Home

Cooking something.

#39-Articles

Retirement

What is stopping you!

Hey brewerssss

Civil society organizations are doing the work governments should be doing. Fund them, don't suppress them.

I'm not against economic reforms. I'm against economic reforms where the cost is entirely borne by people who had nothing to begin with.

The new parks are bringing communities together. I've had more conversations with neighbors in the past month than in the last two years.

Coffee shops that play loud music while you're trying to have a conversation: who hurt you?

My cousin had a small kiosk on that stretch for 8 years. He got 2 weeks notice, no compensation, nothing. The new grass looks nice though.

The trees planted are non-native species that need constant watering in our climate. This project will cost a fortune to maintain and half the trees will die.

Finally! Parks that are actually lit at night and feel safe. The design team understood the assignment.

The new parks are lovely for the middle class who jog. The poor who lived and worked on those routes are now invisible to the city's imagination.

The chemex is just a fancy jebena and I will die on this hill.

Freedom of press is not a luxury — it is the immune system of democracy. Attack it and everything else gets sick.

The new roadside park is beautiful if you ignore the fact that 400 informal workers lost their livelihoods to build it. Aesthetics shouldn't erase people.

Urban greenery isn't just aesthetic — it reduces heat, filters air, reduces crime, improves mental health. The Addis park project is public health infrastructure.

Coffee without a good conversation is just caffeine delivery. Slow down, share a cup, talk to your neighbor.

Landlords raising rent during inflation while wages freeze is a form of wealth transfer from poor to rich. Call it what it is.

My cousin had a small kiosk on that stretch for 8 years. He got 2 weeks notice, no compensation, nothing. The new grass looks nice though.

Every time I explain the Ethiopian coffee ceremony to foreigners their minds are blown. We should be louder about this.

Running through the new greenway at 6am with 200 other Addis residents. The city is changing and I am here for it.

Nobody wins a protracted war. The historical record is clear on this. Why do leaders keep forgetting?

Small business owners are in survival mode. Input costs double, customers have less money, margins disappear. This isn't just an individual struggle.

Small business owners are in survival mode. Input costs double, customers have less money, margins disappear. This isn't just an individual struggle.

The birr has lost so much value it's hard to plan anything financially. Long-term investment? Saving? Retirement? These are becoming jokes.

When economists say 'temporary inflation' they don't have to feed a family of five on a teacher's salary. Temporary is a long time.

Civil society organizations are doing the work governments should be doing. Fund them, don't suppress them.

Nobody talks about how inflation hits women hardest because they're the ones managing household budgets in most families. This is a gender issue too.

Ethiopia–Iran trade relations have been growing. This conflict is going to set that back significantly and our businesses will feel it.

The birr has lost so much value it's hard to plan anything financially. Long-term investment? Saving? Retirement? These are becoming jokes.

The new parks are lovely for the middle class who jog. The poor who lived and worked on those routes are now invisible to the city's imagination.

The oil price spike from the Iran situation is already starting to hit transport costs here. Fasten your seatbelts.

Coffee without a good conversation is just caffeine delivery. Slow down, share a cup, talk to your neighbor.

Price controls would help in the short term and create shortages in the medium term. There are no easy answers. But doing nothing is also a choice.

Hot take: Addis Ababa has some of the best coffee culture in the world and nobody talks about it enough. We invented this drink and somehow still import Starbucks cups.

Watching politicians promise infrastructure while the same potholes from 2020 are still there in 2026. Accountability means something.

Just had the most incredible Ethiopian coffee ceremony at a friend's place. Three rounds, each one better than the last. No espresso machine on earth can replicate that.

I asked the city council rep about relocation support for displaced vendors. He blocked me on Telegram. That's the consultation process.

The 'third wave coffee' movement basically rediscovered what we've been doing for centuries. Credit where it's due.

A bag of teff that cost 400 birr two years ago is 950 birr today. My salary didn't double. My rent didn't double. Only the prices did.

Running through the new greenway at 6am with 200 other Addis residents. The city is changing and I am here for it.

