So This Minister Gets A Coke

The Street Hustle

Phoenix is a highly underrated town when it comes to food. Vincent’s, Cowboy Ciao, Aiello’s, are but three of the hundreds of brilliant eateries in this burg. There, is one kind of cuisine that is hard to find in the Valley of the Sun – Chinese. There are shitty joints like the Golden Phoenix, and the requite Panda Expresses scattered through out the metropolitan area, but in the way of seriously good (shitty or otherwise) Chinese? Fugetaboutit.

Pei Wei is a near notable exception. Although the food never reaches above good, the quality never varies. It’s always just good. The various Pei Wei’s in Phoenix are cafeteria style ordering and seating, so as you wait for a runner to bring your Hot and Sour soup, off to the soda fountain you go for your Coke, Mr. Pibb X-tra or floral Ice Tea.

While pouring my fountain Coke the other day, I found myself in the middle of a conversation about Seattle Seahawks new head coach Pete Carroll.

“You know he left USC because of the coming NCAA sanctions,” one guy said.

“Carroll knows what he did and exactly just how bad all the infractions were,” his friend said.

“He’s fucking guilty as sin,” I concurred. I looked over my left shoulder to hear the response to my statement and found myself eye to eye with a Protestant Minister. Guilty as fucking sin would appear to be his area prevue.

As my foot slowly removed itself from my mouth, I managed to mumble “sorry reverend, that’s your territory.” He smiled at me, touched my shoulder and continued discussing the wager of Pete Carroll’s sins.

I enjoyed the toe jam with my Mongolian Beef.