臺北：“廁所主題餐廳”受追捧

Ice-cream held in mini toilet bowls at Modern Toilet diner in Taipei

This Taipei restaurant might consider it a compliment to be called an outhouse as the Modern Toilet diner is one of the chain themed eateries appealing to largely young clientele with a special toilet humor.

All 100 seats in the diner are made from toilet bowls, not chairs. Sink faucets and gender-coded "WC" signs appear throughout the three-storey facility, one of 12 in an island-wide chain of eateries with a toilet theme.

Customers eat from mini plastic toilet bowls. They wipe their hands and mouths using toilet rolls hung above their tables, which may be glass-topped jumbo bathtubs.

"Most customers will bring their cameras in because the place is quite special," said Yang Chung-chi, a manager at the restaurant in Shilin district, north of Taipei.

Owner Wang Tzi-wei opened his first Modern Toilet in 2004 after being inspired by a Japanese cartoon and the toilet themes run through the food and drinks menus.

Modern Toilet draws on people ages 15 to 35, especially students from the three universities near Yang's facilities because they're "easily excited," Yang said.

"It's really unusual, so special that it doesn't gross me out," said Betty Tsai, 16, a Taipei high school sophomore trying Modern Toilet for the first time on a friend's recommendation.

But for a few customers, the toilet humor is too much.

"My son thought it was disgusting and didn't know if he could finish his food," said Taipei mother Lin Li-ju.

Managers of the restaurant say the restaurant's popularity shows that Taipei customers, who have a choice of theme-eateries that resemble jailhouses and hospitals, appreciate creative dining.

"In the evenings, we easily fill up," Yang said. "Our headquarters is still looking at expansion."

這家臺北餐廳可能會因被稱爲“廁所”而感到“光榮”，因爲這家名爲“便所”的主題連鎖餐廳以其特有的“廁所式”幽默吸引了很多年輕顧客。

這家餐廳總共有100個座位，全部由抽水馬桶組成，而不是普通的座椅。餐廳上下三層隨處可見洗手水龍頭和區分性別的“WC”標記。整個臺灣島共有12家廁所主題連鎖餐廳。

前來就餐的顧客從塑料制的“迷你”馬桶狀容器中取食，並用掛在桌子上方的捲筒手紙擦手和擦嘴，而桌子看上去則是一個加了玻璃蓋的大浴缸。

這家位於臺北北部的士林區分店的經理楊春池說：“大多數客人來就餐時都會帶着相機，因爲我們這確實很特別。”

第一家“便所”主題餐廳創辦於2004年，創始人王子偉的靈感來自一個日本漫畫。“便所”餐廳的菜單和酒水單全都圍繞着“廁所”這一主題。

據楊經理介紹，“便所”餐廳吸引了很多15歲至35歲的顧客，尤其是餐廳附近的三所大學的學生，因爲他們“容易興奮”。

16歲的高中二年級學生Betty Tsai 在一個朋友的推薦下光顧了“便所”餐廳。她說：“這個地方確實很特別，我一點也沒覺得噁心。”

但有些顧客則認爲“廁所幽默”玩得有些過頭。

臺北的林麗菊女士說：“我兒子覺得很噁心，吃不下去那裏的東西。”

這家餐廳的管理層認爲，“便所”餐廳受到追捧，說明創意餐飲深受臺北人喜愛。除廁所餐廳外，臺北還有監獄、醫院等主題餐廳。

楊經理說：“到了晚上，餐廳一下子就坐滿了。總部正考慮再多開幾家分店。”

toilet bowl:抽水馬桶

toilet roll:成卷的紙

gross sb. out:nauseate （讓某人感到噁心）