Urban greenery isn't just aesthetic — it reduces heat, filters air, reduces crime, improves mental health. The Addis park project is public health infrastructure.

Democracy doesn't work if citizens aren't informed and engaged. Voting is the floor, not the ceiling of civic participation.

Foreign currency shortage means import costs stay high means everything costs more. The fundamentals are bad and the fixes are painful.

Every election cycle the same promises. Healthcare, education, employment. Every post-election the same silence. We remember.

For a city that's been construction and dust for years, having actual green lungs in the middle of the city feels revolutionary. Breathe.

When economists say 'temporary inflation' they don't have to feed a family of five on a teacher's salary. Temporary is a long time.

Inflation is a policy choice at some level. When leaders say they can't control it, ask them what policies they're trying and who's advising them.

Green washing. The city bulldozes the lungs of its poorest citizens then plants trees and calls it environmental progress.

Not against parks. Against the uncompensated displacement that funded them. The distinction matters enormously.

The maintenance costs for this park project are being paid while hospitals in the same city don't have basic equipment. Priorities.

The green coffee smell from a roasting shop is one of the best scents in existence. That is all.

The new parks are lovely for the middle class who jog. The poor who lived and worked on those routes are now invisible to the city's imagination.

Every time I explain the Ethiopian coffee ceremony to foreigners their minds are blown. We should be louder about this.

I asked my kids to cut down on juice because we can't afford it this month. They didn't complain. That hurt more than any bill.

Coffee farms in Kaffa region are reportedly struggling with climate change. The irony of the birthplace of coffee potentially losing its crop is too much.

The gap between how politicians live and how average people live has become obscene. This is not normal.

Sidama cooperative just won a major international award. Ethiopian farmers deserve every recognition and more.

Pretty parks don't pay rent. The vendors who were displaced from that corridor had been feeding families for decades. Where did they go? Nobody's asking.

The 'third wave coffee' movement basically rediscovered what we've been doing for centuries. Credit where it's due.

My kids played outside in a clean, safe, properly maintained green space for the first time. In Addis Ababa. In 2025. This matters more than I can explain.

Street food has become expensive. When street food is expensive you know things are seriously broken.

Running through the new greenway at 6am with 200 other Addis residents. The city is changing and I am here for it.

Political parties should be judged by their actual policy outcomes, not their rhetoric. Words are cheap, roads and jobs are not.

Coffee shops that play loud music while you're trying to have a conversation: who hurt you?

The new parks are bringing communities together. I've had more conversations with neighbors in the past month than in the last two years.

Watching politicians promise infrastructure while the same potholes from 2020 are still there in 2026. Accountability means something.

Buna dabo naw. Coffee is bread. This phrase means everything.

The 'third wave coffee' movement basically rediscovered what we've been doing for centuries. Credit where it's due.

Hot take: Addis Ababa has some of the best coffee culture in the world and nobody talks about it enough. We invented this drink and somehow still import Starbucks cups.

Not against parks. Against the uncompensated displacement that funded them. The distinction matters enormously.

Landlords raising rent during inflation while wages freeze is a form of wealth transfer from poor to rich. Call it what it is.

The situation in Iran is being watched very carefully here. Ethiopia imports through Gulf routes and any regional instability ripples out in fuel and goods prices.

Tried a washed Yirgacheffe pourover this morning. The floral notes hit different when you know the farmers who grew it.

There's a new roastery in Bole that's doing incredible single-origin work. The transparency about which cooperative they source from is what specialty coffee should be.

I asked the city council rep about relocation support for displaced vendors. He blocked me on Telegram. That's the consultation process.

My generation is the first in this family that will be poorer than their parents. That is not acceptable and it is not inevitable.

My cousin had a small kiosk on that stretch for 8 years. He got 2 weeks notice, no compensation, nothing. The new grass looks nice though.

My grandmother's jebena is 40 years old and still makes better coffee than any machine I've ever used.

Walked through the new roadside park project in Addis this morning and genuinely teared up. Green space in this city has been a dream for so long. It's happening.

