What Language is That? (Ethiopia) Summary

"What Language is That?" is the shortest story in the collection, clocking in at just 10 pages. The story opens with the narrator describing her best friend, Selam and their close relationship. The two girls do everything together, even vacation with the narrator's family. During one vacation, Selam asks if hamburger is pork, claiming that another girl at the school, Hadiya, told her it was, and that she couldn't eat it. The narrator screams at Selam, saying that she told her to never speak to Hadiya and now they can no longer be friends. When Selam begins to cry, the narrator's father interjects, saying, "Best friends don't quarrel" (p. 145). The narrator's father says Selam should eat whatever she feels comfortable with while she is with them, but seems relieved when Selam says her parents have given...