Our adventure to Little Ethiopia–which is located on Fairfax between Olympic Blvd. and Pico Blvd.–allowed our class to engage in another culture with different traditions without having to leave Los Angeles. Some members of the class were excited to experience Ethiopian food for the first time; other seasoned Ethiopian food lovers were just excited to be treated to a free and very delicious lunch. One of the most entertaining parts of the afternoon was watching the class collectively struggle through the lack of western utensils during the meal. Instead of forks, spoons, or knives, Ethiopian food is typically eaten by scooping the contents of the dish up with Injera, spongy bread made out of Teff-flour, a grass that is wildly common on the Ethiopian highlands. Another culturally important part of Ethiopian cuisine is Coffee. Ethiopia is well known for having the perfect climate for coffee beans to grow in, and coffee is widely known for being one of the most profitable goods in today’s global economy. Ethiopia, despite the fact it is considered to be a developing nation, raked in 33% of the $15.4 million in total exports in the years of 2009/10. Yet as we sat in the Ethiopian cafe just down the street from the restaurant where we had our great meal, I couldn’t help but think of how the Ethiopian coffee beans I was drinking could be promoting a larger issue of globalization within Ethiopia. If we’ve learned anything in this class so far, it’s that such an immense and global market often has negative repercussions in non-western “developing” nations such as Ethiopia. While this certainly left me with some food for thought, the overall experience was a positive one to many in the class. Several students entered the bus with full stomachs and happy demeanor, claiming that the Ethiopian restaurant had been their favorite excursion so far. The ability to escape the Oxy bubble and to partake in an escapade that was maybe a completely new experience for some and merely a good time for others, is a priceless memory that this course has given us.
The Revolutionary's Narrative 