Hospitality

One day, one of my guests asked me, "Tamana, where do you get your sense of hospitality? What made you decide to welcome strangers under your roof with such generosity?"

I was both very flattered and surprised by this question. Naturally, I replied, "Why? You wouldn't do the same?"

"No, I wouldn't dare receive, in my own home, with such ease and generosity, people I don't know!"

Since that day, I have been thinking about this issue constantly and I would like to share some of my thoughts with you. A question that seems trivial and yet...!

Let's go back to where I came from. I was born in Iran where I spent the first nine years of my life.

In 1977, my parents decided, for various reasons, to leave Iran and move to Belgium.

This wonderful country, which was once called Persia, is known and reputed for the kindness of its people, for their smiles, their friendly looks and for their mythical hospitality.

From my earliest childhood, I remember my parents regularly welcoming people into their home. Family, friends, friends of friends and even strangers... for tea, dinner, an overnight stay or even long stays.

The sense of friendliness and hospitality was passed on to me from the moment I was born and I can see that even today, despite their advanced age, my parents still take great pleasure in receiving people and preparing delicious dishes for them, the recipes for which only my mother knows!

There's a Persian proverb that says "guests are friends of God".

This is why most traditional Persian families used to keep the most beautiful and largest room of their home, called the "Mehman-Khaneh", clean and tidy in order to welcome their guests. This living room was sometimes also called "Shah Neshin", which means "the seat of the King"... that is how much importance was given to his guests. This tradition is still very much alive today and tourists traveling in today's Iran are a testament to this hospitality.

Various traditions from my roots seem to have shaped me ...and so much the better! I am very proud of this multiculturality that has nourished me throughout my life.

Among these, in addition to my desire to welcome and share my roof, Iranian cuisine and the personalization of recipes is one of the many passions I gladly share with my guests.

And then... I like the human race, I like to discover people and their history, their culture, their character. Each person is unique and has something to tell or share... an anecdote, a slice of life, an experience, a tradition, a smile, a look,...

Every time I meet, I get richer! O how much I grow richer!

So I say THANK YOU...

to Life!

to you reading me!

to all those who have already honoured the Villa Plagniau with their passage!

to my parents who passed on to me the sense of hospitality! THANK YOU