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Social Profile
Food & Drink: Menus in the best hotels offer international food and Addis Ababa also has a number of good Chinese, Italian and Indian restaurants. Ethiopian food is based on dishes called we’t (meat, chicken or vegetables, cooked in a hot pepper sauce) served with or on injera (a flat spongy bread). Dishes include shivro and misir (chick peas and lentils, Ethiopian style) and tibs (crispy fried steak). There is a wide choice of fish including sole, Red Sea snapper, lake fish, trout and prawns. Traditional restaurants in larger cities serve food in a grand manner around a brightly coloured basket-weave table called a masob. Before beginning the meal, guests will be given soap, water and a clean towel, as the right hand is used to break off pieces of injera with which the we’t is gathered up. Cutlery is not used.
Ethiopian coffee from the province of Kaffa, with a little rue added for extra aroma, is called ‘health of Adam’. Local red and dry white wines are worth trying. Talla (Ethiopian beer) has a unique taste and European-style lager is widely available. Kaitaka (a pure grain alcohol), cognac (a local brandy) and tej (an alcoholic drink based on fermented honey) are unique.
Shopping: Special purchases include local jewellery (sold by the actual weight of gold or silver), woodcarvings, illuminated manuscripts and prayer scrolls, wood and metal crosses, leather shields, spears, drums and carpets. In marketplaces, a certain amount of bargaining is expected, but prices at shops in towns are fixed. Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1230, 1530-1930; Sat 0900-1300, 1500-1900 (with local variations).
Special Events: The principal annual events are religious festivals. For dates, see Public Holidays section.
Social Conventions: Casual wear is suitable for most places, but Ethiopians tend to be fairly formal and conservative in their dress. Private informal entertaining is very common. Most religious houses are not open to women. Photography: In the smaller towns the locals may expect a small payment in return for being photographed. Video photography in famous tourist attractions occasionally carries a small charge. Photography may be prohibited in airports and near military camps. Tipping: In most hotels and restaurants, a ten per cent service charge is added to the bill. Tipping is a fairly frequent custom, but amounts are small.
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