Traditional Food

I'm writing this from the Hilton. I've been battling some serious stomach issues. I'm officially scared to eat. I'm sure you are not interested in the details but suffice it to say that Immodium AD is my new best friend. :(

Last night I went out to dinner with our two new volunteers, Tim and Zahabu. Tim and his wife adopted 4 Ethiopian children after having 2 bio kids. Zahabu was adopted at age 11 along with her younger sister. We went to Habesha Restaurant on Bole Road, a place with traditional Ethiopian food and entertainment. We decided to take a mini bus which are a lot cheaper than regular taxis. They're small blue and white buses that seat about 10-12. They are hot and crowded and the b.o. is in full effect :) but they are cheap.

There are no specific bus stops, they just congregate in certain areas so you ask to find one that is going in your direction. We took one to Mexico Square and then got out to find another one going to Bole Road. Finding the second one proved more difficult as it was dusk and had begun to drizzle. We eventually found one which was actually very nice inside. We were happy to get out of the rain and were settling down in our seats when we decided to try to negotiate a price. Now for some perspective, the mini bus ride to Mexico Square (about the midway point) was about 6 birr for the three of us. Zahabu, fluent in Amharic, asked the price and he said it would be 100 birr! Tim immediately grabbed the door handle and we jumped out. He got down to 40 birr before all three of us were out, but it was still a crazy price. A few minutes later we found one. The price? 5 birr 20 for the three of us!

Habesha Restaurant was worth the hassle. It was tucked in behind a wall and down a tree lined path. We sat in the open air patio section which was beautifully decorated with assorted low wooden chair, some with colorful geometric patterned pillows and others with beautifully carved backs. There were large colorful baskets between the tables and artwork and fabric on the walls. Our table was just big enough for our large platter of food. We ordered doro wat (chicken -well one lonely chicken wing actually) in a spicy red sauce, gomon (spinach-but ours had lamb in it that I had to pick out as it was the only vegetable offered on a non-fasting day) and shiro wat (minced chickpeas in a sauce similar to the doro wat).
Before our food came the waitress brought over a small pewter picture filled with warm water and a bar of soap. We lathered our hands and she poured the water over them to clean them before our meal. Then she served one third of each dish onto a huge piece of injera and then gave each of us an additional roll of injera. Funny thing was she gave Z the dark kind and Tim and I (the Farenji) the lighter version. When we discovered this we requested the darker kind. It had a nuttier flavor and was more sour. I admit my American palate prefers the lighter version (and it took me a year to acquire a taste for that!) The food was very good and while we ate we could hear the live music playing in the interior part of the restaurant. When the lights went out it was so relaxing and romantic with the candlelight and the rain falling softly in the background. I will definitely go back next year even though this morning I had the most intense stomach cramping (etc) and pain. :( lol