Eating Ethiopian Food and Dating Younger Men

I said I didn’t like Ethiopian food. This turned out to be a lie. I said I couldn’t date a guy in his 20s. Another lie.

When he approached me and asked me for my number, it confused me. Surely he knew that I was somewhere in my 30s while he’d only turned 27 a few months prior. I was also confused because this was the third guy in his 20s that had approached me in just a few short weeks. Where was all of this coming from?

I gave him my number because in the past weeks I’d vowed to stay open because it was clear that the universe was trying to show me something.

He texted me a few times with not much to say…steadily engaging in the type of communication exchange that I was not into. I chided him for it. He took it in good stride and responded by asking me on a proper date.

He asked what kind of food I liked. I told him that I eat any type of cuisine except for Ethiopian food and that I’d need to revisit that one day because it’s been at least 15 years since I’ve had it.

He suggested that we get Ethiopian food. He knew a good place that he’d been to a few times.

Without hesitating, I said yes. After all, if I could go out with a guy 10 years younger than me..in public…surely I could open up my palette. It turned out to be a fruitful experience. Somewhere between injera and salmon tibs, I found myself realizing that I actually love Ethiopian food and that also, I needed to get rid of my preconceived ideas about what my love life should look like.