So, I was scrolling the Washington Post, looking for something that I felt would be very interesting to write about when a very peculiar title caught my eye.
"London’s first nude restaurant has a waiting list 16,000 names long"
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So, I clicked on the article, but before I even started reading, I had a few pre-conceived notions about what I would be reading about. I thought that it would just be a gimmick, that the people in charge of this restaurant only came up with the concept just to say that they had the novelty of holding, in their possession, the only nude restaurant in London. That the sheer uniqueness of the restaurant was only about money.
As I read, I realized that the owner was interested in making a social statement. Seb Lyall, the owner of said nude restaurant, says that it's about creating a "nudist social experiment", and "true liberation, with body positivity and acceptance in mind." The Bunyadi, the name of the restaurant, is another brainchild of the creative man, who also has designed a "Breaking Bad" themed restaurant.
The meal itself? Five courses, and it runs to about 80 or 90 dollars, depending on what you order. There is a locker room, where you're given a robe to put on while you walk to your table. The chefs are clothed, the waiters and waitresses minimally. The restaurant's design leaves it flat, devoid of artificial colors, lighting, or any of the modern aesthetics that you would see elsewhere in a restaurant. To keep the place sanitary, they're asking patrons to sit on said robes.
Photography is banned, as you would imagine. For those who aren't okay with walking around and dining completely naked in front of complete strangers, there are bamboo partitions that screen you from the other patrons as you enjoy your fine meal. The tables and chairs are wood-hewn.
The cutlery is edible, and the cooking implements are made organically.
In my opinion, the only way you could get more organic than this place, a candlelit dinner in wooden chairs with edible utensils and minimal clothing, is to probably eat in the forest.
In all seriousness, I think this is an excellent idea. The novelty of something like this, as I've said before, is incredible. I'm really excited to see how this goes down in London. The most important part is the promotion of body acceptance. This is an important issue and what better way to impart this than with a nudist restaurant?
Keep it up. If anyone is ever in London, let me know how it is.
