A voyage of a thousand miles starts here

In the eastern suburbs of Johannesburg – Kensington, lies a serendipitous eatery seldom discovered by South African locals. Abyssinia, an Ethiopian restaurant, is tucked away in a small centre filled with sundry shops and fast food take-aways. Cars zigzag through the Langerman and Queen Street intersection, oblivious to the sliver of Ethiopian culture housed within the lackluster suburb.

Upon entering the desolate eatery, I am greeted by a loitering waiter who seems shocked that I would like to eat. He seats me down in a large room which appears to be a consolidation of two smaller shops. I marvel at all the Ethiopian décor. The room almost feels like a Rastafarian house with the tricolours of red, yellow and green emblazoned everywhere – a remnant of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie’s influence over the homeland, Jamaica and the Rastafarian culture.

The waiter shows me the menu which is written mostly in Amharic. I ask him to describe the dishes. As I ask him about the menu items, he follows up with personal questions: “Are you South African?”, “How do you know about Ethiopian food?” In a space of two minutes, I give him a summary of my life and my exposure to Ethiopian food while living in the US.

Finally, we decide I should try Mahberawi since it is a national dish. The dish is served on a large platter filled with injera, a white porous pancake, and other delectables like pureed lentils, beef stew, spinach, pickled green beans, and a tomato salsa. The food is tepid yet spicy; I’m sure I’ve just tasted berbere spice as the flavours of fenugreek, garlic, nigella, and clove linger on my tongue. The Mahberawi is so tasty and so generous, I yearn for a friend to join me.

Instead, I speak with the hovering waiter. We mostly talk about how his life was in Ethiopia and how his life is in South Africa. He tells me that Addis Ababa is a safe place; Ethiopians are friendly and everyone communicates in Amarhic, regardless of colour. In terms of food, meat is generally not eaten everyday due to religious practices such as Orthodox Christianity. He invites me to come back over the weekend when live music is played and when the restaurant is boisterous with Ethiopians and Ethiopian admirers.

My visit to Abyssinia has shown me that there is far more to be learned about Ethiopian culture beyond food. Though Ethiopian food is a pleasant gateway to exploring the culture, maybe a trip to Ethiopia would fare better. ***