The meek might inherit the Earth, but in the meantime, the brave will eat better. The reason is simple: It’s the daring who discover a deeper and more diverse roster of enjoyable foods, cultures and people as they leave their ruts behind – and gain a better understanding why they love the menu at their personal Comfort Zone Café. The stories and personalities that emerge from those adventures, meanwhile, only make the food tastier.

What follows is a peek at personality-plus food found in strange places in Seaside and Marina, which, as the most culturally diverse cities in the area, represent prime property for adventurous epicures to pursue paydirt.

THAI-SOUL FOOD IN AN AMERICAN LEGION

There’s not another menu in the county quite like it: golden fried chicken, hot wings, red curry, pad Thai noodles, seafood gumbo, pig feet, Thai-fried rice, black-eyed peas. It hop-scotches like that, between two cultures, as if Thailand has continental drifted into the American South.

Annabelle Liscomb is the spitfire maven behind the menu. Born in Thailand, raised in Laos, she says she worked – during the Vietnam War – on top-secret assignments for the American Embassy, where she met an Air Force man whom she would later marry and move with to South Carolina and New Orleans. There, she added smothered pork chops and such to her Southeast Asian arsenal.

Fast forward to September 2009 – when she was supposed to have taken over the surprisingly sparkling kitchen at the Seaside American Legion to whip up her Thai/soul food lunch and dinner menu as she does each weekend.

“They make me angry,” she says in a clipped Asian accent. “I have to cook late.” Apparently lunch was nixed because the Legion was holding an afternoon wake. Come dinner, though, the star came out: pig feet wading in a Tom Yum broth, dressed with sliced vegetables ($5/half-order; $10/full).

The glistening skin bulged and shivered with fat, gristle, bone, tendons and scant meat. The partial limb reluctantly gave way with a moist, squishy sound followed by popping knuckles. The meat was Jello tender, the broth adding a sour, funky bite on the front end. Primal. The black-eyed peas were hearty, flecked with okra; the corn bread simple and not too sweet. The fried catfish ($10) was a golden, crispy, warm and tender delight, accompanied by sloppy, savory collard greens ($3). The tartar sauce was surprisingly good – tangy and creamy. After liberally sprinkling Louisiana cayenne hot sauce and abandoning the utensils in favor of a tactile attack with sticky fingers, we were all in, and the soul of the food had everybody’s tastebuds singing.

But like many worthy food adventures, it doesn’t come easy: The dimly lit American Legion isn’t much by way of ambiance, and though Liscomb says she plans on a regular Friday-Monday Legion gig, her unique meals can be elusive – a Sunday follow-up for the Thai portion revealed Post 591 rented out to a private quinceañera party instead. Best to call ahead.

Louisiana’s Thai Belle’s American/Thai Cuisine • American Legion Post 591, 1000 Playa Ave., Seaside • Noon-close Fri-Mon • 277-3057.

BARBECUE FROM GOD

Some chefs draw their encouragement from a parent or an early kitchen experience. Not Kelvin L. Johnson. His inspiration is divine – and the results are heavenly, for heathens and believers alike.

Every other Friday, the Midas mechanic takes to the streets peddling blessed barbecue – righteous ribs, chicken or tri-tip-with sacred sides like homemade mac ‘n’ cheese, potato salad, barbecue baked beans or garlic bread. His aim isn’t to make money, it’s ministry: He sells 25 to 30 meals in order to pay for the spread he shares with the homeless who gather in Laguna Grande Park. “Feeding and praying for the homeless, the poor and the hungry, one soul at a time,” his business card reads. “God bless you a lot.”

Midas neighbor and Acme Roasting Company chief Larry Thurman, an oracle on most everything local, independent and underground, is among the loyal clients Johnson delivers to.

“He’s got the homemade touch,” Thurman says. “The macaroni and cheese is old school, the beans are homemade. It’s the comfort factor, dude. The meat’s never over-cooked, the sauce is sweet and spicy. It’s killer. Everything’s wet.”

Plates cost $8 and Johnson, who jokes he once thought he’d become a world-famous caterer, will happily refund any unsatisfied customer’s money. And that won’t happen until Hades hits freezing. All told, it’s a rather glorious proposition.

Kelvin L. Johnson Ministry • Every other Friday in Seaside, including Oct. 2 • 710-0277.

The server-owner at the small, tucked-away Shin Ra, where the name on the façade is spelled differently than the one on the menu, would not accept our two-top’s order, the Skate Wings with Cold Noodle in Spicy Sauce ($11.99).

