I love Epicúreo and this kid-loving country

So, it's been a while, a long while, since I sat down to write. My parents are here for a visit and I’d just rather spend time with them than in my head or on the computer. However, since Ely is napping peacefully beside me and everyone else has declared it a lazy day, it seems like a good time to check in.

Yesterday, we went to a kids' show for which Ely was a bit young. I knew that going in, but it was put on by a team I worked with a while ago. So, I wanted to check it out. If you have kids 2-4ish in Santiago, definitely check it out!

After the show, we headed to Epicúreo, that restaurant where the owner offered to take care of Ely while we ate in peace. We've only been there four times, but it's become a real favorite. The food is delicious and the environment is unbeatable. I don't mean ambiance. I mean environment because while the decor is quite nice, it's more than that.

There are only two waiters and, by Chilean standards, both are excellent. One of them remembers us each time and greets us as "amigos". (As proof that he doesn't just do that to everyone, he always makes reference to something that happened last time we were there.)

I tell you all this because I love the restaurant and because I had another "This is the Chile I love" moment there yesterday:

There was a little boy, 2 years old, maybe? With his face painted like a tiger. The waiter who remembers us carried him over to our table to introduce him to Ely. Ely looked at him, kind of confused because she still thinks she's the only baby in the world. The little boy was equally disinterested.

Shortly thereafter, we heard LOUD wailing. It sounded like Ely's would-be-friend was not happy. Then, we saw the little boy tiger bouncing down the front hall as happy as could be, but the wails hadn't stopped. That's when we realized that it wasn't wailing. They were roars! Tiger roars!

He was having a blast prowling the restaurant roaring at the top of his lungs... and no one was trying to stop him or even quiet him, for that matter. No one rolled their eyes. No one shot him evil looks. People smiled and accepted, even enjoyed his kid-ness.

It was Sunday lunch, a time that is traditionally a family time. So, it didn't matter that we were in a nice restaurant because kids can be kids most places and at most times in this long, thin country- not just at Chuck E. Cheese's.