October 9, 2005
Fat in Addis
The day after I got back I bumped into an Ethiopian friend in the UN compound in the centre of the city. She greeted me with three kisses and the words "Why Andrew, you have put on so much weight".
She was quite right of course. Three weeks of Caledonian 80 Shilling and the best fish and chips in Edinburgh will do that to you. But it still took me aback.
It took me a few seconds to realise that she was actually paying me a compliment. In the UK, it is the last thing you would say to someone returning from their holidays. Over there, people congratulate each other on how much weight they've lost. Here, apparently, it is the other way around. (Another friend here told me she was once hugged by a Bangladeshi friend and told she looked as fat as a pig).
Posted by aheavens at October 9, 2005 4:36 PM
Comments
Quite prolific, I must say. Making up for those lost weeks?
I could only imagine your friend's embarrassment when she saw your un-flattered look. I hope next time you see her you will return the compliment in kind. Preferably with out a reference to a pig. That grosses out a lot of people in Ethiopia. For most, pork is not even kosher(orthodox Christians included)
Actually, not too long ago, linking girth to wealth was a universal practice. In some parts of the world industrialization changed all that. Still in many parts of the world, your fat is a living-totem of your socioeconomic status.
Enjoy your fat.
Posted by: Mergemu Bereket at October 10, 2005 2:38 AM
It's exactly the same in Saigon, Andrew. Fatness, while not seen as attractive necesserily, is seen as a sign of wealth and success. All the rich kids in town are fat. The cops are too for the most part.
Been a reader of Meskel Square for about 6 months, love it. One of my faves. You don't happen to frequent Rabbie's Bar on Leith Walk do you? That's always my stopping off point when I'm back.
Posted by: pieman at October 10, 2005 11:18 AM
Rabbie's is just a couple of blocks from our Hillside flat - a great place. I tend to go to The Barony though or sometimes the Cask & Barrel.
Posted by: andrew at October 10, 2005 11:49 AM
Not been in either of those myself. The Barony gets a couple of interesting comments here:
http://www.edinburghpubguide.co.uk/PubDetails/Barony_Bar_176.html
Will have a look next time I'm in town.
Posted by: pieman at October 10, 2005 3:27 PM
About the weight comment: my sense is that the younger generation is definately shifting towards a more western view of girth -- atleast when it comes to girls. Perhaps this is mostly among the relatively wealthy Bole / Old Airport kids but I'm finding that more and more girls who've never left Ethiopia are becoming very weight concious -- witness the growing model industry in Addis.
Posted by: gio at October 11, 2005 4:45 AM