So there we are in Eritrea... 14 people gathered together on an Explore! Tour. We are in a country where they have seen little rain for 3 years and the choices of food for lunch and dinner are usually restricted to three options:
The pasta is good. The legacy of Italian colonialism has left a small corner of the Horn of Africa that knows how to put together a ragu.
The goat is questionable and mostly comprised of gristle. In the case of one meal where the rib cage found in the stew was tiny enough to be called cat size, it was questionably not even goat.
The Shiro was a lentil dahl type dip served with Injera, a sour flat bread pancake. This was wonderful the first time, appetising the second, OK the third and I lost the will to carry on eating half way through the fourth occasion...
To the rescue, 'President Pastry'!
As you do on group trips such as this, you find yourself getting on better with some than others. I knew Mary and Jane were on my wavelength when we found a coffee shop in Asmara on the third day, and found ourselves ordering two cakes each. The search for sugar to act as a respite between samey meals was to prove a strong binding force for the three of us.
You see, the other positive legacy of Italian colonialism is that Eritreans understand the importance of a good macchiato and an even better cake to go alongside it, and we became quite the cafe visiting threesome. In fairness, while the coffee is available everywhere, the cakes were harder to come by.
So, to add a bit of fun to our search for sugar, we took it in turns to be 'President Pastry'. The responsibilities of the Office of President were limited but vital... Each President simply had to provide for the pastry needs of their followers. As soon as this burden of office was completed, the mantle passed onto the next in the group. Sometimes you were President only for one short but successful day. Other times you were President for longer... typically this coincided with trips away from Asmara.
Mary's reign was perhaps the most surprising and successful... She was the only person to track down a functioning bakery outisde the capital. How she spotted it from the window of the van as we drove through Adi Kevih, I have no idea, but the sponge square that she sourced for us was as nectar to the gods after a long afternoon hiking around the rim of the Rift Valley and the ruins of Qohaito.
And if you ever do find yourself in Asmara and in need of a sugar fix, look up the Rosina Caffe and sample their custard glazed doughnut with a macchiato. You won't be disappointed.
The goat is questionable and mostly comprised of gristle. In the case of one meal where the rib cage found in the stew was tiny enough to be called cat size, it was questionably not even goat.
The Shiro was a lentil dahl type dip served with Injera, a sour flat bread pancake. This was wonderful the first time, appetising the second, OK the third and I lost the will to carry on eating half way through the fourth occasion...
To the rescue, 'President Pastry'!
As you do on group trips such as this, you find yourself getting on better with some than others. I knew Mary and Jane were on my wavelength when we found a coffee shop in Asmara on the third day, and found ourselves ordering two cakes each. The search for sugar to act as a respite between samey meals was to prove a strong binding force for the three of us.
You see, the other positive legacy of Italian colonialism is that Eritreans understand the importance of a good macchiato and an even better cake to go alongside it, and we became quite the cafe visiting threesome. In fairness, while the coffee is available everywhere, the cakes were harder to come by.
So, to add a bit of fun to our search for sugar, we took it in turns to be 'President Pastry'. The responsibilities of the Office of President were limited but vital... Each President simply had to provide for the pastry needs of their followers. As soon as this burden of office was completed, the mantle passed onto the next in the group. Sometimes you were President only for one short but successful day. Other times you were President for longer... typically this coincided with trips away from Asmara.
Mary's reign was perhaps the most surprising and successful... She was the only person to track down a functioning bakery outisde the capital. How she spotted it from the window of the van as we drove through Adi Kevih, I have no idea, but the sponge square that she sourced for us was as nectar to the gods after a long afternoon hiking around the rim of the Rift Valley and the ruins of Qohaito.
And if you ever do find yourself in Asmara and in need of a sugar fix, look up the Rosina Caffe and sample their custard glazed doughnut with a macchiato. You won't be disappointed.
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