Ratatouille–St. Louis Style!!

Jenny and I got the honor and opportunity to marry a couple in our church in St. Louis over the weekend (pictures to come . . . hopefully!) We decided to get some well needed R&R while the grandparents (thanks Tom & Gwen and Bill & Betty!!!) were watching our little angels, so we stayed an extra night and day in St. Louis.

We went to eat at a restaurant on Friday night that shall remain nameless (on the Landing.) We were pumped that we were able to get in well under the 30 minute wait. Unfortunately we were seated in between a table of 15 or so people and another table of almost 30 (no joke). We left our little “angels” at home and got the opportunity to hang out with some other peoples little angels! Bummer!

Everything was going well as we enjoyed our soup and bread when another table was pointing and talking about us! I’m pretty used to that, but usually it is followed by mocking and laughing! Not very often is Jenny publicly ridiculed like this. Finally, Jenny said, “what is the deal?” The folks said, “there is a rat right under your table . . . there it is . . . on your purse . . . watch it . . . it’s on your coat!!” We both leap to our feet several feet away from the table, the rat (quite large with characteristic pink tail) scurried back around the corner. A buss boy “trapped” the beast under a buss tub, but in the “process” of the placing the tray under the buss tub, the rat ran under the large trolley we were sitting beside!!

After many discussions between managers, they all came one by one by our table to apologize up and down for the problem. They paid for the meal, which was awesome and appropriate. It was good to see how well they reacted in the midst of a horrible situation. It is quite understandable for the rat to be there . . . very close to the riverfront, over one hundred year old sewer pipes under the floor for the entire city of St. Louis, one of the oldest buildings in the city, it is winter time, etc. Plus it reminded me of the time in mid sermon when we had a mouse scurry from under the stage down the side of the room and back under the stage again. And also another time in Shawnee, OK . . . a sleepless night with a mouse in my hotel room!!

Do you all have any good rat/mouse stories?? I would love to hear them!!