Our real kitchen: the food court

As I have mentioned in previous posts, finding a place to eat dinner is tricky with a toddler here since many restaurants don't open until 7 or 8 (which is Sadie's bedtime, and the perfect time for a meltdown).  So, we have been eating at our neighborhood food court quite regularly.  There are TONS of options, lots of them American fast food chains (surprise, surprise).  You get the food quickly, and there is a lot to keep Sadie distracted (i.e., Steve and I can actually finish our meals too before Sadie demands to get a move on). 

We cruised the mall today to buy a few things and had lunch there, so I decided to take a couple pictures to show you what it looks like since I'm sure you are wondering what a Chilean food court is like.  Well, it may be a slight disappointment, but it's really not different at all.  However, what is really great is that most of the nicer malls here (ok, two of them that I know about) have bathrooms for adults (men and women separately) just like anywhere else, but there are also special bathrooms for ninos.  Literally there are little toilets and little sinks for the kids to use.  I wish I had taken a picture of them, but that could have been a little creepy...

Some of the most memorable things about the food court:

KFC is really good and tastes just like back home; however they don't have their signature biscuits, mashed potatoes, gravy or cole slaw.  They just have fries and cheese empanadas (which taste like cream cheese wontons from any Chinese restaurant)...

McDonald's happy meals are called "Cajita Feliz" and still come in the signature red and yellow box of the past.  Also, the sides you can choose from for the Cajita Feliz are cherry tomatoes or fries and all come with apple slices.  The drinks are either peach juice, orange juice or soda.  You can't just get water.

Domino's in the food court actually makes the pizza fresh when ordered (so it takes a little longer), but it really tastes like home (although some of the "signature" pizzas are different with strange combinations of toppings, but still not bad).

Doggis is a major hot dog chain here - very popular.  I've never had it, but Steve has and he warns against it.  Let's be honest, the best thing about a hot dog is ketchup, mustard and some relish, and here all of those things taste funny.

My favorite restaurant is called "Take a Wok".  I wonder how many people get it.