Ethiopian Shopping and Food

Shopping in Ethiopia is limited, but what you can get is bright, beautiful and versatile. The scarves and cotton in Ethiopia are unique and bold, which makes it irresistible to pass up. One is never enough.

Did you know that the Rasatari Movement all began in Ethiopia? The Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie I, was considered a reincarnation of Jesus. As a result, there was a movement that took place in Jamaica to support this belief. In addition to this, if you are a true follower of Rasta, you smoke weed. This is considered a sacrament for the soul. How many teenagers would quickly convert on that principle alone?

My handsome man amongst all the overpriced African junk a tourist could want.

If the trip didn't go as well as planed, I could have come home in a fancy casket. Luckily, all was well and I have a photo to share with the mortuary when my day finally comes.

The spoils of our trip modeled by my sweet children. They made quite the entrance to church this Friday. I believe Sedona wore her dress for at least 4 days straight.

FOOD

Ethiopian food is incredibly unique. I honestly can't think of a similar food out there. It has such a distinct, different taste that it is hard to liken it to any other culture. Injera is served every day, all day long. It is a flatbread that is spongy and sour. It has a vinegary acidic flavor, which is definitely an acquired taste. The Ethiopian people are true to their food and don't deviate much from that. I don't think you can buy another type of food in all of Ethiopia. It is injera on the bottom, injera on the side, topped off with a little more injera.

I was skeptical at first about the food. It may have been that it was served with a raw meat dish that is typically eaten with the injera. It didn't do much for me, but Axel was sold. The 'wat' (stew) that you eat with it was delicious though. I grew to like all of it. The whole meal came with a nasty orange drink that tasted twice as bad as any horrible tasting cough syrup that you have ever choked down. Rarely do I spit anything out, but that drink was just not my friend. I later found out it was because it was basically highly concentrated alcohol. Glad to know my taste buds are still working.

Ethiopia is also well known for its coffee. From what I understand, it is one of the best producers of coffee in the world. This was evident with all the peudo-Starbucks shops throughout Addis. Even the inside of the coffee shop was trying very hard to convince you that it could just try to take over the Seattle giant. Maybe.

Our favorite night in Addis was at a cultural center where they served you injera with all sorts of different shades of poop dishes. Poop looking or not, it was delicious. There was also plenty of African cultural dancing to keep you from remembering that the beef was not cooked and there are still starving people in Africa.

Sitting with a few less dollars in our pocket, a bag full of clothes and scarves, and a full belly. Two very happy tourist!