Yod Abyssinia...

I was waiting outside of The Sub-Saharan Informer in downtown Addis Ababa (by the way, Ababa means "flower" in Amharic) and this young man and his flock walked by on their way to the market. What I liked best was his "goat scarf" which he had around his neck.

A couple of nights before I left, the Capital staff and Tabotu Michael took me out to Yod Abyssinia, a traditional Ethiopian restaurant so I could enjoy more delightfully tasty local foods but more importantly, so I could get a feel for Ethiopian dance, music and dress of the other regions of the country.

The dancers and their body parts moved in ways I did not know one's neck, chest, arms, shoulders and more could move.

This is our group, seated around a table and we all ate off the same tray. Teguest, the GM at Capital is to your far left; I am seated next to Tabotu, the IREX woman who kept everything working smoothly; Eniyat, third from your right is the Advertising/Marketing manager; Seble, the finance manager is next and then, Salomon, the operations manager is to your right. I am missing Groum from this photo...he is the deputy editor and a delightfully funny young man.

This is the platter that fed us all.
There are about 10 different dishes placed on this tray along with spices and the rolled up pieces are injera bread which one tears apart and unroll as you eat. Very messy. Very tasty. And very fun. Everyone just reaches in, tears a piece of bread off, dips in cheese, spices and then grabs up a tiny portion and pops the food directly into their mouth. Only I used napkins and tried to clean my fingers after each bite. They use one hand, their right, and just eat til finished. One washes one's hands both before beginning to eat and right after. Love it.