The Ethiopian experience

Often I like to sit and have a nice revere about times when life was simpler, when dinner consisted of pre-chewed mush and utensils were an afterthought.

For most of you, this likely takes you back to when you were two or so years old sitting in a high chair. As for me, I only have to go back about two hours. I have, however, graduated from having to use a bibb.

Tonight for dinner I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Meskerem, a local Ethiopian restaurant here in Charlotte. I was at a table with four other classmates, none of which (including myself) had ever quite had this sort of experience. On the plus side, it's harder to make a fool of yourself if no one there knows what they're doing.

We did have a bit of instruction (yes, we knew that there weren't going to be forks). The food is meant to be shared, and often the entire table's order will be placed on a single large plate. Injera, a form of sourdough flatbread, is used as both dish and utensil. The injera comes in a large circle, getting close to two feet across, and is folded on the plate as a base for the food (often in pureed form). At Meskerem were were each given a second piece to use as our utensil. Just rip off a piece and use it to scoop up a bit of whatever looks good. And trust me, it went beyond looks.

This whole idea really goes to show how food is viewed in Ethiopia. It's no secret that food is a bit more scarce than it is here in the US. The act of communal eating is such a great way to hold on to the intimacy of food that we seem to have thrown out the window in recent years. I happen to be a rather large fan of sharing food. It's one of the reasons why I love cooking so much - food brings people together. For me, it's a way to share something I love with people I love, a way of sharing myself. So sharing a plate may seem simple at first, but when you look at it, look at what it really is, you'll see what a beautiful thing that simple act is.

On to the actual food, though.

Wanting to get the most out of the evening all of us at the table made sure to order something different. I went for the shro wat, a dish of ground seasoned chick peas with berbere sauce. Among the other dishes were miser alecha - a puree of split lentils, doro wat - a classic chicken dish with berbere sauce, a lamb dish with some very delicious peppers, and "vegetable #2", a very tasty - if somewhat unimaginatively named - combination of cabbage, potatoes, and carrots.

The only semi-complaint of the night seemed to be the injera bread, and only that because of its texture. Different than anything I've ever had it's something like a thick, soft, spongy tortilla. But hey, that's what happens when you try new things. New flavors and textures have a habit of popping up. Overall, I give the food a solid thumbs up.

I'd say, though, that going to Meskerem is as much about the experience of eating as it is the food itself, and would encourage people to go at least once for this reason.

Tonight was pretty eventful. I tried not only a new cuisine, but a new style of eating altogether. Who knows, maybe tomorrow I'll leave the forks in the drawer.