Final answer:
The irony in Mr. Pirzada dining with the narrative family in Jhumpa Lahiri's story lies in him being a foreigner who, contrary to expectations, forms a close bond with the family. This underscores themes of cross-cultural connections and breaking down stereotypes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question you're asking refers to a story from Interpreter of Maladies, a collection of short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri. In the story, it is ironic or unexpected that Mr. Pirzada comes to dine with the narrative family because c) He is a foreigner.
What underlies this irony is that despite being from another country, he forms a close and meaningful relationship with the family, which goes against the usual expectations one might have of someone from a different cultural background.
Notably, he is not an enemy of the family nor a vegetarian, and while he may not have started as a close friend, his relationship with them deepens over time.
Such irony plays into the theme of cross-cultural understanding and relationship building, going beyond the stereotypes that might otherwise define interactions with people from different backgrounds, such as the one-dimensional view of Fide's family as solely characterized by their poverty.