Red China

We finally found a good Chinese restaurant in Addis Ababa, a place called Red China just 10 minutes from our guest house. Today we went there for lunch and although there weren't many customers there, there were plenty of people hanging out and watching television. It looked like a man and his wife ran the place, but there was a younger guy that looked like he could have been the chef, and another guy with shaggy long hair and a droopy face that I hoped was not the chef. We ordered a few dishes--garlic spinach, mabo tofu, fried rice, sliced pork and vegetables--and they all tasted authentic and full of flavor. As we finished our meal, the younger guy put a large metal pot in the middle of one of the tables and everyone gathered around with spoons and bowls and started eating up the noodles in it. They were a cordial and happy-looking group, chatting and watching a t.v. show that looked like the Chinese version of American Idol.