Ethiopians find common ground with coffee
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Described by many experts as the birthplace of coffee , Ethiopians are hopeful that one of their ancient traditions can help bring the country together even as it becomes more and more divided politically, socially and economically. Villagers in Ethiopia say the act of drinking coffee “is transformational as each cup changes the inner persona of the one who drinks it.” It is usually drunk strong and brown with sugar or salt or sometimes without any flavoring agent. The coffee, grown on the higher slopes of Ethiopia, has a delicate and pungent flavor that is destroyed if over-boiled. For Halle and her friends, when classes are over they come together to brew a large pot of coffee as they watch the latest news and entertainment on television. “It’s a way to come together,” she told Bikyanews.com . “I don’t think our parents’ generations paid much attention to what was happening culturally and socially and they allowed the country to be run by a dictat