This guy was participant in one of those workshops that seem taking place in every corner. Not very much used to such gatherings it was an experience for him.
The workshop was conducted by a foreigner and a local fellow who seems to act more foreigner’ than the real one. (There are so many of those times these days!)
Lunch was in some hotel. Now this guy I’m telling you about is very strict about his dining. He seldom dines outside his home. Not that he is scared of the ills; he doesn’t accept such invitations unless it is about work and he doesn’t want to stay locked in when luck comes knocking. Even then he went only to traditional restaurants.
This time, however, there wasn’t much ‘traditional’ about the cuisine. So, he has to settle for whatever there was available. He was feasting on some ‘strange looking’ salad or something the name of which he
couldn’t recall, or even asked. (No, in such places you don’t ask however ‘new’ the dish might be to you. No what you do is act as if you have known it since your kindergarten days.”
Then somehow the fork slips and some food end up on his very light- colored shirt.
He says he never felt more embarrassed in his life.
“But why?”
“What would all those people think of me?”
Well, of course it is easy to say, “So what! Why should you care what they think?”
Yes, it’s very easy to say that. But most of us finding ourselves in the same position wouldn’t have acted any differently. But is such embarrassment justified? No! Why in
the world should I be embarrassed for not knowing how expertly handle the fork and the knife! Why should I feel embarrassed for something I didn’t deliberately do?
It’s an important day. You are going on a date where anything could happen. You’re dressed in your best and feel like the most handsome guy in the world. George Clooney can exile himself on Mars for you care. Now you are not going to travel in a minibus and embarrass yourself.
What could she have said if she saw? No; minibuses are out. You’ll go in one of those small cabs paying three hundred Birr while a minibus could have s cost you only six Birr. Why does that happen? Well you thought that dressed like a prince you just can’t stand the embarrassment of travelling in the minibus! And that three hundred Birr will cause a massive dent in your monthly budget!
In the article above I told you about this relative of mine who asked me if I use Imo. I said “no,” because I never used it! If you want to know I didn’t use most such things I don’t know how to operate them. Should I be embarrassed? No way! But the conventional wisdom seems to be that I should feel just that, embarrassed.
Why should anyone be embarrassed for not knowing how to eat with the f knife and the fork? If a foreigner doesn’t know how to eat a good dish of firfir I can tell you he’d be the last person to feel embarrassed, even if a whole stadium of us are watching!
And we, we’ll probably laugh the whole away! Believe me none of us would say, “How embarrassing! This ferenji doesn’t know how to eat fifir!” And a ferenji who says “Isn’t it embarrassing that this guy doesn’t know how to eat with the knife and fork?” is an embarrassment himself. Case closed.
The Ethiopian Herald February 21/2021