Quote 46
I didn't like to smoke. […] So I pretended to participate, but I never inhaled the smoke. (24.23, 24.26)
Marjane pulls a Bill Clinton with the whole I didn't inhale thing. She wants to fit in, but she doesn't want the side effects from it. What do you think her friends would do if she just refused to participate?
Quote 47
My uncle was the vintner. He had built a genuine wine-making lab in his basement. (14.19)
Making wine in a basement in Iran is like smuggling liquor into the U.S. during Prohibition. The consequences of being caught would be severe. But what kind of party would it be without wine? The government doesn't allow people to party anyway, so you might as well add forbidden wine to the mix.