table
notes: label: Description
content: This is a low table, or rekobot, used in Ethiopian coffee ceremonies. Dark Stained wood, hand carved decoration with palm like elements along top, and scallop design below. There is a “donut”-shaped protrusion on one side to hold ceramic coffee pot. A smaller wooden cup (with lid) off other side, attached with two nails, would be lined with aluminum foil and used to burn incense. Ceramic coffee cups would be placed on top of the table. Purchased in Ethiopia and brought over some time in the late 1990's or early 2000's. Used during Ethiopian coffee ceremonies held at DAS Ethiopian restaurant in Washington, D.C.
label: Description
content: At DAS Ethiopian restaurant, co-owners Sileshi Alifom and Elizabeth Wossen would occasionally invite restaurant patrons to come together over coffee to learn about Ethiopian culture, but also about one another. In Ethiopia, women typically host and perform the coffee ceremony; honoring this tradition, a woman staff member at DAS would perform the host while Alifom explained its cultural significance to participants, including the symbolism of key elements like freshly cut, aromatic grass and incense. As part of his approach to hospitality, Alifom also encouraged conversation among participants so that they might build new relationships with one another over the course of the ceremony, which could last one to three hours.
label: Description
content: At the start of the coffee ceremony, the DAS host would set up the rekobot that held the coffee pot and cups. DAS’ rekobat also had an attached wooden cup to burn incense that were traditionally believed to scare off evil spirits. To invoke Ethiopian customs, the host would also spread freshly cut grass around the rekobot. Attendees would gather and sit in a semi-circle around the host. Then, in a gesture of welcome, the host would pass snacks, usually toasted nuts, barley, or popped corn, among attendees. To start the coffee making process, the host roasted green coffee beans in a pan over a gas burner. After toasting them, the beans were ground, and put in the jebena, or clay coffee pot, with water. The grounds were brewed three times, each time the host of the ceremony would pour coffee for guests. Alifom encouraged conversation throughout the process covering all manner of topics with the goal of bringing people closer together through conversation and the shared experience of the coffee ceremony.
label: Description
content: Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Sileshi Alifom and Elizabeth Wossen emigrated separately to the United States, Alifom at age seventeen and Elizabeth at 3. They were part of an initial wave of Ethiopians, mainly from middle and upper classes, who settled in and around Washington, D.C., in the 1960s and 1970s. For many of them, including Alifom and Wossen, D.C. provided educational and economic opportunities, and had a built-in support network for new migrants because of the presence of the Ethiopian embassy.
label: Description
content: In 2011, after Alifom had retired from a 30-year career with Marriott hotels, they decided to take over a pre-existing Ethiopian restaurant in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington D.C. and rebranded it as DAS Ethiopian Restaurant. Das is the Ethiopian word for tent and is a reference to the use of a tent for large family gatherings and shared meals. Alifom and Wossen created a distinct interior décor fashioned after the international look and feel of the hospitality industry: white tablecloths, cream colored walls, white plates and napkins, and black and white photos. In the dining room, they play international jazz music, seeking to provide a welcoming space for visitors from around the globe. Their clientele consists of local Georgetown residents but also many visitors of D.C.
topic: label: Subject
content: Ethnicity
label: Subject
content: Food Culture
label: Subject
content: Coffee Drinking
label: Subject
content: Restaurants
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Ethnic
label: Exhibition
content: Food: Transforming the American Table
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Sileshi Alifom and Elizabeth Wossen
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2018.0018.01
label: accession number
content: 2018.0018
label: catalog number
content: 2018.0018.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: table
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 26 cm x 62 cm x 29 cm; 10 1/4 in x 24 13/32 in x 11 13/32 in