January flashed by and we almost let it pass without an adventure. We had an idea that we all liked but just couldn't get it organized in time. With one week remaining before the month was over we decided that the size of the adventure was less important than making sure we had one.
So (even though Steve and Marla were out of town) we went out to dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant. Sarah, Young, Alex and me (Arnie).
When we arrived we found Alex already waiting at the bar, drinking a glass of honey wine. He mentioned that while waiting for us he'd read that it's an Ethiopian custom to feed a handful of your meal to the people you're dining with.
In the spirit of adventure I was all for it. "Who will let me feed them?"
I was able to talk Sarah and Young into letting me hand feed them. And vice versa. My mouth somehow missed the food Young was trying to give me and it dropped on the table, but beyond that the tradition went well.
Despite the fact that he was the one that mentioned the tradition in the first place, Alex refused to let me or anyone else hand feed him.
Me: You're missing out.
Alex: I kind of wish I had just made it up. Right? Tricked everyone into doing a made-up tradition?
Me: Eh. I'd still do it.
I've read a little bit more about the tradition since getting home. It's called "gursha." We fed each other midway through the meal after getting accustomed to picking the food up with sheets of bread instead of utensils, but apparently the proper procedure is to feed someone else your first bite and then, hopefully, they will feed you their last. A nice symbolic gesture.
I also found a neat Ethiopian saying, "Those who eat from the same plate will not betray each other."
Foreshadowing?
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