During one of my job applications, I was asked to describe my most memorable food experience. I ended up writing a 10 paragraph essay on my dining experience at Meskerem. While I didn’t enjoy the food as much as I would have liked to, the experience was indescribable. At the time, I felt ignorant yet excited. You don’t need any utensils; all you need are your hands. So, that big chunk of chicken that lands on the plate? Well, you get to rip it apart with your fingers.
Clement came to visit and since I had always wanted to take Stephanie out to try a cuisine that you can’t really find in Sydney, we all agreed that trying out Ethiopian would be a great experience. Luckily, by the time we arrived (around 8pm), the place was just clearing up for its second rush of diners for the night, so we only ended waiting up around 5 minutes. The place is small and “underground” so the wait time can get pretty extreme when it’s busy.
The food is served family style so we decided to order 3 entrees and split them. I honestly can’t remember the names of the entrees, but we ordered a chicken, lamb, and beef. When our server came back, she held a large flat ceramic plate. It had this thin sponge-like crepe that lined the plate with large blob-like dips. In her other hand, she held three dishes, which looked like our entries and proceeded to dump our chicken, beef, and lamb onto this large plate. It looked like an artist’s palette but with earth-tone colors made of food.
The chicken came in giant chunks in this green sort of sauce with soft boiled egg, while the beef and lamb both came in this red sauce. I enjoyed the beef the most because of the flavors that came from the onion and peppers, but the chicken was also good. The lamb was forgettable because the meat was so small.
One thing to note is the “injera” or the crepe like bread I had mentioned. Each person is given a single serving of injera and it is meant to accompany the entrees. Injera is extremely sour and after a few bites, Stephanie almost couldn’t stomach it. I think this is just a difference in cultural tastes between the Ethiopians and our more western tastes. However, the injera is meant to act as a table cloth, encouraging a family style meal with conversation. I would have much preferred Indian Roti to be served with the entrees.
(The remains of dinner…)
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