Friday was a kick-ass day. Ethiopia recently passed China as the country with the largest population of donkeys–seven million–according to Chale Chaburte, the Mercado clinic head for The Donkey Sanctuary. Seriously? We have more donkeys here than all of China? Fifteen thousand of those animals live and work in Addis and about 200 of them … More Unto The Least of These
Thoughts on Djibouti–if being anywhere for two days gives one any authority to have an opinion. Still, I’ll give it a shot. We visited during Ramadan, so during the day it was a ghost town. Djibouti is too hot this time of year, and too expensive all year round. European prices and developing country charm. Fuel … More The Slow Train Home
This is the year I turn 50. Which is why Bruce planned a trip to Djibouti. That, and because we’re researching the new Ethio-Djibouti railway. My actual birthday is in July 4th, so this birthday trip comes a bit early, thanks to the three-day weekend. We won’t have a holiday over US Independence, but Ethiopia … More Surprised by Dolphins
(This post is mostly for people living in Addis who might also want to do this.) We knew the train was running, but there’s not easy information available about how to take it, unless you know where to look (which we didn’t). So one day Wondwesen, MCC’s logistics officer and I, decided to try to … More How to Take the new Addis-Djibouti Train
The guys came at about 4:20, and by 4:29 (the time stamp on my first photo) it was done. I was hiding, but needlessly so–Bruce said they did it Matador style, with a clean cut through the spinal cord, and the bull dropped without a sound. I’ve watched cattle being killed in Africa before, where … More Kircha: from live animal to ribs and tibs, kitfo, and doulet.
How many of you grew up eating your pets? My guess is that if you were raised a farm kid, a village kid, or a third culture kid, you are familiar with this dilemma. Today we slaughtered, eviscerated, and shrink-bagged 14 chickens. We had a lot of help. Tomorrow, we will kill this magnificent creature that … More More With Less With Pets Part III
I’m growing chicken food for my flock of 29 hens. Not all of the food, of course. We buy commercially milled layer mash, and I supplement with wheat grass, which I grow from berries bought in the market. The new hens have just begun to lay, and today was the first day we got 29 … More More With Less With Pets, Part 2
