A herbivore is an animal that has adapted to eat everything else but meat. A vegetarian is the same way. For what ever reason they made up a ‘rule’ that says that they are not suppose to consume meat.
I don’t like to exclude something as a ‘rule;’ although I have preferences. And preferences are better than rules.
For a long time one/two people in my family said that they do not eat seafood as a rule. I always thought what a waste it must be, to have such a palate that can distinguish between millions of tastes, and omit the whole ocean.
I mentioned it, and I asked ‘but you eat canned tuna.’ And he made a comment that tuna is different; chicken of the sea à la Jessica Simpson. Continue reading ‘Vegypocrisy’
Published by Nolawi September 1st, 2009 in Current Issues and Social.
This is a question I have frequently encountered growing up as an Ethiopian kid in the middle of nowhere, Texas. Actually, the question was more of “what are you?”
I would rightly claim my Ethiopian identity each time it was asked but as I got older and moved to a part of the country where there were more of us, part of me questioned whether I had a right to that title.
Our community is excellent at exclusion and marginalization. In many instances if you do not eat the right food, wear your hair the right way, or speak a perfect accent less Amarigna then you are “not one of us.” I have a friend whose family endearingly calls each other “yene ferenj” each time one of them does something considered not “normally” Ethiopian. Even as a term of endearment it still at times works to distance.
My story begins in Ethiopia. At age 4 my family was forced to flee and we ended up in the Netherlands. There I was able to hold on to my Amarigna but I also quickly picked up Dutch – the first language I learned to read and write. At age 9 my family relocated again, this time to Texas. This was an easier transition as my family already was proficient in English. The Dutch was quickly forgotten and I immersed myself into 1990s American culture with its scrunched socks, brightly colored clothes, and side ponytails. Continue reading ‘Who Are You?’
Published by Mahlet August 27th, 2009 in Thoughts.
I am constantly looking through old photos. I really like how a photo changes the way I think about something. Its very powerful.
I once read about Kevin Carter who killed himself after winning the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography in 1994 for this picture taken in Sudan a year earlier.
Including those that changed the way I think or have had a lot of influence in the world.
In no particular order here are my top 3 choices; seen above, Mandela walks free after 27 years in prison. The image of Mandela fighting aparthied and Winnie being there fighting with him to me is betam empowering. Continue reading ‘photos that changed africa’
Published by Nolawi August 25th, 2009 in African, Current Issues and Design.
One of the things we fight about here in bernos is how to wear the bernos tees or even any tee. Dawit likes to keep his shirts so clean looking that he washes the tees inside out.
He says it keeps it from fading and it keeps the colors of the tee not wear out. He even dries it on low heat.
One thing we agree on is American Apparel. They make the best t-shirts in the world and we like how the tees feel when we wear them. In fact our customers even compliment us on the quality of our tees.
K’naan apparently while hanging out with Beshou and Dawit said that he likes our tees because they get a lot of compliments.
Old tees
I have tweeted about how my tees never get old, because I have too many of them. Not only do I have multiple copies of each of the bernos tees, but also lots of other tees I have accumulated over the years. Continue reading ‘Really Old Tees’
Published by Nolawi August 17th, 2009 in Bernos and Design.
I have been reading bernos since the beginning, and while I love it, some of the content seems like it’s too much bellyaching about Ethiopian women and men. I have some advice for both sexes, or at the very least bellyaching of my own.
For the men; it seems to me many Ethiopians aren’t as confident and or as manly as other races. Manly men are confident men; women are attracted to men who project confidence.
Sadly, many men these days lack any confidence at all. Some walk around with their head down, wallowing in self pity. Others confuse manly confidence with cockiness. These men have confused confidence with being a douche bag.
Confidence is quiet; it’s unpretentious! When a man walks into a room who has acquired this confidence, people can feel it. Continue reading ‘my Gripes w/ you’
Published by Mek August 11th, 2009 in Advice and Thoughts.
