WEBVTT - What are the World's Weirdest Theme Restaurants?

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<v Speaker 1>Guess what will what's that mango? So today I lost

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<v Speaker 1>half an hour looking up team restaurants that I definitely

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<v Speaker 1>don't want to eat at. Have you heard of the

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<v Speaker 1>Disaster Cafe? I haven't, but I have to admit I'm intrigued.

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<v Speaker 1>So what happens at the Disaster Cafe? So this is

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<v Speaker 1>a failed restaurant concept from Spain, but it's so great.

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<v Speaker 1>So when you walk in, you travel down to the

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<v Speaker 1>depths of the earth, as they put it, and get

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<v Speaker 1>seated in this cave like area. And the first thing

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<v Speaker 1>most patrons noticed is that all the weight staff is

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<v Speaker 1>wearing these hard hats like construction cats. And then when

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<v Speaker 1>you order your food, the trays are all super super heavy.

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<v Speaker 1>But the entire concept of the place is that sometime

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<v Speaker 1>during your meal, you'll actually experience a simulated earthquake that

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<v Speaker 1>measures seven point eight on the Richter scale. All right,

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<v Speaker 1>so let me get this straight. I'm actually paying to

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<v Speaker 1>eat and feel an earthquake at the same time. And

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<v Speaker 1>why is it a seven point eight? I think because

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<v Speaker 1>that's the optimal earthquake setting for maximum dining enjoyment. But no,

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<v Speaker 1>I have no idea. But but the whole concept is

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<v Speaker 1>that you don't know when the earthquake is actually gonna happen,

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<v Speaker 1>So I guess it's for thrill seekers, or maybe for

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<v Speaker 1>people who love playing Russian Roulette over a fine meal.

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<v Speaker 1>So I have to know that was was the food

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<v Speaker 1>any good? Yeah? Apparently the food is great. And like

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<v Speaker 1>most theme restaurants, business was initially strong because of the buzz,

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<v Speaker 1>but eventually the novelty wore off, and the fact that

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<v Speaker 1>the drinks build all over the place regularly and you

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't wear nice clothes there took its toll. So I

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<v Speaker 1>guess the owners snuffed out their beloved disaster cafe. But

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<v Speaker 1>today's Nine Things is all about theme restaurants, because even

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<v Speaker 1>if we don't want to eat at them or invest

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<v Speaker 1>in them, we definitely want to talk about them. Let's

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<v Speaker 1>dig in. Hey, their podcast listeners, welcome to Part Time Genius.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Will Pearson and is always I'm joined by my

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<v Speaker 1>good friend Mangueshot Ticketer, or at least halfway joined by

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<v Speaker 1>Mangeshot Ticketer. I'm in New York waiting on Mango and

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<v Speaker 1>Tristan to come up here tomorrow. Now, Mango, I have

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<v Speaker 1>to know, is is Tristan sitting behind the glass, and

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<v Speaker 1>if so, what is he doing today? He is indeed

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<v Speaker 1>sitting behind that glass, and today he's looking at recipes

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<v Speaker 1>from his Bubba Gump Shrimp Company cookbook. Wow, he's always

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<v Speaker 1>up to something interesting. Hey, that's perfect because I don't

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<v Speaker 1>know if that still exists up here in New York,

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<v Speaker 1>but if it does, we definitely have to take him

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<v Speaker 1>over there and just just drop him off. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>want to go in, and we'll drop him off at

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<v Speaker 1>the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. So now today, Mango, we're

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<v Speaker 1>talking about theme restaurants. So I'm curious, what are your

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<v Speaker 1>feelings about theme restaurants? You know, I was thinking about

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<v Speaker 1>this earlier. I'm actually kind of conflicted because I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>they're they're obviously tourist trots, and I feel like there

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<v Speaker 1>was an age when I was super into them, right

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<v Speaker 1>like maybe when I was eleven or twelve, I was

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<v Speaker 1>all about going to like hard rock cafes and Planet Hollywood's.

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<v Speaker 1>Then if there was, I don't know, like a Hedgehog

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<v Speaker 1>cafe in my neighborhood, I'm sure I would have begged

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<v Speaker 1>my parents to go. But then you kind of age

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<v Speaker 1>out of them, right like like medieval times and where

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<v Speaker 1>you want to get dragged as an angsty teen unless

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<v Speaker 1>you're into like dragon con or Renaissance fairs. And then

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<v Speaker 1>you get a little older and it's exactly where you

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<v Speaker 1>want to drag your nephews or nieces. I mean I

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<v Speaker 1>subjected my little nephew Ryan a ton of things that

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<v Speaker 1>he wouldn't want to do, Like what what do you mean?

