Since I was about 4 months old, I have been traveling around the world. My family and I explore a new place around the world at least once a year and look forward to traveling when we aren’t able to. During this pandemic, us wanderlust, travel enthusiastic, people have been stuck at home itching to get out and explore the world and all that it has to offer. One thing my family and I have done to try and gain a new experience while not having to travel, is to test out a restaurant which we haven’t previously visited. Preferably a restaurant which serves traditional food from a country or place we have never visited. Recently, we tried a restaurant called Lucy’s Ethiopian Restaurant and Lounge. Trying a place like this is exactly what us and other travel lovers need. The restaurant showcases its authenticity, wonderful taste, and beautiful decoration.
Every true travel enthusiast wants to have authentic food wherever they go. Whether they go to New Orleans, Louisiana to try the famous Jambalaya or they visit Germany to try Kartoffelpuffer, a potato pancake, they always want to experience it the way locals do. The authenticity of the food is very important when visiting a restaurant. With the food being real and the way it really is in that place, you can taste the authenticity and flavors of that new place. At Lucy’s Ethiopian Restaurant and Lounge, they made sure that their food was identical to traditional Ethiopian food. On the menus, they provided us with information about the food they were serving, what’s in it, and how it came about. Not only was I able to have authentic Ethiopian food without having to travel to Africa; I also learned about Ethiopian food.
When visiting any restaurant, the taste of the food is easily the most important. Whether it’s the first time trying this restaurant or the fifteenth time eating at this restaurant, taste will make or break the experience. Besides the wonderful nutrients and energy that food provides for our body, a food’s taste is the best thing. It is also something most if not all of us enjoy. We all love the impeccable taste of spicy snacks and the exploding flavor of sweet treats. Going into Lucy’s I had no idea what to expect as I have never had Ethiopian food and had no clue about what was in it and what it’s made of. However, I made sure to enter with positive thoughts and hope for the best. To my own astonishment, I was pleasantly surprised with the amazing taste of traditional Ethiopian food. The food I had tried at Lucy’s was the Injera, Chicken Tibs, vegetarian platter, and Sambusa. I feel as though anyone who wants to experience Ethiopia or their food needs to try Injera. Injera is a gluten-free, fluffy, bread-like dish, (Exploratorium 1), that reminds me of Dosa, a traditional South Indian dish. The Chicken Tibs were given as two options: either a curry or a dry version. My family and I had picked the curry version of Chicken Tibs as we hoped it would go well with the Injera. Turns out the Chicken Tibs were very alike to the normal chicken curry that many of us are used to. The vegetarian platter had many different traditional Ethiopian dishes which included a rice dish, a healthy side dish, a thick sweet potato dish, and an onion curry. These dishes were very different for my tastebuds and presented me with new kinds of tastes. I think if you want to try more Ethiopian dishes but at a lesser amount, you should purchase the platter. This way, you get to experience many more dishes. The last dish, Sambusa, was actually the first dish we had as it is an appetizer. This dish was identical to another popular Indian dish named Samosa, even the names are similar. The contents of Sambusa was completely different than of Samosa and what I’m used to. This certain dish I was not fond of, but I did remind me that we may not like everything we taste but we may still enjoy the experience.
One thing that truly completes a restaurant is the decoration. Normally, we are used to seeing plain, minimal decorations to keep the restaurant neat and formal. This restaurant completely contrasted those norms. The decoration was strategically placed all over the restaurant to showcase the beautiful Ethiopian culture. One piece of decor that really stood out to me was the enormous king and queen chairs. The chairs were replicas of the traditional king and queen chairs and were kept there to take pictures with. They had also placed many props beside the chairs so we could get into costume and experience the whole effect. While this may seem very boring or unnecessary to some, I appreciated this touch. Throughout my trips, I’ve always taken many pictures of myself, my family, and all the things we experienced to keep as memories. Keeping this in mind, I really liked the photo opportunity that was given to me at the restaurant because I knew this would be a great way of having a memory of this restaurant.
Many things are taken into account when experiencing something new. Some of us may be scared to try something that isn’t exactly up our alley. I love the adrenaline rush of encountering something I’ve never tried before. This restaurant gave me the rush of trying something new without even having to travel to a new place. I was able to experience a culture and food during the pandemic and fulfill my wanderlust needs. To my fellow travel lovers who are waiting to get out and experience the world, I suggest trying a restaurant that serves food from a place you’ve never visited. During the pandemic, this may be the best we can get but it truly is an experience I feel everyone should have.
References
Ethiopian Injera Recipe. (n.d.). Retrieved January 27, 2021, from
hey guys! i hope you guys liked this story. i wrote it for my English Dual Credit class. we were supposed to write a review on something. i chose a restaurant, Lucy's Ethiopian Restaurant and Lounge. let me know if you guys try this restaurant, its also mentioned in another one of my blogs called Houston's Unknown Restaurants II, and what you think about this essay. its one of my favorites i've ever written so i wanted to share it with you. thanks for reading!
- dhriti <3
(all pictures including cover pictures are mine)