Multicultural education for kids: The Big Buna Bash
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Ethiopian cuisine: healthy, natural and yummy!

4/27/2020

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PictureInjera
Injera and Wat

Ethiopian cuisine is best known for the sourdough flatbread called injera. Injera is about 20 inches in diameter and made from fermented teff flour. Teff is called the world's smallest grain and is unique to Ethiopia. No Gluten !!  

But what is injera without wat?  Wat is the hot, spicy stew that is served on top of the injera.  There are lots of different varieties of wat: chicken, beef, lamb, vegetarian, lentils or ground split peas. If you order the restaurant's variety plate, you'll be sure to get a few kinds. Eat it with your fingers by tearing off a piece of injera and dipping it in the wat.​

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Doro Wat
Shiro:
Shiro might look like slop, but it's amazing!  Made with chickpea or bean puree', it's a vegetarians delight.  With added onion, garlic, and whatever spices are used in that region,  this simple dish  comes alive.
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Gomen Kitfo
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Shiro
Gomen Kitfo:
For another vegetarian delicacy, gomen kitfo is made from collard greens that are boiled, dried, and then chopped and served with butter, chili peppers, and spices.

Tibs:
 There are many varieties of this dish depending on the type and size of cuts of meat used, but it's basically meat and vegetables saute'ed together.  Like in many Ethiopian dishes, the main spice used in tibs is berbere, a combination of powered chili pepper, cumin, coriander, and cardamon.
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t’iru yemigibi filagoti……..good appetite!
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10 interesting facts about ethiopia

4/27/2020

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The 'Jebena', Ethiopian coffee pot, usually made of clay with a neck and pouring spout
  1. Founded in 980 B.C. Ethiopia has existed as a country for at least 3000 years.
  2. Ethiopia has more than 80 different ethnic groups each with it's own language, culture, and traditions.
  3. Ethiopia has it's own calendar which is 7 years behind the Gregorian calendar (it's 2013 now in Ethiopia).
  4.   Ethiopia has 13 months in a year and the day begins at dawn (instead of midnight).
  5. Ethiopia is home to 112 million people.
  6. Ethiopia is a very religious country. 99% of it's citizens say that religion is important to them.
  7. Ethiopia is the only country in Africa with it's own writing alphabet called Ge'ez, an ancient Semitic language.
  8. Addis Ababa is the highest capital city in Africa at 2,400 meters and it's name means 'new flower'.
  9. Injera is the traditional large spongy, pancake-like bread made of teff flour.  Teff is unique to Ethiopia. Ethiopian food is eaten with the fingers by tearing off a piece of injera and dipping it in a meat or vegetable stew called wat.
  10.   Ethiopia has one of the lowest life expectancies in the world.
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An Ethiopian feast!
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he who learns, teaches -  Ethiopian proverb

4/12/2020

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drink Ethiopian coffee! (great coffee that doesn't taste bitter!)

4/11/2020

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PictureThis little plant can grow up to 10 meters tall!
What is so special about Ethiopian Coffee? Ethiopian coffee is considered to be some of the best in the world, due to it's high altitude growing conditions and the ways that the beans can be processed.

The coffee plant averages from 5-10 meters in height and is grown in rows, several feet apart.  Heavy rain is needed as the fruit is developing, and less later as it ripens.  The harvesting period can be anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months, and in some places continuing all year round.

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The coffee bean is a seed of the coffee plant and is the source of coffee.  It is the pit inside the red fruit, often referred to as a cherry.  The cherries began as green, turn yellow, and finally red in color. 

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Sorting coffee beans in Ethiopia
Ethiopia, the birthplace of Arabica coffee, is the world's seventh largest producer of coffee. Surprisingly, half the coffee produced there is consumed by the Ethiopians themselves!  Coffee is important to the Ethiopian economy as 15 million Ethiopians rely on some aspect of  coffee production for their livelihood. 

​There are 2 ways that Ethiopian coffee is processed to enhance it's flavor...….
Sun-dried: where the cherry is sun-dried around the coffee bean before being removed 
Washed:  where the fruit is removed from the bean within 12 hours of picking
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So, support Ethiopian coffee.  Buy it; drink it; and be part of a rich history of tradition!

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Buna Dabo Naw: Our coffee is our bread
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Ethiopian airlines: the flag carrier of ethiopia

4/10/2020

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kids stay-at-home play ideas for these coronavirus times!

4/9/2020

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As a teacher, kids are never very far from my mind!  In these days of the pandemic, I find myself thinking a lot about how the kids of this world are dealing with all the craziness! 

​I often remember the kids I met on The Big Buna Bash's book tour (which was only six weeks ago but seems like ages).  At my book events we made coffee-bean candles as coffee is one of my book's themes.  

There are many art projects that can be done with coffee beans, or any beans for that matter.  Here is a great site with some ideas to get you started! 
www.playideas.com/25-bean-crafts-for-kids/
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Easy to make!
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Coffee-Bean Candles: they also smell good!
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Making coffee-bean candles at The Big Buna Bash Launch Party
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    Author

    I had so much fun writing The Big Buna Bash, and I want to share it to inspire cultural pride in kids who might feel like they don't fit in because of their differences.  I believe in diversity and inclusion; that's why I wrote The Big Buna Bash!
    ​"Diversity is being invited to the party.  Inclusion is being asked to dance" Verna Myers

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Photos used under Creative Commons from Iamericat, US Department of Education, JIRCAS
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