Kaldi's Coffee is to Ethiopia like Starbucks is to North America, although I'm not suggesting they have one on every other street corner just yet.
After church, E suggested we stop to have a bite of lunch and a beverage before going to the museum. We were please to see familiar foods on the menu such as egg salad and tuna sandwiches with French fries. However it was rather humorous as we made our selections only to be told, "we have no tuna today," or "sorry, we don't have that flavour right now." Eventually though, we all managed to find something to eat, and it was very delicious.
They had fabulous fruit juices that were thick like smoothies and homemade ice cream. We passed around and taste-tested everything that came to our table. I think our favorites were the mango smoothie and the kiwi ice cream. The coffee menu was much like Starbucks, with everything from plain coffee and teas to fancy drinks like caramel macchiatos. The difference was in the price! I'd be tempted to have one everyday at home if my Caramel Macchiatos only cost 70 cents! (Probably a good thing for my waist-line that they don't.)
This is the "Story of Coffee" that was painted on the wall.
"Ancient legends tell the story of Kaldi, and Ethiopian goat-herder, thought to be the first to discover the mythical properties of coffee. He was so amazed at the dancing of his goats after they had eaten some berries from a nearby shrub that he decided to try some of the ripe, red 'cherries' for himself. The pleasant, stimulating effect they produced led him to share his discovery with the local monks. Coffee quickly evolved into a ceremonial religious drink, keeping the monks awake during their long hours of prayer. "
"Coffee is a fruit, and a complex one at that. It takes three to five years of the perfect combination of sun, shade and rain before an Arabica coffee shrub produces its first mature cherries which contain the two green seeds we know and value as coffee beans."
