Happy 4th of July, all you Americans! Hope you enjoyed the day off - I had to WORK. It was a rather fun work day though. I had my last day of training in Footscray. We whizzed through the agenda and spent the better part of the day chatting. The rest of the class took great joy in giving me an education in Aussie speak (words, phrases, expressions, songs) - I will assemble a list and post soon. We finished early and I spent a few hours wondering around Footscray. Every shop sign and restaurant was Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Ethiopian, and other ethnic marvels. I wandered through shop after shop of 'tat' (trashy garage sale paraphernalia) and wondered how they ever sell anything, let alone stay in business.
Phill met me in Footscray for dinner. We went to an Ethiopian restaurant, Lalibela, that his co-workers highly recommended. Neither of us had ever eaten Ethiopian food, so we didn't really know what to expect but were excited to try it. Phill joked we would be served fresh air on plates. Cassie suggested we would be chasing two peas around a plate. No. We ordered two traditional dishes - a chicken dish and spicy beef wa-ts stew, along with injera (pancake bread) and Ethiopian beer (St. Georges lager). We had been told the injera was similar to naan or roti, but it was disappointing, tasting like a wimpy wet flavorless sponge. We wondered if it should have been cooked (more/at all), but I suppose they knew what they were doing. They poured both dishes onto a huge platter lined with injera and you tear off pieces of the injera to scoop up the meat. There is no silverware, so this is an eat-with-your-hands kind of place. I didn't care at all for the chicken dish which tasted more like indiscriminate mush. The spicy beef was quite flavorful and good, but I'd order it over rice next time. The beer was excellent.
Change of subject. I think I've probably explained this before, but in case I haven't, I live on Grey St in St Kilda, which is suggested to be the height of the red light district. The area has been gentrified over the past 10-20 years and is beginning to outgrow that reputation. I've never felt unsafe or uncomfortable walking home (it is a busy, well lit street). That said, I have witnessed some "culture". Since I walk along this street several times daily, I see the same girls often, and have exchanged greetings with several of them (can't be rude!). Well... a couple nights ago, I said hello to one of the girls and kept walking as usual. She called out for me to hold up, and I thought to myself, what can she possibly want? She said that she'd seen me several times and told me I had a pretty face, that I reminded her of her sister, and we actually had a short conversation. So there you have it. Now I am making friends with the prostitutes.
