Backwoods Blog .131

DRUNKEN NOODLES

Backwoods Blog;

in the woods and on the road…

Thai Etc..located in Bangor, Maine

On the way back from our road trip to southern Maine last week we stopped at a little Thai food restaurant in Bangor. And when I say little, I mean little. It’s not quite as small as a food truck, but you get the idea…Thai Etc (formally Thai 2 Go) is located at the busy traffic light corner of Broadway and State Street at the top of the big hill leading into downtown Bangor. Everything is small at Thai Etc, even the parking lot. It is take-out only with limited outside seating available. As this was our first time, the owner (you’ll see him seated in the window in the picture posted below) assisted us with the menu offerings adding a personal touch and making us feel like we’d been coming there for years. Since the sign outside said, “World’s Best Drunken Noodles” I already knew what I was going to have. How can I not try those?! The heat-index ranged from 1-5, which as it turns out is a key factor in ordering. I chose a 3 when I ordered my drunken noodles. The owner looked me over like I’d never had Thai food before and said, “I’m going to give you a 2…” Since I didn’t want to start an argument with such a nice man, I relented. Linda ordered Pad Thai with chicken. She selected a 1 with her order, just to play it safe.* The owner changed her order to zero. I didn’t even think that was on the heat-index scale! As it turned out, we were both satisfied with our food (and its spiciness) and the next time we go, we know exactly what heat-index number to select.

One more note of interest from our recent trip; two different food businesses we patronized (including Thai Etc) had a sign saying “We do not accept cash or cash tips.” All transactions were electronic. I remember a business owner friend of mine, years ago, said, “There’s going to come a day when a business won’t take your cash.” Well, it looks like my friend was right after all…

* You may want to ask Linda about this to get her side of the story.

On the road,

Dave

May 10, 2023