Inside the bizarre Indonesian restaurant where customers eat their meals out of a TOILET… while sitting on a loo
Diners served murky soup and meatballs in an attempt to educate people about hygeine
EATING dinner out of a toilet may not be everyone's idea of a good meal but one Indonesian restaurant is trying to change all that.
Diners visiting the Jamban cafe in Semarang on Java Island are treated to sitting on upright toilets as they are served their food in squat loos.
But while the novelty sticks, the owners are hoping the meaning behind the restaurant will also spread.
Owner Budi Laksono, who is a public health expert who used to work for the local government, uses the restaurant as a talking point to encourage customers to use toilets.
Laksono, 52, said: "This cafe serves as a reminder that many people in Indonesia still do not have toilets.
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.
The Jamban cafe, which means toilet in Indonesian, is not necessarily a new idea but the noble idea of educating its diners is.
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Laksono said his unique approach had also sparked controversy in the Muslim-majority country.
He said: "Many critics say the cafe is inappropriate and against Islamic law."
Diners are served everything from traditional Indonesian "bakso", a type of meatball, to a brightly-coloured alcohol-free cocktail.
Diners are coming around to the concept with one diner, Mukodas, saying: "I was disgusted at first, but I eventually ate some of the food out of curiosity.
"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."
