some catching up to do, part 1 of 2...
A very long time ago, Kaldi an Ethiopian goat herder was out grazing his goats. The goats stumbled upon a berry that gave them a sudden jolt of energy and made them dance funny i.e. it made them high. Kaldi suddenly curious also tried it. Apparently, Kaldi the goat herder also moonlighted as a monk. He introduced the other monks to this substance that kept his goats chipper. The monks used it to stay awake during their all night prayer vigils. Eastern traders on expeditions to Africa got wind of the new stimulant and a world-wide phenomenon was born – the coffee bean. Kaldi may be a thing of legend but Ethiopia claims and is given credit for the birthplace of coffee.
To this day coffee has special place in Ethiopian culture. There is a café serving up delicious Ethiopian style macchiato on likely every other street in Addis Ababa. What is amazing to me is that those coffee shops are ALWAYS packed with people of all ages sipping and socializing NO matter what time of day it is. It’s a way of life. Even more so is the traditional coffee ceremony. Some folks do it once a day others twice. The coffee is brewed in a clay pot over charcoal and typically takes about an hour to brew. A young woman usually brews but all partake. While the coffee is brewing, the family is connecting and neighbors are invited over to truly be neighborly. I am an owner of such a clay pot and have now learned how to brew it the original way so if I ever settle down near one of you, you will be invited over for some coffee Ethiopian style.
The thing I enjoyed most about my time in Ethiopia was the simplicity of life. Despite poverty levels beyond what most Western folk can imagine, people take the time to enjoy each other. They have ceremonies and traditions like the ones mentioned above that ensure conversation and time are enjoyed organically. This I like much!
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