The "Lobster Bisque Explosion" Story

It was an ordinary day. We are walking the streets of Grand Case in St. Martin after having an interesting meal at La California Restaurant. A very interesting meal!! Grand Case is a very small town on the French side of the island. The street through the town is only wide enough for one car to travel on it, but at one end of the town the street is two-way. An almost impossible task to travel through the town without pulling over several times to let the traffic by you. Grand Case is also know as the gourmet capital of the island. Foods of all types and prices from the lolos (locally owned and operated and very inexpensive) to the high class restaurants can be found in the one mile stretch. California offers meals that fall in the middle of the two extremes. They also offer 1 Euro=1 Dollar which is a great buy for American tourists since the exchange rate is about 1 Euro=1.46 dollars at the present time. We were seated at the water's edge in the restaurant and given the menu to inspect. I thought I would have the Lobster Bisque as an appetizer since the description sounded so good. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what Carol had for her appetizer. The appetizer was also accompanied with a warm French baguette and great tasting olive oil. As I was eating my bisque I noticed an unusual flavor that I couldn't decide what it was. A spice, maybe! A seasoning, maybe! But it was something that tasted....well, different, but I assumed it was OK. Our meals arrived and consisted of salmon and rice with a vegetable. We were too full for dessert, so after our complimentary shot of flavored Ma DouDou rum we asked for the check. Partway through my meal my stomach started to churn and I wondered what was causing it. As I was finishing the meal the churning got stronger. Carol suggested it may have been the lobster bisque. Then, after the rum, it really struck me. "I need to use the toilet before we start walking around the town," I told Carol. "OK, I'll wait for you out front," she replied. I searched for the restroom and found it right next to the kitchen, inside the entrance of the restaurant. Very small with just enough room for the toilet and a bowl. A large person would struggle to sit on the toilet seat. Top of the restroom was open to the restaurant which naturally meant......NO EXHAUST FAN! Smells of the food cooking drifted into the small space and smells of the small space naturally drifted into the kitchen and seating area. Well, I just made it into the bathroom in time. Lucky I didn't have to wait in line. Dropped my pants, sat down and it just exploded out of me. What a noise! But, the smell was even worst. Smells from everything I had from supper and maybe even lunch. Really gross smells! I almost asphyxiated myself. Those poor people in the kitchen right next me.......and the people eating dinner nearby. And the bad part was there was NO EXHAUST FAN, and no ceiling. I flushed, quickly washed my hands, opened the door and beat it out of the bathroom. I passed another patron waiting for the bathroom and told her she may need a gas mask. And....don't buy the lobster bisque! Didn't understand! Must have been French. She'll understand when she closes the door. I grabbed Carol's hand and said, "I think it was the lobster bisque. Let's get out of here before the place blows up!!" Last time I ever ate lobster bisque. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Pixs from top: Main street in Grand Case showing the outdoor seating at a lolo, La California Restaurant and Carol waiting, sitting at our waterfront table.