That's America in a nutshell, right there," he said. "You can come from anywhere, but if you can barbecue a rib, you're all set
But I think America in a nutshell comes at the end of the story:
He started cooking the way his mentor, Earl, back at that dive of a restaurant in Tennessee, taught him. He delights in the fact that a black man from Tennessee took the time to teach an Iranian college student the secrets of Southern barbecue. And he remembered another lesson he learned from Earl. "He taught me to be yourself, be true to yourself, don't cheat yourself," he said. "He would joke around with customers, and he always did what was right."
