Venturing Out and the Show at Papa Johns

Today was not as early as yesterday, but the boys still woke up at 5am. They must have woke me during the deepest part of my sleep, because I was really sort of shaky for the first hour or so that we were up.

We planned to leave the house early as we were going to leave with Dustin today, so the morning went quickly. He had a convention to attend and the boys and I were going to check out this sale near our church (I believe it was to be like a garage sale). We left together as Dustin's destitionation was on the way to where we were going. While they boys and I were at the sale, Tom, our driver was going to drive something downtown Pudong for Dustin and then come back and pick us up.

The ride down to the convention location was long due to traffic and I had to use all my abilities to keep Josh entertained and not screaming as Dustin tried to conduct business with his fellow employee (he went to the convention with Dustin). We dropped them off and thankfully it was not far to where our destination was to be. As the sale, based on the map provided, was close to our church, I had Tom drop us off at our normal spot. When we got out, I remembered from Sunday that they are in the process of tearing out the sidewalks in front of the church. This meant a little more off roading than I anticipated and a lot more dust. Thankfully though the stroller and Danny held up just fine.

We walked down toward where the map said the restaurant would be that was hosting the sale. We walked about two city blocks and could not find the cross roads that were listed. Therefore, we walked back to our starting spot to check to make sure that the road was the same as the one listed on the map. (This whole distance was the scrapped up sidewalk and around loose bricks and those mini excavators--not the easiest walk and extremely dusty). When we got to the corner, I find that it is the correct street and I was heading in the correct direction. I decide to cross the street to see the side we need more clearly.

We walk down three more long blocks and still the streets are not matching. (My initial thought was that they were only listing the main roads). Unfortunately, not even the large cross roads were matching what the map said. As there was a large park on the corner across from us, I decided to give up the notion of the sale and walk through the park with the boys. We found a playground and I let the boys play for a short time. We were quite the sight as there were no foreigners at this playground at all, and we got quite a few stares.

After the playground, we made the walk back to the church and went into the Papa Johns across the street. What I failed to calculate in deciding to eat here is that unlike the one right near our house, no one speaks English. I first tried to ask for a high chair (baby chair) and had most of the word correct, but not close enough. So, I received a lot of blank stares. Thankfully, a young customer spoke some English and helped tell her what I needed. At first they were going to put us at a table for two people, and I could not figure out where they expected to put the highchair. Fortunately, one of the ladies thought of the round table two tables down and let us sit there. (We were the only ones in the restaurant beside the other customer--so they could have put us anywhere).

Once I got the boys situated and moved all items out of Josh's reach, which was made harder by them trying to keep putting things in front of him, I tried to order. Now I knew exactly what I wanted, but it was still impossible to tell them. I pointed for most of it, but for the cheese pizza they had two listed for the same price and the same size. I am not sure the difference and quite frankly I still do not know the difference. I finally, after trying to determine what the difference was, just pointed at one.

Josh began to fuss as we were waiting for the pizza. He was not happy with anything and wanted to get out of the chair. To explain the situation of him trying to get out, I have to explain what a highchair in restaurants here. There are two varieties. The first resembles one we would see in the US (think the one McDonald's uses) and is from IKEA. The other one is a wooden chair. The Papa Johns had the wooden chair. The problem with this one is it is made for a giant's child. Every other child has way too much room in them to move about. This is only aided by the fact that it does not have a seat belt. So, Josh is squirming in the seat (he is my climber if I had not mentioned it before) and was trying to crawl out the back. Of course when I try to stop him from doing this, or anything else (like grabbing my coke) he arches his back and cries and screeches.

