Los negros pequenyos

Craving some coffee and actual breakfast the next morning, we stopped by this place on our way to the Prado museum. Traditional Spanish breakfast is typically a pastry or churros y chocolate, but today I really wanted eggs and coffee, so we went to this cafe that was not far from the Prado. (if memory serves) Bethany got a pastry and I actually received some remarkably good scrambled eggs here and enjoyed my coffee quite a bit. The eggs were fluffy and consistent, but they were missing something. I remembered that "sal" is the word for salt, but for the life of me I couldn't remember the word for pepper. I ate away for a couple bites thinking they were good, but man... some pepper would really hit the spot!

Moments after thinking on this for a while, I found myself boldly asking the waiter if he had any "negros pequenyos", thinking I was asking if he has the little black things. He seemed a bit stunned and then out of no where started laughing pretty hard. He then walked over to the bar where the other waiter was and told him what I said. They both looked back at me and laughed together now, with one of the guys bent over he was laughing so hard. The other waiter looked at me and quite clearly stated the word "Pimienta" for pepper. Of course! Senora Ramirez would be so ashamed that I had forgotten such a simple word. We both laughed with the waiters, and our waiter came over and put his hand palm down a couple feet off the ground and said quietly "negros pequenyos"... "no los tengo!" ... From this I came to understand he had no black children. nice to know... a little embarrassing, but still.. I will always remember Pimienta now!