On my way to Bamako, Mali, I had an overnight layover in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Ethiopian Airlines provided a hotel for me.  It was great to have a place to sleep and brush my teeth, but let’s just say there weren’t any chocolates on the pillow at this place.  With the hotel room came a free dinner.  It was the exact kind of food-festering-in-chafing-dishes-for-unknown-amounts-of-time buffet that my guidebook tells me to avoid.  But, because I’d ambien-ed myself through the last two meals of the flight and was starving and also because I have a personal policy of never saying no to a free meal, I took the risk and ate it.  I couldn’t tell you what at least 75% of the stuff on that plate was, but I can tell you it was delish.  And, so far so good on any resulting stomach issues.  First legit African meal—A SUCCESS!