Scholars Reviewing My Work.
From the left, Dr. Brad Hafford, Dr. Salvatore Gaspa, and Dr. Simo Parpola.
Table of Gods is not an academic book. I wouldn’t even call it a history book. But it is a book about history. Thus, I consider it crucial to have the best scholars in the world (on the topics I write about) review my manuscript with critical eyes.
Some of the scholars who’ve read parts of my manuscript so far include Dr. Brad Hafford from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Hafford is a field archaeologist who shares some of his work on his YouTube channel, which I highly recommend.
Dr. Salvatore Gaspa from the University of Padova. Dr. Gaspa is a leading expert on ancient Assyrian food and has written several papers on the subject.
Dr. Simo Parpola from the University of Helsinki. Dr. Parpola is best described as a living legend for his contributions within the field of Assyriology. Despite being 80, he’s as sharp as ever. After reading my manuscript, he wrote:
“Dear Arim, I’ve read your text paying careful attention especially to its historical details. I’m glad to tell you that for the most part these are correct and credible, and I truly appreciate the enormous reading that must lie behind your lively, gripping and seemingly effortless text. In a few cases, however, where you have resorted to your imagination, there are mistakes that need to be corrected.”
“Your pride in Assyria’s great past shines through everywhere, and you popularize it wonderfully. I believe that with your and your family’s efforts you have succeeded in resurrecting the ancient recipes, and I hope your book will have many readers.”
Recipes 2.0
A few months back we sent our recipes to 300 people from all over the world. Our goal was to have every recipe in the book tested by at least three people. Most recipes ended up having five to six testers and many over ten.
We’re now working with a selected group of chefs, food scientists, and food enthusiasts to perfect the most complicated recipes in the book.
Photos from one of our recipe testers. Sumerian cake from Ur, circa 2095 BC. Assyrian dumplings from Kalhu, circa 879 BC.
Our recipes before the testing phase were version 1.0. After improving them based on all the feedback, they’re now version 2.0. And I’m so glad that recipes 2.0 is the version you’ll get in the final book. Speaking of the final book
7 Areas Left to Complete
I’ve lost count of how many times people have asked me, “When will Table of Gods be published?” It happens all the time. When I meet someone I haven’t seen for a while, or when I visit my mother-in-law (who probably asks to know when I’ll get a real job, haha).
After a long walking meeting with my sister Diala—who has been indispensable in this project—we concluded that we have seven areas left to tackle before Table of Gods can be published.
Every area has dozens of related tasks. Finding the right printing company, for example, is not as easy as it sounds. Especially when the final product is an art book with special paper. But from the perspective of the sky god Anu, this is what it looks like.
1. Manuscript (almost completed and soon ready to be sent to a story editor)
2. Recipes (almost completed and soon ready to be sent to a recipe editor)
3. Design (need to find a designer or design studio who will be responsible for the final cover, interior pages, book packaging, etc, etc.)
4. Printing company (need to find a printing company to partner with)
5. Fulfillment (need to find a reliable fulfillment center for shipping the books)
6. E-commerce (need an e-commerce solution on my website that’s integrated with the fulfillment centers)
7. Kickstarter (the final step where I will pre-sell the book and use the funds to print it
If everything goes as planned, the Kickstarter will happen in March/April 2025, and the book should be in your hands by the end of 2025.
Word of Mouth
I was afraid of pausing social media and YouTube last month. Both channels have grown a lot recently and are great for making people aware of Table of Gods. The purpose of pausing them was to narrow my focus on completing the manuscript, which I know my future self will thank me for.
But I was shocked to see that our followers continued to grow on all platforms in June. I think it’s because of a term called word of mouth. People who know about Table of Gods tell others about it, who tell others about it, and so on.
If you want to help me, tell someone who loves history or food (or both) to join the waitlist at tableofgods.com