We were in Panama in time to celebrate BC’s birthday. I’m not allowed to tell how old he is because he has a Peter Pan complex worse than mine. We were in Panama City the weekend before his birthday so I actually did some research and made a reservation at Tomillo in Casco Viejo. The atmosphere was perfect, quintessential old city, while the food was a modern twist on authentic Latin American faire. It would have been amazing…if I hired a baby sitter. I hate going out to eat with the kids. They have the table manners of barbarians (I guess I’m to blame for that), and they can’t sit in their chairs more than 20 seconds. I end taking 54 laps with them around the restaurant to point out things I pretend are interesting, 30 trips to the bathroom, and then try to shove the food in my face while playing lego super heroes. Oh and don’t forget to just go ahead and ask for the check as soon as we order because I and everyone else around us want us gone yesterday. I don’t think I even truly tasted any of it, though BC tells me it was really good. We’ve made a conscious effort not to let kids keep us from experiences and we want to share these experiences with our kids, but I miss dining out and really savoring the atmosphere and the food.
We celebrated his actual birthday on his favorite beach, Playa Venao, which is about 30 minutes from our house. It’s an amazing beach that’s beloved by surfers, bohemian travelers, and is perfect for kids. We ate pizza at Pizza Gavilan which gave the kids perfect access to play in the waves in between eating. At restaurants like that, their barbarian behavior is a bit more tolerable.
Though he dreads getting older, BC is just as youthful and adventurous as ever. We can’t wait to see what this year brings.
Family Stoke 