The Butchered Sheep We Could Not Name

We started chopping our 20 pounds of onions the day before the party. My food processor is broken.

It was the morning of our neighborhood party…complete with sheep butcher. Jon went and bought a huge sheep the morning of the butcher and didn’t let us touch it or name it. We still have one pet sheep. :)

The men butcher, the women prepare, chop, stir, clean

Using an ax and a stick to chop apart bones

Cutting up the stomach. sometimes eaten raw, always looks like broccoli. 

Guests start arriving

Stew is full of spice, onions, oil, chopped pieces of lamp and chunks of bone with meat.

It’s such a joy watching J and A take more initiative with our neighbors, becoming a bit less shy and wanting to help, here they managed the hand washing station.

Food served

About thirty people ate half of a sheep.

After the food and soda is served, out comes the coffee, which I have hastily boiled, without tasting in the house. It was met with much laughter over how thin it was. “Ha! The foreigners like thin coffee, this is so thin!” 

I was struggling to find the humor. Excuse me. I have been up to my elbow in raw meat, I will smell like onions as they are deep in my pores for several days, I am wearing whichever baby is grumpier for the whole morning on my back and I’m a bit nauseous from the whole thing.  I grabbed the coffee pots and went for another try. Round 2 was approved and round 3 was labeled, “Just like an Ethiopian”. Coffee here is an art form and not one I have perfected. In all sincerity, I was glad our neighbors were comfortable enough to tease me.

The playing starts. Jon offered a reward to anyone who could cross this slack line. 

I love how everything is a game.

Too much cuteness!

Yeshi and Imabet helped me do dishes and the babies got involved. Literally. Miss T in the dishwater…

Tiger in the rinse water. Not super-helpful but super-cute. :)

So glad for our gracious neighbors and so much help with the butcher.