Sitting down to an authentic African meal can be
quite an experience. When I visited the Catholic Archbishop in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia I was invited for lunch in his monastery–like dining room where there
was no talking. Next to my plate appeared to be a brown napkin folded over. When
I picked it up to and put on my lap I discovered that the "napkin" was really a
type of folded flat pancake. This really got smiles from the other guests. It
was the slightly sour, fermented, dough-like meal called "njera" that is the
staple Ethiopian food. Next I tried a very hot meat dish that made me
immediately grab for a cold glass of water. I didn’t dare taste the sauce.
During the rest of the meal I looked down to avoid the stares of the other
visitors.