Ethiopian culture experience in Botswana

While my family was here Dereje got the chance to introduce them to some Ethiopian cuisine. Here in Botswana we don't really have any Ethiopian restaurants, but we do have some Ethiopian woman who cook food and sometimes set up some tables outside of their houses. Dereje and I often go to one woman's house to eat good Ethiopian food when we're in Gaborone – it's where we had our engagement party. So, when my family was here to visit we decided to organize a big Ethiopian dinner for everyone! Of course, whenever Dereje has an audience regarding Ethiopian food he tends to like to give a dissertation.(I think he does it so that the food has a little bit of time to cool and won't burn people's mouths…or maybe he just likes to show off the fact that he is a fantastic cook and can say a lot about the dishes!)

One tradition from Ethiopia is that everyone must have their hands washed before the meal.

Ana became a quick pro at this…and even suggested to her mother that they should do this at home by promptly squawking when it was the next person's turn to wash their hands.

Of course, everyone loved the food and I happen to think that even the grown-ups loved that they had an excuse to eat with their hands!

Another Ethiopian culture that my family got to experience is a coffee ceremony. The coffee ceremony starts by cooking the green coffee beans until they are very rich and tasty and then brewing them into a coffee. This is all done while incense is being burned which mixes with the smell of the coffee to make the most amazing scents.

Dereje and I loved the chance to share his culture with my family and we loved showing them some of the places that we really like to go to.