A
toilet-themed cafe where customers dine on meatballs floating in
soup-filled latrines may not be everyone's idea of haute cuisine, but
Indonesians are flocking to try it out.
Guests at the 'Jamban Cafe' sit on upright toilets around a table where food is served in squat loos.
The restaurant in Semarang on Java island serves traditional Indonesian 'bakso' - meatballs - bobbing in a murky soup.
Other loos contain a brightly-coloured, alcohol-free cocktail for washing the meatballs down.
For those who find the whole experience too nauseating, there is a sick bag hanging by the entrance.
Other
places, such as Taiwan and Russia, are home to similar themed
restaurants, but Indonesia's modest version has a key difference - it
aims to educate people about sanitation and encourage the increased use
of toilets.
'I was
disgusted at first, but I eventually ate some of the food out of
curiosity,' said customer Mukodas, a 27-year-old who, like many
Indonesians, goes by one name.
'I
think the idea is pretty interesting because if you try to have a
campaign without a gimmick like this, the information won't stick.'
Another
customer, 15-year-old Annisa Dhea, conceded she initially found the
toilet treats 'a bit unappealing' but felt somewhat reassured after 'the
owner told me that the food was clean and hygienic'.
The
cafe - whose name 'Jamban' means toilet in Indonesian - has been open
since April and currently only welcomes small groups who book ahead.
Owner
Budi Laksono, a public health expert who used to work for the local
government, hosts discussions with customers and shows them videos as he
seeks to encourage people to use dedicated facilities for their bodily
functions.
Millions of
Indonesians live below the poverty line and the country has one of the
world's highest rates of open defecation -- defecating outside and not
in a designated toilet -- a practice blamed for spreading disease.
'This cafe serves as a reminder that many people in Indonesia still do not have toilets,' said Laksono, 52.
However he admitted that his unusual approach had sparked some controversy in the Muslim-majority country.
'Many critics say the cafe is inappropriate and against Islamic law,' he said.
