The toilet is the only place where we can’t imagine eating yet the Jamban Cafe in Indonesia not just uses toilets for seating, but also for serving food. Don’t believe us? Have a look.
It has even made arrangements for those who find this idea too much. Sick bags hang outside the cafe for nauseous customers. The cafe serves dishes like meatballs with soup in ceramic pots. In the fight between curiosity and repulsion, curiosity has actually won as customers are flocking to the cafe to find out what it is like to have food direct from the toilet bowl.
The Jamban Cafe’s unique theme doubles up as an effort to raise awareness about sanitation in the country by its owner. Budi Laksono, the owner of the cafe, is a public health expert who works with the government to raise awareness about the ill-effects of open defecation and the importance of proper sanitation. Around 38% of the population in Indonesia doesn’t have access to proper sanitation.
Well, if Budi Laksono’s idea is to catch people’s attention, he certainly has it. One needs to place a reservation in advance to get a table at the cafe and only small groups are allowed to enter. Next time you are in Indonesia and want to try out the Jamban Cafe, be sure to remember this.
Unfortunately, not all can appreciate their toilet humour; the cafe is facing opposition from some Muslim communities in India.
Only one question remains: Are you ready to sit on a toilet and eat from it too?
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