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| It seems I have a food obsession lately! |
Sorry E, but going to talk about food again!!!!
I got off my butt today and went to the gym. Once I am there with my ipod and the great music I am fine but I think we all know how hard it is to get motivated sometimes. At home in the States, I cycle several times a week with friends that won't let me get out of it. I think the problem here is that I have unlimited time to get things done and before I know it the day is gone! There's something to be said for setting and sticking to a schedule.
On the way back I stopped to say hello to a family from Mexico that lives on our floor. They are quite interesting. She grew up here in Addis where her father was a diplomat with the Yemen Embassy and a German mother. He came here in summers at about age 20 because his father was working for the Mexican Embassy. They fell in love and after years of staying in touch, college, etc., they married and had 3 children. He is a pilot and had the opportunity to work for Ethiopian Airlines like my husband and they jumped at the idea of living here again. I do not understand it because they are from just outside of Cancun, Mexico, right on the water! Cancun? Ethiopia? Hmmmm....
But I admire them so much for exposing their children to such a different world than what they are used to! Anyhow, I find her quite interesting and enjoy spending time with her. The children, two girls, 16 and 13 and a son, 5, are all so nice and personable. The girls are so hungry when they return from school that she makes a large meal at around 4 or 5 for them. They invited me to eat and it smelled so good that I couldn't resist. She is an amazing cook and proved it today. We ate doro wat, or chicken in a berbere spice (traditional dish), mutton, which was divine and this cabbage dish with beef that I just raved about. Come to find out, it's the Ethiopian dish of kitfo, which is is a traditional dish found in Ethiopian cuisine. It consists of minced raw beef, heated and marinated in mitmita, a spicy chili powder based spice blend, and niter kibbeh (clarified butter infused with herbs and spices). Okay, I swore I would NEVER eat kitfo, but I was kinda tricked! It was definitely cooked, though, and it was one of the best things I have ever eaten! Apparently there are two ways to eat it, raw or like this. I had only had a little egg salad today and I am grateful they asked me to dine with them! Fresh Ethiopian coffee and an apple tarte for dessert. Not my favorite food, like Aladdin, but still great!
While cleaning up I was inquiring about some fruits she had on the counter. One was something I had never tried called custard apple fruit. It looked sort of like a cross between a little pineapple and a pine cone. The flavor was mildly sweet and refreshing. Then I tried a fresh guava that when peeled the aroma filled the kitchen! It was called a strawberry guava for the nice pink fruit on the inside. I didn't know what I had been missing! There is really good fruit grown here that is exotic and flavorful. I will try things but usually when someone else recommends it and how to prepare it. And of course, everything is organic because no one can afford pesticides!
I then realized I had locked myself out of the apartment and had to call security! G's in Zambia and I am going to get a hot shower, now that the water pressure is back up for the night, and hope to find something on the tele. Wish me luck on that one! I will end with one thing that bugs me about television outside of the States. Nothing seems to start on the hour and every channel has different times for programming. Sometimes it's 5 past, sometimes 45 past, sometimes it's 5 of. Drives me insane! Then they will advertise a show is coming on and it never does? What's with that????? (Ok, that was two things that bug me.)
Cheers!
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Posted by njmushtare on 2009-09-17 12:18:39 | Rating: | Views: 54
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