View Point

We ate lunch at a restaurant called View Point on the edge of town that was situated on a hill that overlooked Addis Ababa. Our driver dropped us off and we climbed the stairs up to the restaurant. Along one wall was a long bar where the staff was situated; they had been using it in the afternoon to place menus, silverware and the like. We took a table in the middle of the room and perused the menu, which mainly featured Italian dishes. The waiter asked us what we’d like to drink and we all ordered water. The smile on his face faded. He returned to take our order and we told him we’d share a few dishes and I ordered ravioli, tagliatelle and a green salad. He looked at the next person to continue taking orders and we said again we would share. He walked away looking dejected. Another waiter brought the water in a large plastic bottle with the label taped back on upside down and filled all our glasses before setting the bottle on the table.