I asked my kids to cut down on juice because we can't afford it this month. They didn't complain. That hurt more than any bill.

I love green space. I hate that we built it by erasing the people who made those streets alive. Both things are true.

My morning routine: jebena on the charcoal, sit outside, watch the sunrise. No app, no screen. Just coffee and peace. Try it.

Street food has become expensive. When street food is expensive you know things are seriously broken.

Just had the most incredible Ethiopian coffee ceremony at a friend's place. Three rounds, each one better than the last. No espresso machine on earth can replicate that.

Democracy doesn't work if citizens aren't informed and engaged. Voting is the floor, not the ceiling of civic participation.

Cost of living crisis is global but that doesn't make it less personal when you're choosing between medicine and food.

International law either applies to everyone or it applies to no one. This principle should be non-negotiable.

Harar coffee gets slept on so much. Bold, winey, complex. If you haven't tried it you're missing out.

Price controls would help in the short term and create shortages in the medium term. There are no easy answers. But doing nothing is also a choice.

I love green space. I hate that we built it by erasing the people who made those streets alive. Both things are true.

The trees planted are non-native species that need constant watering in our climate. This project will cost a fortune to maintain and half the trees will die.

Landlords raising rent during inflation while wages freeze is a form of wealth transfer from poor to rich. Call it what it is.

Political parties should be judged by their actual policy outcomes, not their rhetoric. Words are cheap, roads and jobs are not.

Controversial: the second cup in a coffee ceremony (tona) is actually the best one. Fight me.

The 'third wave coffee' movement basically rediscovered what we've been doing for centuries. Credit where it's due.

Watching politicians promise infrastructure while the same potholes from 2020 are still there in 2026. Accountability means something.

Street food has become expensive. When street food is expensive you know things are seriously broken.

Hot take: Addis Ababa has some of the best coffee culture in the world and nobody talks about it enough. We invented this drink and somehow still import Starbucks cups.

The trees planted are non-native species that need constant watering in our climate. This project will cost a fortune to maintain and half the trees will die.

Not against parks. Against the uncompensated displacement that funded them. The distinction matters enormously.

Political parties should be judged by their actual policy outcomes, not their rhetoric. Words are cheap, roads and jobs are not.

The new parks are lovely for the middle class who jog. The poor who lived and worked on those routes are now invisible to the city's imagination.

My neighborhood didn't ask for a park. We asked for a paved road, a working clinic, and reliable electricity. We got a park.

Coffee shops that play loud music while you're trying to have a conversation: who hurt you?

I asked my kids to cut down on juice because we can't afford it this month. They didn't complain. That hurt more than any bill.

Credit where it's due: the landscaping quality on the new park project is excellent. The plant selection is appropriate for the climate. Someone did their homework.

Oromia coffee farmers getting fair prices is not just an ethical issue, it's a cultural survival issue.

Why do people gatekeep coffee brewing methods? Espresso, pourover, jebena — they all serve different moods. Let people enjoy their cup.

Cold brew in Addis Ababa? Unnecessary when it's never that hot. But also somehow delicious. Contradictions.

Running through the new greenway at 6am with 200 other Addis residents. The city is changing and I am here for it.

Federalism on paper vs federalism in practice are two completely different things.

hellow its mows coffee

We were promised consultation before the park construction. There was none. 'Beautification' without participation is just displacement with flowers.

asdf

Not against parks. Against the uncompensated displacement that funded them. The distinction matters enormously.

የቡና ዋጋ ለተማሪዎች ከፍተኛ ሆኗል 😅

ቦሌ ላይ ብዙ አዲስ ሻጮች ከፍተዋል — ጥራት variable።

ቡና በፒያሳ እንደ ቀድሞው አይደለም — ግን አሁንም ጥሩ ቦታዎች አሉ። ምን ታማኝ ነው?

Urban greenery isn't just aesthetic — it reduces heat, filters air, reduces crime, improves mental health. The Addis park project is public health infrastructure.

My grandmother's jebena is 40 years old and still makes better coffee than any machine I've ever used.

