Sedo = slime + Play-do

Bugs haven’t been part of the cuisine we’ve been offered here…at least not yet. However, if experiencing the “gag-factor” in food consumption if part of what makes a missionary, we’re legit. This is one of those stories that would be better with an audio file to go along, so you’ll have to imagine the sound of obnoxious slurping with each bite…you’ll see.

The education bureau representative that we were traveling with during the Gumuz mother tongue literacy supervision trip had relatives in one particular area that we visited. Our friend and these relatives couldn’t pass up the opportunity (or obligation) to feed us since we stopped by after the morning observation of the nearby school. They were sure to feed us their traditional food, called “Porridge and Sedo”.

The most filing part of the dish consists of a stiff porridge made from grain and water (the consistency of warm play-do). The sedo is the flavorful topping for the bland porridge. For those who feel queasy just at the sight of a strange food would have lost your breakfast as soon as our host dipped his first handful of porridge into the brown, snot-like Sedo.

An important part of this particular culture is for the host or others around the table to the guests (and each other). The first mouthful went to our German coworker who had experienced similar food in a different cultural group of Ethiopia but never been feed it from someone else’s hand. Travis and I weren’t in suspense very long as another handful of porridge was dipped into the sedo sauce, twisted around to catch the long strand of slime between the host’s hand and the bowl, and soon advancing toward our mouths…ready or not!

One mouthful and then another came in quick succession - that’s when our gag reflex started to kick in. When you taste a new food for the first time it’s typical to take small bites, allowing your palate to figure out what it’s experiencing. But our host wasn’t in tune to this need of the “forengies” (foreigners) as he served us the size he was probably used to sucking up himself. We were coached as we sat chewing on our first mouthful, “You don’t need to chew it, just swallow.” Yeah, right! Too bad the audio file is lacking here to really get the full effect of the sucking, slurping sound produced when trying to prevent the slimey sedo sauce from falling from the host’s hand onto your lap (can you see the dripping Sedo in the picture?). Unforgetable, we can’t wait for you to come visit, we’ll plan this meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Now that’s a weight loss plan!