[djf]

O had read a few years back that it is still a crime in Ethiopia punishable by death to smuggle out any kind of coffee bean that is still alive.

They still have like 90% of the worlds extant undiscovered coffee species and don’t want anything else getting out.

[muawiyah]

That is to be believed ~ one of our neighbors brought his own beans ~ but he lived just outside Ethiopia in Eritrea. They have the same stuff.

It's a major thing with them.

The old timers here remember when the Ethiopians arrived ~ they moved in quickly because they didn't have much. Then, after their grass grew high enough they bought a power mower ~ which the women learned to use.

They wore their saris and gold jewelry to mow the lawn while the men sat at a little white table sipping coffee.

Oh my lord did I ever learn an awful lot about Ethiopians that I'd just never imagined when they mowed the grass.

They assimilated after about 20 years living here but I never saw the men mow the grass. They supervised!