“I don’t recommend,” he told us. “It has strong smell. Like skunk.”

“Fair enough,” we replied. “How about the Guts with Vegetable ($29.99)?”

He laughed. “No, no, no, no… it’s… ” he stammered, rubbing his belly. “Korean people love it,” but why don’t we try the tried-and-true Bul Go Ki beef or Jap Jae noodles? We opted for Jun Gol – black goat stew ($29.99, feeds four).

It came out in a sauce pan, bubbling atop a gas burner on the table, joined by an array of banchan (pickled, salty, spicy, sweet and sour sides) and white rice. It was a plentiful, rich, brown, gamey concoction, loaded with bok choy and onions.

The plentiful leftovers the next day, though, revealed that it was precipitously close to the end of its shelf life – a peril that accompanies the rewards of adventurous dining.

Shin Ra Korean Restaurant • 256-A Carmel Ave., Marina. • 11am-10pm Mon-Sat; 11am-9pm Sun • 384-8956.

The non sequitur Muslim name Mecca – for a German deli that sells Spaten lager and plenty of pork – is almost as bizarre as some of the items on its shelves. (The moniker from its past life as a Middle East grocery store held over.) Note the pistachio liver paté, or the schwartenmagen, or the head cheese, a salted and spiced lunch meat made of meat from a cow’s head. There’s also fleischsalat, literally “meat salad,” and a surprisingly complex and silky cow-blood-and-pig-snout-and-tongue cold cut called blug und zungenwurst. It’s the delicious schnitzel, though, that sells out daily as early as 12:30pm. The thinly sliced pork loin that’s breaded and fried doesn’t look too meaty or tasty, but it’s bursting with flavor. Some people call ahead to have a few set aside.

Mecca German Style Delicatessen and Specialties • 10am-6pm Mon-Fri; 10am-5pm Sat; closed Sun • 215 Reservation Road, Suite N, Marina • 384-7821.

This game-changer hides in anonymous plastic tubs tucked in an easy-to-miss corner of the shop’s expansive glass butcher display. It’s not the only thing worth adoration at El Rancho – the burritos that seem to outweigh normal newborns are a bargain at $3.25, but other Mexican-style grocery stores like Mi Tierra in Seaside offer similar standout value (and tables charmingly thrown right on the floor of the store). This fresh homemade salsa, though, is in a class its own – and a deal at $1.75 for a big container. With fresh chopped white onions, scallions and cilantro, a perfect amount of heat provided by the visible chili seeds and a beautiful limey finish, this salsa single-handedly elevates the most straightforward tamales, burritos and chips to utter awesomeness.

El Rancho Meat Market • 346 Reservation Road, Marina • 6:30am-9:30pm daily • 384-5151.

Not much outwardly recommends this joint – it’s tiny, cluttered with cheap decorations, hidden in the corner of a small Seaside strip mall, and, perhaps most damningly, has a name that better belongs on a barbecue joint. But it can compete with the best Chinese in the area code, and at less expensive price points. One wall is plastered with pictures of what appear to be every menu item – appetizers, soups, rice dishes, veggie dishes, specials, catered meals, etc. On a recent visit, two soups – a congee (sort of like thin, soupy grits, with chicken and scallions) and a mushroom-tofu number – carried the day deliciously ($6.95 each). When they arrived, they were big enough to dunk a head into; in went a spoon instead. The eating didn’t stop – couldn’t stop – until a bulging-and-sloppy happy customer had finished both, and decided to become a regular at this diamond in the rough.

Jim’s Chinese Restaurant • 1584 Del Monte Blvd., Seaside • 11am-9pm Mon-Sat; noon-9pm Sun • 394-5117.

A Plus Marina Quality Water has long peddled filters, bottles, dispensers, tanks and water for home and office. As of this summer, though, they are also trafficking 2am Truffle, 1020 and coconut pineapple, having worked out a deal to sell 24 homemade flavors of Marianne’s Ice Cream from the Santa Cruz-based company. And just weeks in, they are doing a hopping business.

The truffle, named for the time its inventor conceived it, is a maximum-yum combo of Oreo cookie and chocolate fudge swirled into caramel ice cream. Cones start at $1.50. And that’s as cool as ice cream.

A Plus Marina Quality Water • 215 Reservation Road, Suite O, Marina • 11am-9pm Mon-Fri; 10am-9pm Sat; 11am-8pm Sun • 883-3915.