So, I have never tried Ethiopian food, but I'm curious, yet every time I've been to DC my marvelous friend Onereason says that she really didn't like it the only time she tried it and you're supposed to eat with your hands. She's not what you would call the greatest fan of such things, especially if she doesn't know the people very well.

One of the stories we always tell about our early friendship was when she showed up at her apartment to find I and her roommate eating something I thought was great so I proceed to shove my plate in her face and tell her to try some. To understand this you have to know that she doesn't eat after people and that she is unfailingly polite, so the two major parts of her personality were at war and I was completely oblivious, like I always am, while her roommate looks on with horror while she actually takes a bite.

This also illustrates a few of the major things about my personality; I am generally very friendly and very bad at picking up subtle signals. I try to warn people about this and tell them I am curious and hard to offend so please just tell me things and don't send me signals because I won't get them and then they will be mad. This is why high school was not a pleasant experience for me.

I'm sure you are wondering where this story is going and what inspired it so I'll tell you I am wondering if Onereason's objections will extend to Eritrean food, which is most definitely not Ethiopian (the two countries have had their, um, problems and it is not surprising that one would want to distance oneself from the horrible things that Ethiopia is doing in Somalia and elsewhere), but which I have also never had and have heard is awesome. Just in case I'm linking to Gridskipper's map of Eritrean stuff in DC.