Today, my daughter and I went out to lunch with my half-sister and her husband, who treated us. We met at an Ethiopian restaurant my sister had suggested. It was only the second time my daughter and I had eaten Ethiopian food. They had spicy meat and vegetable stews called "wat" which are served on a sourdough pancake-like unleavened flat bread. Traditionally, it is served on a big round platter, with everyone eating from the same platter, sharing the food, and it is meant to be eaten with ones fingers. One is supposed to break off a piece of the flat bread, wrap it around a portion of the wat so that the stew is in the middle of the piece of bread, and eat. Also, it is traditional for diners to feed each other as a gesture of affection. However, my sister insisted on individual platters and forks; the server brought the forks, rather reluctantly, offering to show us how the meal should be eaten. Sister declined, but I went ahead and ate with my fingers. Sri Lankan food is usually eaten with the fingers, too.
The restaurant was located in an area known as "Little Ethiopia" on a street that is lined with Ethiopian restaurants and stores for a couple of blocks. It was supposed to open at 11:00 a.m. and sister had suggested we got there at opening time to avoid crowds and get parking (street parking in downtown can be hard to find, although the restaurant's website said it offered complimentary valet parking). Sister was already there, when daughter and I got to the restaurant, a few minutes after 11:00 a.m. Sister was rather put out because the restaurant had not been open when she arrived at 11:00 a.m. and it was opened by the cook who heard the knock on the door because the wait staff hadn't arrived yet! We were, in fact, the first people there. The cook didn't speak a lot of English and she appealed to another lady, who came in to hand out some leaflets about an up-coming Ethiopian street festival; that lady helped out by taking our drinks orders, which was very nice of her. I guess it is best not to go to a small, ethnic restaurant as soon as they open!
But we spent a nice couple of hours visiting and having our lunch. Afterwards, daughter and I came home and I took a nap!
In the evening, daughter went out with two of her friends from school days; she's been friends with one girl since middle school and the other since high school. They went to the Japanese Town area to do karaoke and have dinner, although, she said they ate snacks at the bakery and didn't eat dinner as they weren't hungry.
While she was out, I did another load of laundry (the sofa dust sheets) and put different sheets on the sofas. Then, I put water to the back garden, did the dishes, called one of my friends to check on her, and spoke with my aunt who called.
I combed Dancer twice, today. The first time, I found two dead fleas. The second time, I didn't find anything. I'll comb him again, tomorrow.
Today, I am grateful for:
- A slightly cooler day (high of only 100F)
- Lunch out with sister and her husband
- Air conditioning in the bedroom
- Afternoon naps
- Daughter was able to go out with some of her friends
Tomorrow is Labor Day and a holiday in the United States. Daughter and I are planning to return to the clothing store to exchange the two tops that don't fit her and I want to go to the pet store for more flea spray and another bucket or two of cat litter. We might also go to the mall, if only because it is air conditioned!
How was your Sunday? Have you eaten Ethiopian food, before? Would you be willing to eat with your fingers if you were told that was how the food is eaten, traditionally? What are your plans for Labor Day?
I hope this means the fleas are gone!
ReplyDeleteI would have eaten with my fingers too. X
Jules, that's what I am hoping, too! We might still have them for another few days as any eggs hatch, so I need to keep my guard up and continue with the vacuuming and the laundry.
DeleteI'm glad to hear that you would have eaten with your fingers, too. :)
Your are bringing back faint memories of when I visited an Ethiopian restaurant with friends years ago. I think we used our hands.
ReplyDeleteI am visiting my mother for Labor Day. It's always good to see her.
I hope you have a lovely visit with your mother, Live and Learn, and find her in good health and good spirit. Have a safe journey there and back. Are you driving? Hope the roads won't be too congested.
DeleteThomas would love the Ethiopian and Sri Lankan way of eating Bless. He'd much rather use his fingers than a fork and as his Grandad used to say "leave him alone, fingers were made before forks", which is true.
ReplyDeleteWould I eat like that? Well, I wouldn't mind if it were immediate family and I'd made sure they'd all washed their hands but probably not if I were out with friends whose hygiene I wasn't in control of.
Sounds like you had a lovely time catching up with your half-sister and how kind of her husband to treat you. Enjoy the Labor Day holiday. xx
Thomas' grandfather was right! Fingers were made before forks! Sister pulled out a small bottle of hand sanitizer before we ate and passed it around, but, otherwise, I would have asked to wash my hands before I ate. It's all what one is comfortable with, I suppose.
DeleteIt was nice to catch up with my half-sister. She had been anxious to see my daughter since she hadn't seen her in about a year.
I think it would be fun to eat the way the food is eaten traditionally. I wonder why your sister was so adamant about using "western" utensils if your own national cuisine is also eaten with fingers? As for the opening time, I think I would have been slightly annoyed too, honestly. Why have business hours if you're not going to keep them? But maybe it's not in the Ethiopian culture to be on time? French people tend to not be on time either on the whole. When I was a tour guide at Disney giving tours to large groups of French journalists (pre EuroDisney grand opening), I'd always give them a meeting time of 30 minutes prior to the time when I really needed them there otherwise we'd always be late everywhere. I'm always on time so it really bothers me when people aren't :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you get some relief from the heat soon. It's September! Shouldn't it be cooler for you by now?!