I asked the city council rep about relocation support for displaced vendors. He blocked me on Telegram. That's the consultation process.

My grandmother's jebena is 40 years old and still makes better coffee than any machine I've ever used.

For a city that's been construction and dust for years, having actual green lungs in the middle of the city feels revolutionary. Breathe.

The trees planted are non-native species that need constant watering in our climate. This project will cost a fortune to maintain and half the trees will die.

Oromia coffee farmers getting fair prices is not just an ethical issue, it's a cultural survival issue.

Small business owners are in survival mode. Input costs double, customers have less money, margins disappear. This isn't just an individual struggle.

The birr has lost so much value it's hard to plan anything financially. Long-term investment? Saving? Retirement? These are becoming jokes.

There's a new roastery in Bole that's doing incredible single-origin work. The transparency about which cooperative they source from is what specialty coffee should be.

The chemex is just a fancy jebena and I will die on this hill.

I asked the city council rep about relocation support for displaced vendors. He blocked me on Telegram. That's the consultation process.

Egg prices, oil prices, bread prices — the staples are what kill you slowly. The luxuries you can cut. The basics you cannot.

Democracy doesn't work if citizens aren't informed and engaged. Voting is the floor, not the ceiling of civic participation.

Foreign currency shortage means import costs stay high means everything costs more. The fundamentals are bad and the fixes are painful.

Coffee without a good conversation is just caffeine delivery. Slow down, share a cup, talk to your neighbor.

When economists say 'temporary inflation' they don't have to feed a family of five on a teacher's salary. Temporary is a long time.

Urban greenery isn't just aesthetic — it reduces heat, filters air, reduces crime, improves mental health. The Addis park project is public health infrastructure.

Cost of living crisis is global but that doesn't make it less personal when you're choosing between medicine and food.

Why do people gatekeep coffee brewing methods? Espresso, pourover, jebena — they all serve different moods. Let people enjoy their cup.

The new park corridor along the ring road is a genuine quality-of-life upgrade. Shade trees, benches, walking paths. This is what urban planning should look like.

Ethiopia–Iran trade relations have been growing. This conflict is going to set that back significantly and our businesses will feel it.

Three months after completion and the sprinkler system is already broken. The vendor carts are gone but the maintenance budget went where exactly?

Every time I explain the Ethiopian coffee ceremony to foreigners their minds are blown. We should be louder about this.

Street food has become expensive. When street food is expensive you know things are seriously broken.

Coffee without a good conversation is just caffeine delivery. Slow down, share a cup, talk to your neighbor.

Middle class in Ethiopia is becoming a myth. The squeeze between stagnant wages and rising prices is hollowing out every family I know.

My morning routine: jebena on the charcoal, sit outside, watch the sunrise. No app, no screen. Just coffee and peace. Try it.

Why do people gatekeep coffee brewing methods? Espresso, pourover, jebena — they all serve different moods. Let people enjoy their cup.

Pretty parks don't pay rent. The vendors who were displaced from that corridor had been feeding families for decades. Where did they go? Nobody's asking.

Cost of living crisis is global but that doesn't make it less personal when you're choosing between medicine and food.

Three months after completion and the sprinkler system is already broken. The vendor carts are gone but the maintenance budget went where exactly?

Oromia coffee farmers getting fair prices is not just an ethical issue, it's a cultural survival issue.

Coffee shops that play loud music while you're trying to have a conversation: who hurt you?

Cost of living crisis is global but that doesn't make it less personal when you're choosing between medicine and food.

Addis coffee shop scene is booming but I miss the simple buna bets. The $8 flat white culture is pricing out the people who actually built this coffee culture.

Democracy doesn't work if citizens aren't informed and engaged. Voting is the floor, not the ceiling of civic participation.

I asked my kids to cut down on juice because we can't afford it this month. They didn't complain. That hurt more than any bill.

Not against parks. Against the uncompensated displacement that funded them. The distinction matters enormously.

Addis coffee shop scene is booming but I miss the simple buna bets. The $8 flat white culture is pricing out the people who actually built this coffee culture.

