How to get a date in Iran

Don’t you hate it when people say, “you haven’t had a … until you’ve …”?

I do. But I’m in southern Iran in the date capital of the country, just as the fruit is so ripe it’s sliding off the trees, so:

You haven’t really had a date until you’ve stood in Bam’s dry, midafternoon heat and picked the hot, crinkly bodies from the palm, the oozy juice finding its way into your arms, face and, somehow, legs.