In Addis Ababa, the Coffee Is the Meeting — Epoche A1
On my first morning in an office in Addis Ababa, a woman put a small stove on the floor and began to roast coffee. I thought it was a break. It was the meeting. First she roasted the green beans in the room, so all of us could smell them. That smell is the invitation. Then she made coffee three times. Each round has a name: abol, the first; tona, the second; baraka, the third. Baraka means blessing. After the first cup I wanted to go back to my desk. Now I wait for the third one. The work talk comes with it, and it is better talk.