Landlords raising rent during inflation while wages freeze is a form of wealth transfer from poor to rich. Call it what it is.

Fight me: a well-made macchiato from a street cart in Piazza beats any fancy specialty cafe downtown. Change my mind.

The chemex is just a fancy jebena and I will die on this hill.

Every election cycle the same promises. Healthcare, education, employment. Every post-election the same silence. We remember.

Coffee farms in Kaffa region are reportedly struggling with climate change. The irony of the birthplace of coffee potentially losing its crop is too much.

We were promised consultation before the park construction. There was none. 'Beautification' without participation is just displacement with flowers.

Why do people gatekeep coffee brewing methods? Espresso, pourover, jebena — they all serve different moods. Let people enjoy their cup.

Seeing Ethiopian coffee labeled as 'exotic origin' in European cafes for 5x the price it sells here. Something is wrong.

Not against parks. Against the uncompensated displacement that funded them. The distinction matters enormously.

Democracy doesn't work if citizens aren't informed and engaged. Voting is the floor, not the ceiling of civic participation.

Credit where it's due: the landscaping quality on the new park project is excellent. The plant selection is appropriate for the climate. Someone did their homework.

Small business owners are in survival mode. Input costs double, customers have less money, margins disappear. This isn't just an individual struggle.

The green coffee smell from a roasting shop is one of the best scents in existence. That is all.

My neighborhood didn't ask for a park. We asked for a paved road, a working clinic, and reliable electricity. We got a park.

Street food has become expensive. When street food is expensive you know things are seriously broken.

Every time I explain the Ethiopian coffee ceremony to foreigners their minds are blown. We should be louder about this.

Urban greenery isn't just aesthetic — it reduces heat, filters air, reduces crime, improves mental health. The Addis park project is public health infrastructure.

Cost of living crisis is global but that doesn't make it less personal when you're choosing between medicine and food.

Ethiopia–Iran trade relations have been growing. This conflict is going to set that back significantly and our businesses will feel it.

Buna dabo naw. Coffee is bread. This phrase means everything.

Landlords raising rent during inflation while wages freeze is a form of wealth transfer from poor to rich. Call it what it is.

Three months after completion and the sprinkler system is already broken. The vendor carts are gone but the maintenance budget went where exactly?

The new roadside park is beautiful if you ignore the fact that 400 informal workers lost their livelihoods to build it. Aesthetics shouldn't erase people.

The 'third wave coffee' movement basically rediscovered what we've been doing for centuries. Credit where it's due.

Oromia coffee farmers getting fair prices is not just an ethical issue, it's a cultural survival issue.

Democracy doesn't work if citizens aren't informed and engaged. Voting is the floor, not the ceiling of civic participation.

Why do people gatekeep coffee brewing methods? Espresso, pourover, jebena — they all serve different moods. Let people enjoy their cup.

I asked the city council rep about relocation support for displaced vendors. He blocked me on Telegram. That's the consultation process.

Cold brew in Addis Ababa? Unnecessary when it's never that hot. But also somehow delicious. Contradictions.

Foreign currency shortage means import costs stay high means everything costs more. The fundamentals are bad and the fixes are painful.

The coffee ceremony isn't just about the drink. It's about slowing down, the incense, the popcorn, the conversation. We're losing that ritual.

Who approved a park project that bulldozed affordable housing units? Show me the public hearing minutes. There weren't any.

We were promised consultation before the park construction. There was none. 'Beautification' without participation is just displacement with flowers.

The chemex is just a fancy jebena and I will die on this hill.

Landlords raising rent during inflation while wages freeze is a form of wealth transfer from poor to rich. Call it what it is.

The new park corridor along the ring road is a genuine quality-of-life upgrade. Shade trees, benches, walking paths. This is what urban planning should look like.

Hot take: Addis Ababa has some of the best coffee culture in the world and nobody talks about it enough. We invented this drink and somehow still import Starbucks cups.

Nobody talks about how inflation hits women hardest because they're the ones managing household budgets in most families. This is a gender issue too.