• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Shop
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

teach mama logo

teach mama

helps families connect & build bridges between home & school, by amy mascott

  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • early literacy
    • alphabet
    • beginning sounds
    • phonics
    • phonological awareness
    • read-aloud learning
    • rhyming
    • sight words
  • reading
    • books
    • comprehension
      • activating schema
      • connecting
      • inferring
      • predicting
      • questioning
      • retelling / summarizing
      • visualizing
    • concepts of print
    • environmental print
    • fluency
    • non-fiction
    • spelling
    • word building
    • word consciousness
    • vocabulary
  • writing
    • creative writing
    • grammar
    • informative writing
    • tripod grip
  • math
    • computation
    • counting
    • numbers
  • science
    • animals
    • plants
    • science experiments for kids
  • Activities
    • birthdays
    • cooking
      • new for us foods
    • crafts
    • foundations
      • colors
      • critical thinking
      • fine arts
      • listening
      • pretend play
      • sorting
      • speaking
    • holidays
      • new year’s
      • valentine’s day
      • president’s day
      • st. patrick’s day
      • april fool’s day
      • easter
      • mother’s day
      • teacher appreciation
      • father’s day
      • july 4th
      • halloween
      • thanksgiving
      • christmas
    • family life
      • family fun
      • giving back
      • lunchbox love notes
      • school
    • indoor activities
    • outdoor activities
  • digital literacy
    • computer time
    • iPad for learning
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

local ethnic restaurants: a family food adventure

home / family life / travel / local ethnic restaurants: a family food adventure
43 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Before kids, my husband and I talked a good game. We had big plans. ethnic restaurant family food adventure

Weโ€™ll pack up everything!

Weโ€™ll move across the world!

Weโ€™ll teach at an Amerian school abroad!

Yeah! Life is too short!

Letโ€™s live this adventure!

But then came coaching jobs, teaching jobs, activities, all of those years of friendsโ€™ weddings, and then. . .ย  babies.

And we were stuck here. Not stuck, but stuck.

So we stayedโ€”and it looks like weโ€™ll stay for a while. But that doesnโ€™t erase our love of food and love of adventureโ€”we just have to find more creative and at-home ways of filling those holes.

And we’ll teach the kids a little something along the way.

We do a lot of new-restaurant and new-food trying over here, and we believe that local ethnic restaurants are a hidden gem–a trip away from home but at home.

A few days ago, while my husband was on his yearly man-adventureโ€”his golf tripโ€”I grabbed my fearless, 8-and-a half-month-pregnant sister and dragged her on the kidsโ€™ and my latest food adventure: a local ethnic restaurant.ย  An Ethiopian restaurant.

Hereโ€™s the skinny. . .

  • Local Ethnic Restaurants– A Family Food Adventure:ย  This I love Ethiopian food, but more than the food, I love the experience of eating at an Ethiopian restaurant.

Lucky for us, here in the DC Metro area, there are tons of really amazing ethnic restaurants, and Ethiopian restaurants here are some of the best.

ethiopian with kids bread

 

I scored a coupon for our restaurant and was sure to take it alongโ€”you never know how these food adventures will go, so you might as well make sure to keep it as cost-effective as possible.ย ย  I know my kids are pretty food-brave, but again, you never really know until you get there.

I had prepped Maddy, Owen, and Cora for this adventure just in conversation:

You, Aunt Katie, and I are going on a food adventure while Daddy’s away. We’re trying a new restaurant–with totally new-for-us-food, and I think you’ll love it. Oh, but you can’t use utensils.

ethiopian with kids juice

 

ethiopian with kids apps

 

Huh? Whaaaa? was about all I got.

You heard me–food adventure. Can’t wait!! It’s Ethiopian food–one of Daddy and my favorites. You’ll love it–chicken, lamb, veggies. . .

But what did you say about the utensil thing? Can you repeat that? The ‘no utensils’–

Oh yeah, you eat everything by scooping it up with bread–it’s a flat bread, and oh man you’ll love it.

From that point on, the kids were hooked. Hooked.

 

ethiopian with kids main course

 

ethiopian with kids maddy

 

I told them about the food adventure on Wednesday when my husband left town, and they talked about it until Friday.ย ย I didn’t want to show them pictures–though I know I could have found them with a quick click of the mouse–because I wanted to leave a lot up to their imaginations. I wanted to prep them in a fun and cool way.

Because I really wasn’t sure how the no utensil thing would go.

By the time 5pm on Friday rolled around, they were getting anxious. And they were tired from a 5 full-day week. Note to self: new restaurants, 30 minutes away should be reserved for a weekend or early, early dinner, especially when there’s a tired 5 year old involved.

It was an adventure.

We all searched for the proper address, found the restaurant and popped in–and immediately felt like we had stepped into a new city, somewhere totally different from what we were used to.ย  Everything was a learning experience, from the seating options to the menus, to the decor.

 

ethiopian with kids decor

 

We relied heavily on our waitress’s recommendations, and they were right on spot. We tried:

  • guava juice & mango juice
  • sambusas: triangular shaped pasteries filled with beef, green peppers, onions, and peppers and lentil-filled
  • doro alitcha, key fitfit, fasolia bekarot, cabbage for four: a mix separate dishes consisting of chicken, eggs, lamb, potatoes, greens, and cabbage, served on top of injera, the Ethiopian flat, spongy bread
  • popcorn: free and Owen totally took advantage of it

The food. Was. Amazing.ย  And the only rule was that you had to try the food twice before you wrote it off.

