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August 4

General Zahidi's unpleasant personal habits

In Maclean, Fitzroy (1949). "A Passage to Persia". Eastern Approaches (First ed.). London: Jonathan Cape. p. 267. Maclean is in Isfahan, discussing the kidnapping of General Zahidi with the British consul, John Gault. Zahidi was, according to Gault, "though pleasant to meet ... a really bad lot: a bitter enemy of the Allies, a man of unpleasant personal habits, and, by virtue of his grain-hoarding activities, a source of popular discontent and an obstacle to efficient administration of South Persia". What were those unpleasant personal habits? Thank you, DuncanHill (talk) 01:57, 4 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I found plenty of references to that quote, but no further elucidation. Perhaps his habits were too unpleasant to describe? Alansplodge (talk) 16:42, 4 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps the General had the habit of adding milk after pouring tea in a cup, instead of the sole acceptable way, pouring the milk into a teacup before pouring in the tea. --Lambiam 21:24, 4 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Or worse, he probably didn't even warm the pot. Maybe he passed the port in the wrong direction, or (quelle horreur), was given to taking the nose of the Stilton. Alansplodge (talk) 21:41, 4 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The article itself mentions Maclean finding ". . . a good deal of silk underwear, some opium, an illustrated register of the prostitutes of Isfahan . . ." in Zahidi's bedroom. These might be clues to (some of?) the "unpleasant personal habits" that Maclean (and presumably others) were aware of. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.122.62.68 (talk) 18:36, 5 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]