As I drove north on I-5, I realized that I wasn’t just making my way to the Alderwood Mall. I was making a beeline for its food court at 75 miles per hour, my mind racing. The fried egg on toast I had eaten an hour before was already a distant memory; my thoughts had turned to the fast-food delights I secretly love: the Whopper Jr. (my favorite), the KFC Famous Bowl, a gooey calzone and fountain Coke from Sbarro…
Upon arriving at “the Terraces,” Alderwood’s inexplicably named food court, I was momentarily disappointed, then pleased. There was no sign of Burger King, KFC, or any of my fast-food go-tos. Instead, there are places like Blue Olive Mediterranean Cafe, Chipotle, Anthony’s Fish Bar, Sarku Japan, and Charley’s Grilled Subs—a mix of small minority-owned businesses, big corporations, independently owned franchises, and regional chains. Mall dining options have evolved to reflect the increased diversity of the ethnicities and incomes of the people who walk its tiled floors, hungry and slightly dazed.
The sign said Thai Go, and I went, because the menu of hot noodle soups got me excited for second breakfast…
