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Ethiopian Exchange

My time at the Ethiopia restaurant in the East Riverside part of New Orleans, Lousiana was something that was memorable. My favorite thing about my time there was not the cuisine itself; it was the fact that we all ordered something different and shared it amongst ourselves. It is a fact that Ethiopian meals are never eaten alone but always shared with other people. Also, Ethiopians only eat with their right hands and wrap food in a piece of grain (called injera). Utensils are not a prominent part of the meal, but eating with the hands is.

My group collaborated on the different foods everyone would want to try since we would be sharing it together. I, in particular, cannot tolerate a lot of spices, so I asked for us to not get many spicy foods. I can say that there was only one spicy part of the platter, so I was able to eat most of it.

Our food was brought out to us on a silver, circular platter with our foods on top of a piece of circular injera. More rolled up injera came in a basket for all of us to unfold and begin eating with. I ordered the Derek Tibs, and I can say that that was a great first impression to Ethiopian food. To my surprise, the lamb was sweet. I was expecting there to be a firmer and saltier texture to it, but it turned out pretty sweet. There was one food item that had a mushy texture to it and tasted like broccoli. I liked how smooth this food was because I would honestly rather eat that than regular broccoli.

I had a full tummy pretty quickly, but my friends kept devouring the huge plateful of food. I was surprised at how much they could eat, but when food is delicious, it is hard to stop. While we ate, we enjoyed background music of the Amharic language. I could tell that the culture is different from the American way of life not only by the food and how to eat it, but also how the people danced in the music videos and how they were being represented. Each culture has its expression, so it was enjoyable to watch their movements and actions on the screen.

I am surprised that I have never heard about the culture of Ethiopia before, but I am glad I learned about something so interesting and different. I would like to try more Ethiopian food sometime in my life and order something that none of us ordered at the restaurant that day. I had no idea how I would like the Derek Tibs when I ordered it, but it turned out to be very delicious and appealing to me. I would do it again with a different option if I could, but unfortunately, New Orleans is so far from me.

Ethiopia culture itself fascinates me. it is one of those cultures in which I feel as if I am in a dream because of how creative and beautiful it is. It is a culture in which I would love to visit in person and learn more about. I do not think I will learn the language in this lifetime, but I would just love to experience it beyond the food in order to learn more about it.