My Amharigna (Amharic) is awful. It’s so bad that after several days of trying I still can’t remember how to say ‘thank you’. (You try. It’s amaseghinalehu. There is no short version.)
So it makes me feel better that Ethiopians seem to have almost as much trouble with English. Menus in particular are a source of secret delight to me and I’ve started ‘collecting’ them for moments when I need some cheering up.
Here are a few of my favourites from the Blue Nile Hotel breakfast menu in Bahir Dar:
Local varieties of the latter two are available at the Hotel Lammergeyer in Gondar where, in addition to Corn flex and Pourage, you can order:
