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| - While I was already more than impressed by the food and the fun, communal way of eating, it was a conversation I had with the owner, Michael, that turned this experience into something much more than a meal. This is what I learned:
Michaels wife and him moved from Ethiopia twenty-one years ago, and within the year they opened Marathon Ethiopian in Kensington - and they've been doing it ever since. He says the restaurant started almost as a joke - he really enjoyed his wife's meals and they'd casually kid about how they should open a restaurant. He says "I really liked her cooking... we didn't really have anything else to go on, other than hoping that other people would like her cooking too." The next thing they knew, they were going for it, and Marathon Ethiopian was opened. Twenty years later, they're business and his wife is still doing the cooking. According to Michael, things have only gotten better for them. "Calgary 20 years ago - it was tough." he said, remarking that people are a lot more open to trying new things now. "Like this - this is good!" he said, motioning toward our table.
I don't know how you could get closer to a home cooked Ethiopian meal in Calgary than this restaurant. I asked Michael about the ingredients in a hot sauce I fell in love with and he said "it's got lots of cayenne", a few more things and "the other spices, I don't know if there is even an english word for them. I bring them in right from Ethiopia" You wanna talk authenticity? Try foods made with nameless spices that aren't even available in this country!
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