For most of the population, eating a delicious meal in a bathroom is not an appetizing thought. But in a kitschy effort, a restaurant in Taipei Taiwain has been doing just that.
Modern Toilet restaurant started as just selling piles of chocolate ice cream resembling poop, served in containers looking squat toilets has turned into a full blown restaurant with various outposts.
"We are a group of "muckrakers" following our dreams. It all started when one of us was reading the manga, Dr. Slump on the toilet - and the rest is history. In the beginning, we mainly sold ice cream - a big pile of chocolate ice cream sold in containers shaped like a squat toilet. This humorous spin became a great success.After much planning from all of our partners, we finally took the first step towards realizing our dreams in May 2004 ," says Modern Toilet's website.
The restaurant has since opened up shops around China and other parts of Asia due to its popularity.
"It's supposed to shock and confuse the senses," says Modern Toilet manager Chen Min-kuang to TIME magazine in 2009.
At the restaurant, hungry patrons are seated on an acrylic toilet with the lid down. The toilets are decorated with images such as seashells, roses and paintings. The table in front, is made of glass with a sink underneath and meals are served ceremoniously in a mini toilet bowl. Drinks are sipped from tiny plastic urinals and swirls of soft serve ice are served in mini squat toilets.
"Items on the menu are cleverly divided by the bathroom fixture in which they are served. A Western-style toilet bowl is used for curry, meat and hot pot dishes; a bathtub for gratin dishes; a toilet lid for pasta; a squat-toilet for side dishes and soft-serve ice cream; and a urinal for drinks. I decided to go with an order of curry and soft-serve for dessert," reported Rocket News.
Menu items are eclectic and don't fit one certain genre but border on Asian and Western fusion. They include include pasta, fried chicken and Mongolian hot pots. Gross, themed names for desert include shaved ice called "bloody poop" for strawberry and "green dysentery" for kiwi. Appetizing.
"It's a little gross when you see other people eat," said teacher Chen Kin-hsiang to TIME, "but when you're eating, you don't notice it, 'cause you're hungry and the aroma is appetizing."
For any traveler or local to Taiwan, a visit to Modern Toilet is full of poo-themed delights.