I don't go out much to eat in the first place and I am not all that into trying different foods, but, when I do, I try to keep an open mind about how that food is meant to be eaten. I try not to say anything negative about people, but, sister tends to be a bit pretentious, at times. Yesterday, she insisted that even in Sri Lanka, she never ate with her fingers, but I remember otherwise. However, I didn't contradict her, as it wasn't important to me. I have my own opinions as to why she does what she does, but it doesn't matter to me.
DeleteI think the Ethiopian restaurant followed what my African friends call "African time". I quite understand because, we have our own "Sri Lankan time"! If Sri Lankans say come at 1 o'clock to lunch, one goes at 1:30 or even 2:00 and one is on time! LOL! Often, I rush to get there on time and the hostess isn't ready! But, if one is running a business, then, it makes sense to be ready to open at the time they say they'd be open! Oh, well.
The first couple of weeks in September is usually the height of our summer. Often, even October is hot. It is a lot cooler, this morning, though. I have the windows open and the house is at 80F, which is very comfortable for me. I don't even have the fan on.
I hope you are feeling better, today, with less pain from your extractions. Enjoy the rest of your day with your daughter and hope you have a safe drive when you go to drop her off and come back.
Your Sunday sounded lovely and relaxed....a lovely meal in an ethnic restaurant with family and a nap afterwards. Would I eat with my fingers? You betcha. I love finger foods. I eat pizza with my hands. I once worked in an office where everyone but me ate pizza with a knife and fork. Huh? When I go to a restaurant, I hesitate to order any meat that is on the bone, simply because I am not sure of the proper etiquette of which meats are allowed to be eaten with your fingers. Chicken? ribs? pork chops? When traveling in foreign countries, I love to eat what the locals eat. I think I just love food so much, *laugh*
ReplyDeleteIt was quite relaxed and would have been even more relaxed if I didn't have to do any flea abatement! But that's the price I pay for being lazy and not giving the flea prevention meds on time.
DeleteI think eating what the locals eat is an important part of the whole travel experience. I won't eat raw fish or meat, but other than that, I will try anything once.
The Ethiopian spicy food is similar to what you like to eat isn't it? Happy you liked and enjoyed eating it with your fingers. I eat a rather bland diet as spicy doesn't agree with me but I'd be happy to eat with my fingers.
ReplyDeleteI saw in the comments that you are considering adding central A/C and I think that would be good for you with asthma. Often you get a better price in the off season and look for energy rebates.
We are home now and not doing much of anything. I have unpacked but washing can wait until tomorrow.
This is supposed to be the last hot day and then very Fall like temperatures. Bring it on!
Sandy, the spicy Ethiopian food was quite good, although it wasn't spicy hot for me. A day of rest at home sounds good; laundry can wait! I know you'll be happy when the cooler temperatures arrive. It is a bit cooler, today, and the change is very welcome.
DeleteJust catching up. Good to know that you have been having an enjoyable visit with your daughter. Not so good about the nearby fires, or Dancer's fleas, but it sounds like you are getting everything under control. It takes me back to the days when we had our cats. One would bring the fleas in, the other would host them! Then it was busy time with flea comb and spray.
ReplyDeleteYour new blouse was a good bargain, it is really attractive.
I wouldn't mind eating Ethiopian food with my fingers, after all if you scoop it up with the bread it can't be too messy. I love to eat meat or chicken off the bone. I guess it is the primitive in me!
It's been an eventful couple of days, but it's getting better. For one thing, the temperatures have cooled off quite a bit. 93F is so much better than 113F! The fire has been 30% contained, they say, and the smoke is much better. There is hope, too, that the fleas are abating. We are keeping our fingers crossed!
DeleteHope the flea problem is gone now.. Sorry for you and Dancer.. Fleas are so terrible..
ReplyDeleteThe dinner sounds interesting.. I , like you, really doesn't bother me if they are late opening.? Just enjoy the company, until they open the doors.ha
The food sounds fun.
Is the smoke better in your area? HOpe so.
The flea situation is getting better, I think. I combed him twice today and found only 1 dead flea. Hopefully, by the end of the week, we'll be flea free. The smoke is much better, too. Almost all gone from my area due to the breeze that has been blowing and the temperature is cooler, too. Thanks for your concern, Judy.
DeleteHow interesting - Ethiopian food! I've never eaten any. We have a Nepalese restaurant nearby, but Indian and Chinese are the most numerous. I like to make curries but am not keen on rice so I eat mine with a flatbread or naan and I've used the 'scooping up with bread' method of eating it.
ReplyDeleteI do like the way you list five things to be grateful for. It is good to focus on the positives in life, especially when it is all too easy to feel down because of the negatives.
The Ethiopian food was interesting and I quite liked it, although my daughter didn't much care for the sourdough flat bread.
DeleteI find the 5 things to be grateful for to be very helpful. Too often, it is easy to focus on the negatives and end up feeling sorry for yourself; focusing on the positives helps us to realize that it's not all bad.