I walk past this paddock all the time, but today I noticed something special: Ankole cattle. This breed of cattle, native to East Africa and known for its peculiarly large horns, is absolutely beautiful.
I remember seeing them years ago when I was driving through Uganda. Little did I know I would come to work in the International Livestock Research Institute and be surrounded by scientists studying to understand, improve, and protect indigenous breeds of cattle like these Ankole!
It was only recently that I realized I hate shoes. It’s probably something I’ve realized before, but I definitely just realized it again. Ever since I got back to Kenya I can count the number of times I’ve worn shoes: one. I have been wearing sandals every single day since I got back from my July visit home.
Maybe it was the California summer that made me remember? You know that dry, hot weather that makes you want to throw on a pair of board shorts, go down to the boardwalk and eat a taco with a cold horchata? Or maybe it was the fact that there are no good pairs of shoes here. Too stylish (can’t pull it off), too ugly (can’t wear ’em), too expensive (refuse to spend that kinda cash on ’em), etc.
If you don’t like the sour Ethiopian bread injera, steer clear of “Tibs Firfir”! It’s number 50 on the menu at the National Cafe in downtown Addis, next to the National Theater and the big lion statue. In Amharic it looks like this: ጥብስ ፍርፍር. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I made a bit of a mistake ordering dinner tonight with a friend in Addis Ababa. We decided we both liked tibs, an Ethiopian dish with roasted meat and, sometimes, tasty sauteed vegetables. What we didn’t know is that the “firfir” changes the game completely! Your itty bitty pieces of meat come mixed with shredded injera wrapped in a huge, pancake-like injera!