Lunchtime

I just got back from the Thai restaurant I frequent and yum...the chef was doing well today.

I love the 'Ferry Noodle House' because I walk in the door and the waitress greets me with 'Hi Paul, having the same thing today?'. I nod in the affirmative, sit at the bar, and she grabs my credit card and hands me a glass of water. No needless words exchanged. I generally despise small talk in all it's forms.

I always order the same thing: Chicken Pad Thai, 3 stars. I'm sure some of the other food they serve is excellent, but I can't help but order the Pad Thai. To me, it is the perfect dish. When you take a bite, your mouth is flooded with sensation: Sweet, Salty, Sour, Savory, Spicy, and Bitter...all in a single bite, perfectly balanced. The texture is a noodle dish, with the slight crunch of bean sprouts. Occasionally I take a bite of the shredded carrots that they garnish the dish with a swig of water just to cleanse out the palate. Afterward though, I jump back into devouring the dish.

The sweet comes from palm sugar in the sauce, salty comes from the soy sauce they use as the base as well as (what I think are) dried shrimp throughout. Tamarind provides the sour, you get spicy from hot thai peppers, savory from the peanuts and chicken, and pungent from the garlic/shallots throughout. Plus, add a litte scallion in there somewhere. The result is yummy.

The balance is subtlety different every time I taste it. It varies based on which chef is doing the dish, the time of day (busy times seems to give a different mix for some of the chefs) as well as (I imagine) my particular mood at the time. Sometimes the egg or meat might be a little overcooked, sometimes perfect. Sometimes the chef will squeeze a little lime (or include a wedge) on the noodles, other times not.

Personally, I like the inconsistency. I realize that I order the same dish every time I go, but in reality, since the dish is different every time I taste it, I have quite the variety. Oh, I could go to McDonalds or Quiznos if I wanted a consistent meal (I do go to both occasionally, but only do McDonalds when I'm in a hurry). But the ferry noodle house is delightfully inconsistent, and sometimes I just love not knowing what I'm going to get.

One day I might order a different dish, but I doubt it. I will likely have to go to a different Thai restaurant to order some of my other classic Thai favorites. If I go to the Ferry Noodle House, I'm getting the Pad Thai...otherwise I might miss out on the flavor that the chef is giving to me today. And we can't have that.

I also like just having to nod and grunt to order. I'm not a person who likes to engage with people over trivialities. When I walk into the Starbucks by my work, the barista says 'Hi Paul' and just starts making my drink. Sometimes I might want to change my order at Starbucks, but meh...its so much easier just to nod and let them make it. I love efficiency.

There have been a few times where I have gone into Cups, another downtown Coffee place. I love their Coffee (better than Starbucks), but I have to actually open my mouth and speak words in order to get them to make me the drink I want. This just seems like wasted effort.

I'll just go back to Starbucks to nod and grunt. Efficiency wins.