The D.C. Foodie Guide
by Gabrielle Wong (Spring 2017)
I came to Washington DC. with no expectations at all. I am a senior studying Finance and I technically had all the credits to graduate a semester early. But who wants to do that? I was not ready to go out and leave the BU bubble I’ve spent the last three years and a half in. Why not apply for a study abroad internship program that will give me a semester long internship experience?
I have never been to DC. All I knew was the president works here. That’s it. I knew nothing about politics or policy. After five months, I realized DC is not just about politics and there are plenty of opportunities for every major. You just have to look for it. From attending classes at George Washington University, it gave me an opportunity to immerse myself in a diverse student body. This is where my food journey started. I love exploring new restaurants in every city I travel to. I believe food culture reflects the style of the neighborhood it’s in and is a community within itself.
Artwork by school children from different backgrounds explaining their food culture.
There are many thriving DC neighborhoods such as Adams Morgan and NoMa, and each have its own unique style. The gentrification and suburbanization within DC can be somewhat identified by the location of restaurants. On one of our Friday field trips, we walked through little Ethiopia. Well, the old “Little Ethiopia”. Originally, “Little Ethiopia” is in the Adams Morgan and Shaw area, but as their community grew, it has slowly moved towards the Silver Springs area. Today, Ethiopians are still the largest African immigrant group in the DC area. Walking through the old Ethiopia, I came across an Ethiopian restaurant called Ababa. I’ve never had Ethiopian food before, but I love trying out new cuisines. Faced with a menu that contained unfamiliar items such as “Gored Gored” (Beef marinated in Ethiopian butter and spices) and “Gomen Besiga”(Slow cooked beef with Ababa seasoning), I was intrigued. I ordered the Gored Gored, which came out beautifully. The dish was extremely flavorful and came out very tender. The unique seasoning left me wanting for more. If you have a chance, definitely try out Ethiopian food, I think you will be pleasantly surprised!
Interior of the Ethiopian restaurant I visited, where there are pictures of the owner’s family and influential Ethiopians.
Another new cuisine I tried out was Laos food. Laos is a small country between Thailand and Vietnam. Being from Hong Kong, I constantly crave Chinese food and was disappointed with the options in DC. However, there are a lot of options for Vietnamese/Thai food here. A majority of Vietnamese refugees settled near DMV area and established a Vietnamese hub. I tried out Thip Khao at Adams Morgan and it was amazing. The chef and owner was born in Laos and fled during the Vietnam war, she stayed at a refugee camp in Thailand and learned how to cook there. The authenticity and quality of the food there blew me away. They also have a jungle menu for the more adventurous types, such as spicy goat curry stew. Trust me, the flavors will blow you away.
Gabrielle is a senior studying finance who is interning at a property management company, and is loves spending her free time exploring the food culture in D.C.
