Little Ethiopia

In downtown LA there is an area on Fairfax that is called Little Ethiopia which contains a couple blocks of Ethiopoian businesses and restaurants.  While I didn't think the trip to this neighborhood would be that exciting I was thoroughly impressed.  There are a bunch of quaint thrift shops and a bounty of places to eat.  I for one have never had Ethiopian food so we decided to get an early dinner.  We stopped at an appealing place called Messob for an authentic Ethiopian meal.  We ordered the combination plate with Doro Wot (stewed Chicken), Yebeg Siga Alitcha (stewed Lamb), and Collard Greens.  We were the only non Ethiopians in the restaurant when we sat down and felt a bit embarrassed when we had to ask the owner to explain how to eat the 

meal since they don't use forks, knives or spoons. 

Basically the meal is served on top of a spongy bread called Injera which is a national dish of Ethiopia.  A side of Injera is served and you scoop the main food (stewed chicken, lamb or collard greens in my case) up with a hand full Injera (break it off to a manageable size) and eat it.  As simple as that, no silverware necessary.  The food was quite yummy and the experience was fun.  Learning how to eat a new food excited a sense of adventure that I haven't had in quite a while. As we finished our meal more non-Ethiopians came into the restaurant.  The meal was definitely the highlight of the trip to Little Ethiopia. If you go during the week I suspect I'm sure the cultural center will be open.