew I'd ever learn how to say thank you in Farsi? The constant repetition of familiar words such as thank you, naan, bread, and others make it seem more real, colloquial, but even deeper. It immerses the reader in Afghanistan. The Afghan way of life is very important to Amir and his people, so the local color of Afghans in Kabul and Afghans in California is quite prevalent. It makes me want to eat Mediterranean food.

Get me some naan up in hurr.