Berlin Now Has an Eatery for Anorexics, but Will They Bite?

[underpants]

http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=315336&page=1

Dec. 21, 2004 — In the heart of Berlin's trendy Tiergarten district, where cozy cafés and sprawling "biergartens" nestle alongside elegant eateries, there's a place for people who dread the very thought of eating. But it's a space that offers the very thing anorexics avoid — food.

Called Sehnsucht — German for "longing" — the brand-new restaurant is aimed at people suffering from eating disorders, and it's proudly billed "the world's first restaurant for anorexics."

For one, many members of the staff have at some time suffered from an eating disorder and they understand how serious and debilitating it can be. For another, they say the place is designed to make dining a pleasurable — and not stressful — exercise.

The head chef and several waitresses have also suffered from eating disorders, and they bring the lessons of their illnesses with them to the table.

[KurtNYC]

1. And talk about margin!

[On the Road]

2. Sounds Like Anorexics Have an Aversion to the *Sound* of

menu items:

'The menu, for instance, steers clear of describing dishes, preferring instead to stick with generic, nongastronomic names. So the lobster bisque is called "Hallo," the cappuccino creme dessert is "Seele" ("Soul"), and rack of lamb is quite simply "Ravenous."'

Portions, says Kilian, are neither gigantic nor minuscule, merely "normal." ...And there's absolutely no mention of calories anywhere on the menu.

Although this next one sounds moe interesting:

Indeed, theme restaurants are particularly popular in Berlin. The city already boasts two "blind restaurants" where patrons eat in pitch-darkness, served by blind waiters, as well as a café for the deaf.