Nature Boy

by Marjan 

As the Persian New Year approaches and nature prepares to welcome spring with it's boundless beauty of blossoms, fragrant enchanting scents of hyacinths, endless crisp blue skies, showers and radiant sun, I would like to share with you a story of my beloved Puya- 'the seeker'.

Puya is our Nature Boy. All of us at Savorychicks have enjoyed Puya's spirit as he blessed us for a very short time here on earth. Therefore, he is and will forever be a part of our Savorychicks family.
 


















I met Puya shortly after we started our blog in 2009. With the temptation of food, he initially enticed me to meet him for sushi.  On our first date, I was impressed with his passion for flavors which naturally complimented mine. His eyes would sparkle whenever his taste buds awakened. Puya was a fan of our site and also personally helped me explore new restaurants locally and around the world- some of which I wrote about: San Shi Go (his favorite Sushi restaurant in which we had our first date), House of Nanking and many more.

Some of my most memorable trips were taken with Puya, few of which I posted on this blog. He loved to travel and explore unique natural destinations such as Belize, or exquisite breath taking corners of the world such as the Amalfi Coast. He made every trip more adventurous, fun, and full of thrills. He was fearless in his travels and loved the blue sky, nature, people, and any body of water.  If there was a dark, uncharted river cave or deep blue hole in the crystal clear waters of  Belize, he enthusiastically explored it. Puya's exhilaration for sharing his experiences made me feel as if I had explored along with him. I could listen to him forever and be inspired with his dauntless spirit. Yet even simple walks on the beach, savoring coffee at our favorite locations, relishing a simple meal or walking any corner of the world while holding hands was an equally enriching experience for our souls.

My admiration for Puya was for his love of family and friends, nature, the 'underdog', and of course food.  We enjoyed cooking and eating together.  He always called himself my 'sues chef' as he loved my recipes and found exuberance patiently and meticulously helping me prepare them such as: tomatillo salsa, guacamole, tuna sandwich, eshkene , tamarind and tofu soup, dahl adds, and so many more. His sweet spirit in the kitchen with me made it a delight to cook together. Every second was a labor of love for both of us. My memories are vivid and clear, because his energy around me was immensely filled with jovial love. His passion for food was nurtured by his mother, Mahnaz, who found deep joy cooking for Puya all of his favorite foods.  He often asked her to make some of our favorite Persian dishes, such as tahcheen, kotlett, and ghormeh sabzee. To this day, I firmly believe Mahnaz makes these three dishes better than anyone I know! I love her cooking as much as Puya and know she inspired the origin of his fine palate. He used to tell me he loved my lasagna just as much as his mother's. Later on, I discovered we used the same recipe from the same cook book! One of our Savorychick's recipe's came from Mahnaz- pomegranate jello. The pictures were taken by Puya and he was thrilled that I was sharing her unique recipe with our readers.

Puya was my teacher in many ways.  From the first moment we met, I fell in love with his 'divine spirit'. As our precious time together evolved, he inspired me to seek and explore, to experience beyond my five senses, to understand that the truth requires removing filters, to be an advocate of the truth, and allow my imagination to travel beyond the moon, stars, sun and galaxies. Since we met, sunsets have become more magnificent, the moon appears so much bigger and brighter, and the stars dazzle my soul with deep, profound mystery and meaning. Puya respected the laws of nature and had much regard for his Persian heritage. Therefore, as the first day of Spring approaches, a New Year begins, and thus a new life must unfold.

Thank you for allowing me to share my love and admiration of Puya with you. I find it difficult to grasp the right words to convey his essence and spirit for you. Puya was the coolest, most sincere, trusting, smartest, non-conformist, passionate, adventurous, fun loving, enthusiastic, advocate of the less fortunate, gentle, loving man I have ever known. He made the world a better place by his presence. More importantly he loved! He opened my heart and allowed my feelings to soar to the highest mountain top and grow deep as the ocean waters that inhaled his last breath while surfing. Yes, he loved nature and always wished his last days on earth would be doing all the things that brought him joy such as skiing or surfing. He is my Nature Boy...one of my favorite songs from Nat King Cole:

There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far
Very far, over land and sea

A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he

And then one day, a magic day
He passed my way, and while we spoke
Of many things, fools and kings
This he said to me

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return."

 Thank you, Puya, for planting the seeds of love in my heart as they will continue to bloom every Spring and be nurtured all the remaining days of the year. Every corner of my world reminds me of the fragrance of our love, every song tugs on my heart more deeply, all the colors of the rainbow remind me that my limitations of perception are a mere glance of the spectrum of hues perceived by the naked eye, and every meal will remind me of the enthusiasm we shared at the sacred moment of each bite!

Dear readers, may this spring and New Year fill your heart with all the joy, love, health, and natural wonders of our beautiful earth. I hope these words have inspired you to live yours to the fullest and love. May you be blessed with a soul as lovely as Puya in your life.

Surf the galaxies and beyond Silver Surfer!

Happy Norooz!