Mission Trip to Addis Ababa (Part 5 of 5)

Read my story from the beginning – Part 1; Part 2; Part 3, Part 4

On the final night of our visit, we took the Hope Center staff out to a nice dinner at a place that had traditional dance and live music. They don’t get to go out often, so this was a treat for them, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them talk and laugh together. I had no clue what anyone was saying because Amharic isn’t exactly easy to pick up in a week. At one point in the evening, an older lady began singing. The crowd went crazy, people were standing and cheering. A lady named Maritu Legesse was singing. In the states, this would be like you eating at a nice restaurant with live music, but then someone like Reba MacIntire, Stevie Nicks, or Aretha Franklin walking out. Everyone was sure excited!

They brought out giant platters of food, most of which I still have no idea what it was. Two of the dishes were similar to what we call beef tartar. So, if you don’t like raw meat, be careful what you eat! There is a tradition going back several generations for why they like to eat raw beef. I think it has something to do with not having fires as they were in battles with the Italians in the late 1800s. There was another dish sitting on our table called tibs which was on top of a fire. Tibs are basically fajitas, and these were fantastic. My favorite drink that I had at nearly all my meals was ambo which is similar to San Pelligrino or Perrier. I’m a pretty fancy guy which is why I ordered that, but you also can’t drink the tap water.

There is also a traditional coffee ceremony that is observed to welcome and honor guests. I got to participate in the coffee ceremony twice. It’s the process of roasting green coffee beans and then brewing them to drink in a special clay kettle before pouring them into small teacups. As a coffee aficionado, I loved every sip. I tried to drink as much coffee as I could because Ethiopia is considered the origin of coffee and I wanted to experience all that I could of it. Then again, I always try to drink as much coffee as I can, but I digress. I got to have the best espresso I’ve ever had in my life, and I think it cost about 90 cents. Yonas’ wife, Hana had one with me and she can attest to it, it was amazing. It’s also typical to serve popcorn with coffee. This was different for me, but the taste was complementary and delicious.

The food is an important part of every culture. I wish you could have seen the children’s eyes and heard their laughter when I scooped up a giant bite of porridge and injera. I did it wrong and it was hilarious to them. I’m not used to eating with my hands and so I got the proportion wrong. On another occasion some of the children tried to show me how to eat, but their lessons were futile because all it led to was food in my beard and their laughter. A five day trip is entirely too short. If I ever get to go again, I will plan several days to simply sit and drink coffee and talk as long as I can with these wonderful people.

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