– I’m taking this week off for Christmas and to get the new issue of Combine out. I know last week was light on strips, but I’ll be back next week with new strips. The Mermaid story is about to heat up! In the mean time I’ll have some really cool stuff later this week, so please check back on Weds and Friday!
– My very favorite place to eat in Portland is a Chinese restaurant on 39th and Hawthorne called Lucky Strike. For years Lucky Strike has been part of a tradition for my self and other Portland cartoonists. After a convention or book signing we always go to get some late night Sichuan food. Lucky Strike has a fantastic menu,a fantastic bar and a fantastic staff. It also projects movie onto a large screen. Eating there over the last few months I’ve seen parts of Shaolin Soccer, Spirited Away, Police Story, Fistful of Dollars and Big Trouble in Little China. I was devastated to discover that Lucky Strike is closing this Sunday. It’s the latest victim in the ongoing Portland land grab, with investors buying up local property and jacking up the rent to drive the current tenants out. My neighborhood is starting to look like a ghost town, with businesses that have been here for years forced to close. Even my local game store Red Castle Games is facing this problem. Anyway, tonight I got together with Ben Hsu (of Liscensed Heros), Jaymz Bernard (of Devil Spy), Alan Ward (of Metamorphosis Protocol), Dax (of Beaver Comic), Barry Deutsch (of Hereville) and some other friends for one last spicy meal. it was worth it. I’ll miss the place! As a tribute I thought I’d post Modest’s trip to Lucky Strike, a three part comic that appeared in the Season 3 book. I hope you all enjoy it!
Hahahah! I love this! Reminds me of the time I was with friends and my ex at a Thai place. He ordered the “Crying Steak” and wondered out loud why it was named that. He took one bite, and a river of tears came down his face.
A few year later, I my husband’s “Scorned Woman” BBQ sauce with vegetarian wings. It was very sweet, but had a very, *very* spicy aftertaste. He warned me not to eat lots, but I told him he was full of it (I loved to eat wasabi all the time and the BBQ’s aftertaste didn’t hit yet). I was literally drinking out of the spout at the sink. For a day after, it burned all the way through!!!!
Ben Hsu sweats like a dying man anytime we eat at Lucky Streak. It’s hilarious and amazing. He always comes out of the place looking like he just gave birth.
I once had something with a sweet chili sauce at a Thai place. It didn’t taste hot at all on the way in, but on the way out was a completely different story.
If the Mermaid story is about to heat up, does that mean she’ll ditch her winter gear and go back to her usual outfit?
There are clam shells in the future.
Yeah, but it depends on who. If it’s Jake-in-the-comic wearing them I don’t know if I’d want to see them again…
No spoilers, sorry.
I know that feeling… when the food is so spicy it’s BURNING, but it’s so awesome I just want more and more!
Guess what happens if you use Dave’s Insanity sauce instead of salsa when making a quesadilla
Guess which idiot found that out the hard way
Guess which idiot then enjoyed the endorphin rush so much they did it again on purpose
ha.
Ahaha ))
…now I can’t stop thinking about spicy food. Darn.
I recommend Burnside Brewings Sweet Heat beer to go with it in the future! To quote their site: 4.9% ABV, 9 IBU. Apricot and Scotch bonnet pepper wheat beer. Spice level varies per batch. 2012 GABF gold medal winner. A little sweet and heat that lasts but won’t keep you up all night! I’ve seen it at Fred Meyers and some Safeways.
I’ll check it out!
I am so sad about Lucky Strike.
I love how he just casually mentions she’s stinky and she’s just surprised.. their relationship is adorable.
Merry Christmas, Jake ♥
Merry Christmas!
I have never been to Lucky Strike, but now I want to go, and am pissed off on your behalf for the unfair (but apparently perfectly legal) business practices forcing established businesses out.
I want to eat someplace like that! I want to set up a Chinese restaurant that operates like that here! We have one crappy Chinese buffet place, and one nicer sit down generic Asian restaurant here that is pricey, but pretty good, and that’s it. Very limited options here.
We have lots of nice choices for Chinese food in Portland, but LS was always my favorite for the combination of excellent food, neat location (it’s kind of hidden under a music venue) and great staff. Losing it is a real blow to Portland. Every town should have a place so cool
I know this is unrelated to today’s strip, but when I saw it on clickhole, it reminded me of Modest. http://i.onionstatic.com/clickhole/2457/3/16×9/608.jpg
Awww. Also, terrifying. Did I ever mention that this comic was inspired by a similar event?
I was raised on bland foods but I have developed a reasonably high tolerance for spiciness, for instance, it takes about 5-6 mouthfuls of beef vindaloo before it becomes too painful for me to eat on.
I’m not much for spicy foods, but what I liked about LS was that it was tasty-spicy, not painful spicy. You wanted to keep eating it because it was so good!
AH!
That is the correct response to spicy food. 🙂
So what does she smell like? Fish too long on the counter?
Unwashed fishbowl.
That is exactly what I always assumed!
OMG watching her suddenly go all “gwhooooa” really made me laugh out loud!
What’s a… bath? Food-wise.
It would be one thing in a large amount of another. In this case, chunks of chicken fried and served in a large amount of peppers.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4138/4776812046_ce817b7b9f.jpg
De(vi)lish!
I miss it already!
I don’t understand why anyone buying up land would want to evict businesses making lots of money.. they can pay you rent! do you not WANT rent money? Do you think you can build something better? Because if it’s a ghost town, that’s not making you a cent. I mean business is business, but if it’s not making money then that’s not business, that’s just being a jerk for no reason.
Right now everything in Portland is being bought up to be turned into housing for wealthier people moving here from out of state. it’s a huge problem. People who have lived here their entire life are being pushed out because of increasing rent. In some cases rents have more the doubled in the last 3 years. So buying up property to build condos or to build high end supermarkets and other businesses to cater to these new renters is where the money is at, even if it means closing down everything that makes Portland Portland.
This perfectly encapsulates my reactions anytime I get Blazin’ Wings at Buffalo Wild Wings or use my Ghost Pepper sauce on something (sometimes I get curious and just dab it on stuff. Never doing Ghost Ice Cream again.)
I must share this comic with all my friends now.
I wonder if that would even work. As far as I know, reptiles do not react to capsicum the same way mammals do, because of the differences between how the nerve cells react in the two classes. But still makes a fun read. Wait, why is the main mouth drinking the water (does not help BTW) when it was forward-right “hair” that ate the spicy stuff?
Who knows hwo the inside of her head works?
What is the point of Modest drinking the water when the snake was the one who ate it?