true. I definitely got my giant forehead from mom.

Kids of Persian Jews at that time in Los Angeles had interesting experiences. Usually priveleged, since they had to have money to escape Iran at the time. Americanized because their parents wanted them to be - hence all American names. Usually pushed to become dentists, doctors, etc.

And as you noted, while pushed to adopt American culture by their parents -- at the same time they were not allowed to date outside the Jewish Persian circle or they risk being outcast by the large family and ties to wherever the money was.

I knew a lot of them growing up.

The ones with only one Persian Jew parent, like Lisa here, were even more Americanized. Pretty rare actually to have just a Persian mom - it was usually the dads to find themselves non-Persian wives, not the moms. Maybe mom's independent spirit is what drove Lisa to be such a self-aggrandizing, adulterous traitor.