The Perfect Little Restaurant…almost

So I’ve seen this darling little Italian Restaurant I have been wanting to try since January.  I don’t know street names (for the most part) over here, so trying to explain to someone who doesn’t speak the same language how to take me to this restaurant at night just hasn’t appealed to me…well, Wednesday, I took my boys and myself to the Dr. and realized we were all hungry and decided we would try that restaurant that day:

It has a pool in its quaint little courtyard, open air, lovely little paintings AND a place to sit on cushions on the floor so the wee ones could enjoy themselves (there are no highchairs in restaurants here).  Jackpot!~  Zachary happened to have his swim trunks with him because it was swim day at school, he jumped right in while I enjoyed a cappucino and my boys and ordered our wood fired pizzas!  We enjoying our fabulous little lunch date together…took some pictures:

TELL ME…HOW PERFECT DOES THIS PLACE LOOK!?

We loved the food, chatted with each other, watched Zach swim and let the twins dip their toes!  It was THE perfect restaurant, until Zach ran out of the pool and yelled, “Mama!  I saw a BIG RAT!”…What?  Then Khamary says, “Oh, yeah, I saw it over there too, behind the flowers.”…WHAT?  Mama looks and sees a little dude scurrying about his business behind the bougainvillea.  We did not pack up and RUN out of that restaurant (although I wanted to)…but here is what followed:

• I thought to myself, “I have not seen a lot of rats here, but I am usually out during the day.”
• We called the the waiter over…at Zach’s request…to tell her about the rat.  She said, “Oh, yeah.  There’s one that lives over there.  He went back home.”
• Zachary did not want to get back in the little pool…although if you look at the picture, you can see the bougainvillea in the VERY back…that is where the rat was.

• Zachary & I had a discussion about rats.  About how they do not like water, blah blah blah.  To which Zachary says to me, “Mama.  Do you see sidewalks around that pool?”  Me, “Ummm, no?.”  Zachary, “Right.  There are no sidewalks, which mean that rat has to SWIM in the pool to get back to his home.  I do not want to go in the big pool!”  (Pretty good thinking on this 3 year olds part!)

So, I’m sure you all have the heebie jeebies…(because I sure as hell did)…and although I loved my food, I’m not sure I could go back.

I tried explaining to the nannies that in the US if someone saw a rat like that…the place would be SHUT DOWN. LOCKED OUT. CONDEMNED.  They just smile and laugh at me…(I mean, we are talking about a girl who told me that in her old house rats were running across her at night in her bed.  She didn’t mind the big “mouses”…but the “baby mouses” who were all pink scared her…and she had an expensive rent of $50 per month…of course, this is when I said, “WHAT?  Just move into our back room!!!”…which is how Leak & To came to live with us when she only worked 2 days per week for us!…)  I have seen a lot here…experienced a lot…seen a lot of determination. 

I mean…I guess if the rat is only hanging out by the pool…maybe the kitchen is safe?!  (Let’s hope…)