On weekend mornings, the folks at Fremont Jai Thai serve up a breakfast that overlays an authentic Thai kitchen on classic American diner accoutrements, right down to the glass syrup pitchers and little plastic packages of jam. The menu runs the gamut from American standards like pancakes, bacon, and eggs to curried noodles (in much of Asia, breakfast isn’t all that different from lunch and dinner) and congee (“Rice soup or porridge consumed for breakfast, often with bits of meats, nuts, or other garnishes”—Blum’s Pocket Dictionary of Ethnic Foods) . A recent visit started off a little rocky—a couple of items we asked for weren’t available—but all was soon forgiven as we tucked in to enormous plates of attractive food (the prices aren’t rock-bottom but the portions sure make up for that, as does the availability of booze). The whole fried tilapia was tender and sweet, and the home fries alongside were just like they’re supposed to be, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside—fancied up a little with bell peppers, too. Pancakes were properly fluffy, with slices of mango baked right in. But the happiest meeting of East and West came in an unexpected form, the “dried salty fish” that is offered as a side dish along with bacon or sausage. It was an unmistakably Asian foodstuff, yet it reminded my friend, who grew up Jewish in Michigan, of the smoked whitefish from the Sunday brunches of his childhood. How’s that for proof that we’re all one world? 3425 Fremont Ave. N., 206-632-7060. FREMONT