Flirtatious Dining
I don’t like food. I LOVE it. If I don’t love it, I don’t swallow.
~Anton Ego
One of my favorite Pixar films is Ratatouille. Maybe this is because one of my favorite restaurants is Can Can Brasserie in Carytown. Their kitchen is also set up brigade style, the traditionally French method of professional kitchen organization. After viewing Wall-E, Up and Finding Nemo 8+ times a day, Ewan has finally come around to Ratatouille. I’ve often wondered, is his recent fascination with the film due to his growing expertise in the kitchen? Is it becoming something familiar and relateable? Or is it just a super cute, talking rat? I’m hoping it’s more of the former. At 2 1/2 he’s becoming quite efficient at scrambled eggs, spreading jam and eating with a fork. But one thing I must note is his wonderful behavior when we go out to eat. He’s a delight which seems rather counter intuitive to most terrible two stories we’ve heard.
Why is this? Well, aside from good food, I have to contribute it to the restaurant staff. You don’t have to have kids to have fun with them. I’m sure many waiters and waitresses grudgingly serve families knowing they will be cleaning up a hefty mess. We have ourselves a cleaner. I do pick up the few tiny specks of food that may have inadvertantly fallen on the floor but I suspect I drop more food than my son does. The main issue we have is that if it doesn’t get picked up, when we get ready to leave he thinks he can pick them off the floor and eat them like a surprise treat. Think Buddy the Elf finding gum in New York City.
One of the main points we’ll start addressing when we review restuarants is how the staff interacts not only with Bill and I, but how they intereact with Ewan. I find that the more they interact with him, the more fun he has. It makes him feel special, like a big boy. Not only is it great for his self esteem but it makes him more confortable and hence puts him in a great mood making the dining experience more enjoyable by everyone.
Example, Bandito’s Burrito Lounge. Ewan loves to go there and not so much for the food. He will eat some nachos and guac but what he really loves is the wait staff. The tattoo laden ladies of Bandito’s just make him grin ear to ear. He flirts with them, they flirt back. It’s entertaining to watch. We’re able to take more time because he’s eying what the ladies are doing and strategizing when he should toss a crayon on the floor. (I have NO IDEA where he learned this but I suspect it’s some on Bill’s middle-aged sleezy single friends – which I say affectionately)
There’s no easier way to get a fat tip than to have fun with the kid.
We never go into a place with expectations of our waiter/waitress having some fun with the little man, but when it happens, we see it, we tip better than usual, we go back and we tell EVERYONE.
