Ethiopian Food

I just tried Ethiopian food for the first time. All I knew about it was that they use a lot of spices and that you have to eat with your hands. And that's still all I really know about it. Yes, there were spices, but all of the flavors ended up merging together. In the end, lentil paste, chickpea paste, and split pea paste all taste the same. Even the chicken and beef plates tasted identical because the meats were in the exact same sauce. What really confused me was why we were eating pastes in the first place when you can't use your hands. Wouldn't solid foods be easier? You have to eat everything by ripping off little pieces of bread (called "injera") and pinching the different foods between the bread and quickly shoving the bite in your mouth before it lands in your lap. I mainly went for the most solid foods (pieces of cabbage, baby carrots), and I will say the bread is tasty (and has quite an interesting texture!). But, I don't like messy to begin with, and eating in this manner has messy written all over it. I swear, the next time I eat Ethiopian food (if there is a next time...), I'm sneaking in a fork (or a spoon rather).