Now, back home in the US this would not be a situation you would want to deal with, this is magnified and made wholly worse here. So what made it worse you ask? Let me explain... I failed to mention yet, that while there was only us and one other customer in the store, there were no less then 8 people working. Now you have to picture the size of this restaurant. Think the largest bedroom you have in your house and this is the size of it. Not much room (unless you live in a mansion and then you should excuse yourself from this example), yet our table was towards the back near the kitchen. There was a whole area in front of us. So please guess where six out of the eight of the workers chose to stand? Oh you guessed it. From the time we arrived until we left, all six stood in a semi circle/straight line 2 feet from the table staring--not deep in conversation with each other--just starring at us. It was so uncomfortable, and Danny of course does not understand why they stare at us, and trying to get him less focused on something else was impossible. I am not sure if they thought we were going to put on a show for them, but between Josh and me, that is exactly what we did (not that we meant to and quite frankly I would have much preferred not to).

So the show began with Josh fussing. With six people staring at us, when anything happened they immediately got involved, which they meant to be helpful, but actually only made it worse. For example: They brought plastic spoons to the table (not sure why spoons and not forks--we will get to this problem later) and while we were trying to kill time before the pizza arrived, I let Josh hold the spoon. This resulted in him dropping it and two people jumping to pick it up before I could even reach it and bringing us a new one. Of course, Josh began screaming and crying incosolably when the spoon was taken away, and continued until the new spoon arrived. If he moved in the high chair and it wobbled, two people would jump towards us as if he was going to capsize to the floor--or more how I took it--like I would let him capsize to the floor without their intervention.

And of course when Josh let out one of his signature (this actually was a happy screech) high pitch screeches we got a less than kind look from one of the waitresses as she held her hand over her ear.

By this time I was already welling up with tears, but I was trying to pull myself together. The pizzas finally arrived, but they were barely cut through, so after two minutes of struggling with it (Josh was in my lap at this point), one of the waitresses came to assist. Unfortunately, even after she helped I had to go over it a little more. I got Danny his piece, and worked on cutting Josh's crust. (He likes to eat the back end of the pizza slice only). I put him back in the seat, but he got upset when he could not put the pizza on the spoon (he was trying to stab it like you would with a fork--using a fork is his new favorite way to eat). I quickly grab my fork and his crust. This of course sends him into a major fit of throwing himself backwards--which results in the chair wobbling--and you guessed it again, more waitresses lunging to steady the chair and apparently save his life. I finally get him to focus on the fact that I was putting the pizza onto the fork for him to hold. He takes it and begins to eat it.

Then the show stopper (or finale--however you want to view it) happens. I move his chair forward and just slightly (and I am not understating this--I mean barely), get his finger between the chair and the table. He starts crying as if some serious injury has happened to him. Of course, by now we are both crying and I am trying to console him with six on lookers and of course a puzzeled Danny who is thankfully taking this all in while eating his pizza slice. I get him to quiet it a little, but not much and he is squirming and arching his back, so I settle on putting him back in the stroller. IHe is still arching his back screaming and crying while I quickly ask for the bill. At first I get a puzzeled look and then they seem to all jump into a flurry of action. All six are flying around the store getting our bill, getting a box for the pizza, one man is running across the restaurant with a bag to put everything in. If I had not been sobbing at the time, it probably would have been quite a funny scene.

We exit the restaurant and the lady runs after us to give us a to go thing of the cheese sauce. I can tell I completely confuse her as I am still crying and Josh is happy as a lark now that he is outside. I thank her, and she looks like she wants to say something else, but turns to leave. We continue on to the corner to cross the street to where Tom should be parked waiting for us.

When we get to the corner Tom is across the street, and I have never been so happy to see him. Josh, who has really bonded with Tom, reaches his arms out to him. We ride home and the kids snack on pretzels while I try and decompress from the morning. By the time we get home Josh is asleep and I quietly put him down for his nap.

While I will try and venture out again, I think our next stop will be the mall close to us and we will have lunch at home. :-) I can definitely see why Moms prefer to leave their kids with the ayis while they do some sort of errand, or they do not go out at all. It is quite the adventure here--only made more fun by Josh's age and being tired--double whamme.

Well, while the boys are still napping I am going to go lay down for a little bit. After this morning I feel weak and tired all over.