The Loneliness Eatery

What you’re offering to your “clients” are, the imaginations, the making of their dreams come true, a place to test out the, waters a bit…translated…

A year ago, at a common usage space, I’d used the nighttime, opened up an experimental restaurant, called the place, “The Loneliness Eatery”, because I’d felt, that everything starts with, lonely; at the time, due to the differences of how to operate, I’d, withdrawn from a family-style diner that my friend and I started up, I guess, I was, lonely then.

The eatery was designed to have only, one server.  I’m not a good cook, but, I’d, demonstrated, which showed, that “it’s okay too”, that “I don’t need to work too hard for this dream”.

My means of operation is $100 entrance, my guests will eat whatever I prepared for them, and, in the means of having the enough items being provided, all-you-can-eat.  During this trial period, most of whom who’d come to eat, are my friends, or friends of friends, as for the strangers, there were, some too, those who got curious, passing by, who’d, entered, the neighbors, the passersby, and those foreigners, who’d stayed, in Taiwan.  Some of whom know me, some of whom, don’t, but everybody sat together, chatting away, eating the meals, and, from time to time, there would be the desserts, or fruits that the guests had, brought over, if not, I’d, steeped up a pot of tea, that we can, eat the watermelon seeds, if they were, available at the time.

the “shopfront” that the writer opened in a distant location, photo from online

Sometimes, friends would bring by their own dishes, primarily, to, share, another, they felt that me charging only $100 is way too cheap, worried that I may be, losing money, wanted to add more food to what I have, and, there would be someone who’d shouted at me, “I’m cleaning up my fridge today”, then, brought over massive amounts of foods from her/his fridge that’s, about overdue (there were the surprising items, like the wild mullets’ eggs).  I’d treated this as “winning the lotto”, this don’t normally happen though, but when it had, I’d be, super, excited.  What’s surprising about this shop, was not necessarily the foods all the time, but how there would be those lonely who’d shown up, playing the guitars, to share what they’d seen, to recite a poem that meant something to them to the rest.

I’d called my eatery as an experiment, because the modes of operation, and how this place is run, it’s, an invitation: if you want to start a diner, a restaurant, wanted to practice before you actually go for it, get into the markets first, test the waters, a bit, before you poured large amounts of cash down onto remodeling, onto making your dreams of owning and operating a restaurant happen, then, you can, file for an application with me, one, two days, five to ten, fine for me, and, if your “shop” worked out well, you can, come back and host the meal experiences at any time, and dream away.

But, how about the rent?  Seeing how this is, a sort of a “halfway house” to help people go towards their dreams, there’s no charge for the rents, I only request, that people pay me fifteen-percent of their days’ earnings, and, it’s up to them that they actually, paid me.  Of course, I also provided the equipment, the gas stoves, the rice cooker, the oven, the pots, the pans, everything, then, if what I provide is a bit lacking, then, my clients can bring their own in.  In continuing this, there were couples who’d come to open a “trial-run” patisserie, the siblings who’d opened a “hidden eatery” with the small bookshop, and there were those who’d come, solely, for the need to empty their, fridge, to get rid of the items in their fridge that’s, about to, be overdue, the one-day-running “Temporary Lonely Eatery”, and, during that period, we’d started playing the game of relay, and, attracted those who are, lonely like us.

Then, the pandemic came, and my life started, changing.  As the pandemic slowed, the landlord wanted the space back to remodel, and, this “common space” ended.  Awhile ago, I’d heard from the landlord, that he’d wanted to sell the space, and listed it at a very high price.  Some time ago, I’d learned, that the landlord adjusted the rent by two thousand dollars N.T. cheaper than what he’d rented to me with, and rented the space out to his friend, such a, lonely, space.

And so, this space is, just vacant, waiting for someone to come, to occupy it for a while, it served as a transition place, because, nobody ever stays, and that’s just, sad, I mean, think on it, if you were this sort of a space, wouldn’t you want someone, to set up shop inside, and just, stay???

But, this is an experimental space, and, everybody knew, that it’s not, permanent, and until someone decided WHAT this space should be used for, this location will keep on “living” in transition, kinda like how before we settle down to doing what we’re meant to do with our lives, we’re still also, in transition too…