Restaurant Serves Food In Toilet Bowls

Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | June 4, 2005 | The Associated Press

[MississippiMasterpiece]

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan -- Taiwanese restaurateur Eric Wang has given new meaning to the traditional revelers' cry of bottoms up. His eatery in the southern city of Kaohsiung delivers its food not on conventional plates and dishes, but in miniaturized Western and Asian style toilets, both the flush and non-flush variety.

For anyone missing the point, diners are encouraged to stir up mushy, earth-colored offerings like curry chicken rice and chocolate ice cream to conjure up - well, the real thing.

Located in a downtown area with a variety of competing eateries, Marton - the name means toilet in Chinese - attracts its customers through its dazzling bathroom decor.

Walking in through an arched door, diners are greeted with a giant toilet bowl sitting between two urinals. White ceramic toilet seats comfortably accommodate their bottoms, and urinals grace the walls.

Giggling helplessly, high school student Chen Yi-lin gulps down a chocolate ice-cream sundae served in a miniature Asian-style squat toilet, and admits that she is smitten.

"This is fun," she says.

Wang, 26, opened the Marton last year after a roadside prototype - a stand offering toilet-shaped ice cream cones - achieved runaway success.

Now, he says, he has moved decisively upmarket.

"Diners come and walk away with the special experience," he said. "Many try to create more fun, stirring up curry and rice so it looks exactly like when you forget to flush the toilet. Then they gulp it down."

For all its scatological excess, the Marton is following in the noblest tradition of Taiwanese novelty restaurants.

Other successful ventures have purposely confined scores of contented diners to coffins or jail cells, or exposed them to full-scale pictures of Chinese dictator Mao Zedong, Taiwan's political nemesis until his death in 1976.

[MississippiMasterpiece]

Young Taiwanese children sit on western style toilets as they enjoy ice-cream served in a miniature Asian squat toilets at Marton, Taiwan's most recent hit theme restaurant, (named after the Chinese word Matong, meaning toilet), Sunday, May 29, 2005, in Taiwan's southern port city of Khaohsiung. The restaurant's toilet theme has become so popular serving light meals and ice-cream treats in western and Asian style toilets, the owner Eric Wang, 26, has opened a second branch just seven months after the first.

[MikefromOhio]

I think I may now have seen it all...

[johnny7]

Brings new meaning to... “I can't eat this sh_t!”

[MikefromOhio]

LOL

[Clock King]

Novelty is not always a good thing. Disgusting.

[MikefromOhio]

yeah....well I am sure you will be able to find this in LA in a couple months :-P

[jrp]

I guess it's not only western culture thats going down the toilet these days. Gross.

[DManA]

Since they don't use those kind of toilets, I wonder if they really know what they are?

[Clock King]

No doubt, no doubt. But I bet it hits San Fran first.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Uh, I bet you would know what an asian toilet was...

[MikefromOhio]

yeah good point...its a toss up between LA and San Fran :)

[DannyTN]

I'm opening a Tennessee version.

[MikefromOhio]

thats wrong!

[joesnuffy]

It's a pretty smart idea...easy to clean up..just flush...
hose down the floor..and you are ready for the next guest

A steel pot can be many things to many people...bowl, sink,
toilet, and keep your head from getting ventilated

bon apetite

....Now Serving #2

[Vigilanteman]

I think it is an Asian thing. They do have a sense of humor over such things. A Japanese best seller by Gomi Taro was translated from its original title Minna no Unchi into multiple languages including Everybody Poops.

A popular novelty cookie there was baked in the shape of poop.

On the other hand, are U.S. teens so different in their fascination with gross things like gummi rats and rap music?

[Vigilanteman]

[johnny7]

With a 'for-sale' sign... that's a Tennessee 'starter-home'.

[Dallas59]

Hasn't anybody ever been in a hurry and......well....never mind.

[DManA]

Yes I do. What is your point?

[jws3sticks]