HONEYFEST SAN DIEGO'S FRIDAY NIGHT EVENT

ETHIOPIAN DINNER AND A MOVIE WITH HONEY WINE

Friday, January 13 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
at Red Sea
Buffet Dinner: $10 per plate; 30% of the proceeds benefit Grow Strong

On our first night, we will celebrate the cuisine of Ethiopia, which produces 24 percent of Africa's honey, while watching the film Vanishing of the Bees. Ethiopia is one of the world's great centers of agricultural development, as the ancient people of Ethiopia domesticated crops like teff, used in the national bread injera, finger millet, used to brew the national beer, and coffee, enjoyed around the world today.

Vanishing of the Bees, showing at 7 p.m., takes an investigative look at the global implications of the dying honeybees, yet celebrates the ancient and sacred connection between man and bee. The story highlights positive changes that have resulted due to the tragic phenomenon known as "Colony Collapse Disorder" and will leave you with ideas on how to make a difference.

The vegetarian buffet will include flavorful dishes of split peas, lentils, collards, and other vegetables, which are all eaten with injera instead of forks. Additionally, we will enjoy a very special delicacy: tej, Ethiopia's honey wine. Tej is made from honey produced in the very northern part of the country, above 7500 ft above sea level in the Moutains of Tigray. There, the bees gather pollen and nectar from a variety of indigenous plants that are found nowhere else in the world. This gives the honey a unique and special flavor.

Tej, along with Ethiopian coffee and beer, will be available for purchase.

The above photo by Dennis Lint captures Honeyfest's first event, Ethiopian Dinner and a Movie! Leslie Goldman led a rousing "Bees Grow Strong!" chant to open Honeyfest 2012.