Waiting For My Food

When it comes to Thai food in Tacoma, folks seem to have definite favorites.  Some folks only like Wild Orchid.  Others only go to the ‘old’ East West.  We know some that only go to Silk Thai.  Everybody we know, except for The News Tribune, likes Indochine – but nobody goes there on a regular basis in our group of friends.  We have a special place in our hearts for Sars on the North end of Pearl.  Personally, we like them all and don’t consider one to be better than the other.  It just depends on our mood. 

Our dinner last night came from Silk Thai on Sixth Avenue.  I didn’t call in the order like I normally do.  I didn’t walk in and order, then leave for while, like I sometimes do.  This time I ordered and sat at one of the stools facing the kitchen.  It was fascinating. 

I watched the perfectly choreographed moves in the kitchen.  A bowl of ingredients starts at one end, gets prepped, ends up in a wok, lands on a plate, and is garnished into something beautiful.  I watched one of the waiters battle a mango smoothie.  “What happened to the top of the blender?”  I saw the pressure to finish orders that were taking a wee bit too long.  “Where’s #54?”  In the kitchen I could watch the cooks work a wok, add ingredients, add water to create a plume of steam, add more ingredients, stir, and plate.  Glasses of wine passed in front of me.  Customers waiting for take-out orders or looking for seats passed behind me. 

This was a view of a restaurant that few places try to hide, but few people actually see.  Our seats rarely give us an opportunity to watch the show.  The energy seemed high, yet contained.  It could be addictive.  My plan for the evening didn’t include watching restaurant staff bustle about.  After last night, I’d definitely do it again.