[Ṣāliḥ:] Dadam quruq non bo‘laklarini olib, ularni changidan tozalab, idishga solib, ustiga bir oz suv quyib yumshatganini eslayman. So‘ng ularni tuz bilan yeyardi.

[Ṣāliḥ:] I remember seeing my father take dry crusts of bread, dust them off, put them in a dish, and pour some water over them to soften them. Then he’d eat them with salt.

Men hech qachon uning anor, behi yoki boshqa biror mevani sotib olganini ko‘rmaganman, faqat qovunni, uni non bilan yeyardi, shuningdek uzum yoki xurmoni, bundan boshqasini emas. Ba’zan odamlar uning uchun pechda taomlar tayyorlashardi. U loviya, yog‘ va Shihriz xurmosini loy qozonga solardi va bolalar uchun alohida idish ajratib qo‘yardi. U ularni chaqirib, idishni ularning oldiga qo‘yardi, lekin ular kulishardi va undan hech narsa yeyishni istamasdilar. U ko‘pincha nonini sirkaga botirib yerdi. Ular unga bir dirhamlik yog‘ sotib olib berishardi, va u bir oygacha yetardi.

I never saw him buy pomegranates, quinces, or any other fruit except for melons, which he’d eat with bread, and grapes or dates, but that’s all. Sometimes people would prepare dishes for him in the oven. He’d put lentils, suet, and Shihrīz dates into a clay pot, and set aside a dish for the children. He would call them and put the dish in front of them, but they would laugh and refuse to eat any of it. He’d often dip his bread in vinegar. They could buy him a dirham’s worth of suet and it would last him a month.