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| - When people find out that I love food, a common question they normally ask is, "What is your favorite kind of food?" However, I always find myself unable to answer that question. In all honestly, my favorite type of food is different food. What I mean is I love experiencing new types of food. Trying different new and exotic cuisines is one of my favorite activities, and just the other day, my mother and I ventured into East Liberty for a first-time tasting of Ethiopian cuisine.
While walking into Tana Ethiopian Cuisine, I felt myself experiencing a feeling of uncertainty. Usually before going to a restaurant, I visit the restaurant's website, become acquainted with the menu, and decide what I am going to order. However, I found myself totally overwhelmed by foods and ingredients I had never before seen after looking over the menu. I was walking into this dining experience completely blind, and truth be told, I was nervous. Luckily for my mother and me, our waiter was one of the friendly and most helpful servers we have ever had. He walked us through every item on the menu. Though there were over fifty menu items, he explained what each dish contained and how it tasted. After his much needed help, we finally decided on an order of Doro Tibs and Yesga Wot. For the people who do not speak Amharic, Doro Tibs are pieces of chicken breast marinated in a blend of spices, and Yesga Wot are slices of beef stewed in a sauce of the customer's choice. Today, my mother and I were feeling adventurous, so we decided on the hot and spicy Berbere Sauce. The only thing left to do now was wait for our feast to arrive.
At this point, I want to make it clear that this meal was fresh and served to order. In fact, the waiter who took our order also doubled as the head chief. It may sound cheesy, but I felt that Tana did an excellent job creating an intimate and personal dining experience. Atmosphere is an important aspect to consider when judging a dining experience. In my opinion, a bad personal experience can easily jeopardize my desire to want to return for a second meal. Though the quality of food is vital, it is not the only point that is taken into consideration when deciding where to dine. Speaking of food, let us bring our attention back to the meal.
As the waiter set the gigantic rounded plate down, I noticed that there were neither forks nor spoons on the table. That is when the cheerful, young waiter laughed and instructed us that Ethiopians eat with their hands. I will try to explain it the best that I can. All of the food that one orders off of the menu comes piled upon a flat, circular bed of spongy bread called Injera. One then uses his or her hands to tear off a piece of Injera which is then used as a grappling apparatus. I love eating with my hands, so this exotic method of eating instantly turned me into a fan of Ethiopian cuisine. There was honestly not one bad tasting item on this bed of bread. The side dishes of green beans and cabbage also had their own interestingly tangy flavor. They were fantastic. My mother fell in love with the spicy beef, and I also have to admit that I have never had beef that was seasoned so perfectly. The Berbere sauce added a spicy yet tangy aspect to the dish that left my tongue wanting more. Also, my fingers found their way to the chicken almost immediately after the plate was set down. The chicken breast was cooked in a thick yellow sauce that reminded me of an Indian-style curry, but I cannot find words to describe the flavor of the sauce because it was unlike anything I have ever tried before. Finally, while we were busy eating, something magical happened with the Injera bread. All of the delicious and flavorful sauces from the meats and vegetables became absorbed by the spongy flatbread. Eating the deliciously soaked bread was my favorite part of the meal. It was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.
The world's many cultures offer a vast variety of different types of food, and I want to try them all. After having an excellent meal at Tana, I can successfully cross Ethiopian food off of my global gastronomy list. If you have never tried food from this region of the world, I highly suggest you venture out of your usual dining locations and go to Tana. Finally, if you are disgusted by the idea of eating food with your fingers, bring a knife and fork because you will not find a single utensil on the table.
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