"When the musicians came to help the Ethiopians' hunger, it was
about that time we opened the restaurant. And a lot of people
came and said, 'This has to be a joke.'"   Amare Solomon's
Dahlak restaurant offers patrons the opportunity to enjoy
authentic Ethiopian food in traditional Ethiopian style, from a
common platter placed in a covered table.  Photo by Dwight
Luckey  Cook, Class of 1920 Commons Length of service: 13 years.
Other stuff: Known as the "Mayor of Baltimore Avenue." Has
organized local merchants and helps immigrants set up new
businesses.  Amare Solomon was relaxed the afternoon we met, but
it was the calm before the storm: it was Dining Out for Life
night, and in a couple of hours, his Ethiopian restaurant,
Dahlak, would be filled to the gills with customers.  Solomon,
who fled civil war in his native Eritrea in 1981, arrived in
Philadelphia that same year determined to learn new skills,
which led him to settle near the University. After abandoning
plans to become an auto mechanic, he landed a