Yod Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dancing

Flash Slideshow

Photos from Stefan The Swiss' last night in town taken at Yod Abyssinia on Bole Road. Featuring the inimitable Gebre Meskele Gessesse!

Yod Abyssinia caters to a well-to-do Ethiopian crowd, though a considerable faranji contingent is present. The menu represents the entirety of Ethiopia's rich national cuisine; it was here I first tried the mouth-watering tere sega: raw beef spiced to perfection. I ended up at Yod Abyssinia randomly, having run into Stefan constantly over his last two days in Addis. His friend from Mekele (the capital of Tigre), Gebre Meskele Gessesse, kindly drove us.

Aside from my pleasant company and the haute cuisine, I was very impressed by the dancers. I watched four to five of them (depending on the song) sweat to a variety of styles and work it for a full four hours. With the recent passing of James Brown looming large on the airwaves, I can't help but think that these people are the hardest-working men and women in show business. All in all, an enjoyable and highly recommended experience.