Maddy ate her little face off. Owen tried everything, tried it a second time, but didn’t love it. And though Cora was pretty tired and rather cranky, she toughed it out.ย  For the most part.

ethiopian with kids decor 2

 

And though I wish everyone loved it as much as Katie, Maddy, and me, Owen scarfed the popcorn and Cora ate enough of everything though she wasn’t the most pleasant dinner company.ย  In fact, our littlest one walked herself up to bed the minute we got into the door but woke up the next day asking to go back. Maybe it wasn’t in the cards for her that night.

But to know that the kids were able to step out of their comfort zones for a night, give it a good, ole try, and live to tell about it ranks it as a win in my book.

It’s cool when you can pick from a wide range of ethnic restaurants in a close proximity from your house on any given night. We’re lucky to have that option, and I know we don’t take advantage of it as often as we should.ย ย 

I know this kind of local ethnic family food adventure can’t be an every month thing–it’s too expensive, and we’re too busy. But it made me more excited to keep an eye out for new ethnic restaurants, and I am going to make it a goal to try at least one restaurant–or one ethnic dish we can cook at home–each season. Now on our list? Jamaican, Thai, Vietnamese, Salvadorian, French. We’re on a mission.

That’s do-able, right?

What do you think? What ethnic restaurants have been big scores for your family, and what have been your flops? Do tell! I’d love to hear!

You May Also Like...

  • Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators
    Navigating Education in a Time of Uncertainty: A Virtual Summit for Educators
  • how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep
    how to prepare your child for kindergarten -- summertime prep
  • Virtual Summit for Educators: Navigating the Online Classroom & Beyond
    Virtual Summit for Educators: Navigating the Online Classroom & Beyond

About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

Previous Post:texting as a learning tooltexting as a learning tool: reading, spelling, composing
Next Post:5 min reading tricks for raising rockstar readers5 min reading tricks for raising rockstar readers

Sidebar

amy mascott profile blog

join the coolest club around:

  • About
  • Contact
  • disclaimer
  • terms of use
  • privacy policy
  • Site-Map

Instagram


our books

setting the stage for rock-star readers
raise a reader

Find Us On Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Helpful Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Follow Us On Instagram

View
Open
UMD Womenโ€™s Basketball ROCKS!! โค๏ธ๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ–ค๐Ÿ€

We absolutely love watching you play, @terpswbb !

We love watching you perform, @marylandcheer !

And @mightysoundofmd we love your music and your hilarious signs! ๐Ÿ˜ฌ๐Ÿ˜ณ

See you in Greenville! 

#terpsbasketball #terpswbb #umd #familyfun #marylandcheer #umdfamily
View
Open
Tomorrow is St. Patrickโ€™s Day!

Are you ready? 

https://shop.teachmama.com/

#saintpatricksfun #stpaddysforkids #familyfun #classroomactivities #teachmamashop
View
Open
This is how we use the St. Patrickโ€™s Day Brain Teaser Scavenger Hunt! ๐Ÿ€

Super easyโ€”and makes kids work a little for their golden chocolates! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Grab them here: https://shop.teachmama.com/product/st-patricks-day-scavenger-hunt-4-pack/

<< Tag a pal who needs to know about this and would LOVE to use it with kids or students! >>

#stpatricksdayfun #saintpaddysday #stpaddysforkids #stpatsfun #linkinbio
View
Open
and then there were six
๐Ÿฑ๐Ÿฆ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆ„๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฐ

thank you @thewoobles for giving my mind, heart, and hands something fun to do during a really challenging few months. 

#crochet #thewoobles #brainbreak #teachersanitysaver #shescrafty
View
Open
With great sadness, I'm writing to share that my brother-in-law, Jeff Mascott passed away from pancreatic cancer earlier this week--at home, surrounded by family and friends. 

The family is very grateful for the community's immeasurable help, encouragement, and prayers over the past several months since Jeff's diagnosis. 

Jeff's obituary will run this weekend in the Post: 
https://www.collinsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Jeff-Mascott?obId=27420280&fbclid=IwAR2YTRooCyaLTikfjLeqF4gM-GaB1amZI2OmVl1VtKLUOjWj3Wo4URD8lC8#/obituaryInfo
View
Open
Flowers and a basket of @traderjoes faves are salve for a tired and weepy soul. ๐ŸŒท

Thankful for great, longtime friends ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›

#itshardtobeahuman #thankfulheart #wlhs4evah #teacherbffs
View
Open
Almost 30 years of friendship!! I love these smart, beautiful, strong and creative women who walked with me through my early days of teaching. 

๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š

Thank you, Wilde Lake High School, for bringing us together way back when. 

๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’›

Missed you, jigofjoy ๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿ’š

#weareteachers #andoneprincipal #wildelake #wlhs4evah #teacherbffs #wildelakehs #teachersofinstagram #celebratewewill
View
Open
Today marks the 4th time in 3 weeks that I have had to hang new Kindness Reminders Tear-off Sheets! 

Makes my heart ๐Ÿฅฐ!! 

Some kids come by every day and give one to a new person. Others take a bunch for the week. One 2nd grade girl comes by evey morning to tell me who she gave hers to the day before. 

Every little bit helps, friend. And every interaction matters!

#kindnessrocks #adoormadeforme #teachersofinstagram #makeadifference
View
Open
Best crew for one of the best @terpswbb games weโ€™ve seen all season! 

And of course super job by @marylandcheer and @mightysoundofmd too! 

#terpswbb #terpsbasketball #familyfun #marylandcheer

Copyright © 2023 · teach mama media, llc · All Rights Reserved

  • 1
43 shares