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<v Speaker 1>Like I forced him to go to that Ninja cafe

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<v Speaker 1>in New York. Yeah, they're They're all those like secret

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<v Speaker 1>hiding spots and the ninja's jumped out at you and

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<v Speaker 1>like clouds of smoke and the sushi comes on a

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<v Speaker 1>bed of dry eyes, so it's all smoky too. And

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<v Speaker 1>I think the weirdest thing is that the ninja's come

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<v Speaker 1>around to your tables to do card tricks. Well, speaking

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<v Speaker 1>of magic, I do know you wanted to talk about

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<v Speaker 1>your favorite magic cafe, and that's David copper Fields Magic Underground, right,

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<v Speaker 1>that's right. So you know when I was a kid,

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<v Speaker 1>I mentioned this to you, but I David Copperfield and

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<v Speaker 1>we actually went to see him when he came to Wilmington's.

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<v Speaker 1>My my mom used to take the specials on TV

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<v Speaker 1>so we could watch them, and I had, of course

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<v Speaker 1>heard about his legendary statue of Liberty trick. That's where

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<v Speaker 1>he made it disappear on TV, right, Yeah, that's right.

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<v Speaker 1>And over the years, of course I saw him more

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<v Speaker 1>as a character than that cool magician you love as

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<v Speaker 1>a nine year old kind of more of a job character.

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<v Speaker 1>But apparently in the mid nineties he spent three years

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<v Speaker 1>trying to launch copper Field's Magic Underground restaurant, and the

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<v Speaker 1>plans were so elaborate. So apparently the first one was

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<v Speaker 1>supposed to be in Times Square and it is just

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<v Speaker 1>too good. So I'm actually gonna read you the description

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<v Speaker 1>from the New York Times article about it. So, the

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<v Speaker 1>designs from the Times Square restaurant called for a heroic

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<v Speaker 1>forty five foot figure to stand astride the front entrance,

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<v Speaker 1>flanked by a pair of eighteen foot gas torches. Neon

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<v Speaker 1>signs were to erupt every hour in a ninety second

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<v Speaker 1>light show, with lights proclaiming the site copper Field's Magic

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<v Speaker 1>Underground emerging from the display. So it's already ridiculous, right,

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<v Speaker 1>And then you get inside. They're supposed to be a

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<v Speaker 1>seventy foot atrium with gargoyles perched on steel trusses in

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<v Speaker 1>a style Mr Rockwell called industrial Gothic. Diners were to

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<v Speaker 1>sit on terraces, nestled around a model to the statue

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<v Speaker 1>of Liberty's torch and to the eye, banquettes and a

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<v Speaker 1>bar would levitate, while a section of diners would suddenly disappear,

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<v Speaker 1>and once an hour a death saw would appear to

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<v Speaker 1>cut a diner and a half. Everywhere there would be

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<v Speaker 1>what became known as the David's large scale likenesses of Mr. Copperfield.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, it is so amazing, And apparently it was

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<v Speaker 1>like a thirty thousand square foot place, and the New

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<v Speaker 1>York Times rights the restaurant's greatest trick was making thirty

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<v Speaker 1>four million dollars of investment money disappear thirty four million

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<v Speaker 1>dollars and nothing ever came of this. That's not amazing,

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<v Speaker 1>That is that is an impressive trick. All right, Well,

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<v Speaker 1>here is a place I'm fascinated by. It's called oh

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<v Speaker 1>now Are in Montreal, And when you go in, you're

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<v Speaker 1>actually asked to surrender anything that glints light, so we're

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<v Speaker 1>talking watches, phones, anything like that, and then you're let

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<v Speaker 1>into this completely dark room where you eat your meal

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<v Speaker 1>and the experience is supposed to be incredible because all

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<v Speaker 1>your other senses are heightened when you're just focusing on touch, smell,

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<v Speaker 1>and hearing. So I'm curious about this, dude. People ever

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<v Speaker 1>get scared of the dark or uncomfortable when they're there? Well, actually,

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<v Speaker 1>that feeling of discomfort is part of the experience. You know.

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<v Speaker 1>People occasionally will want to leave because they're scared of

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<v Speaker 1>the dark, and then they'll be calmed down by the

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<v Speaker 1>weight staff. But you know, the really interesting thing about

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<v Speaker 1>the place is that all the weight staff is blind,

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<v Speaker 1>and the proceeds from the restaurant go to the local

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<v Speaker 1>groups that support the visually impaired. And the whole idea

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<v Speaker 1>is that people initially go to the place because of

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<v Speaker 1>the novelty of it, you know, or because the food

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<v Speaker 1>is actually supposed to be really good. But from the

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<v Speaker 1>articles I've read, they've really come away from the experience

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<v Speaker 1>with more empathy and kind of this appreciation for how

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<v Speaker 1>the visually impaired navigate the world. That is awesome. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>I've got to say the next theme restaurant on my

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<v Speaker 1>list has a far less humanitarian mission. It's a place

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<v Speaker 1>I have no intention of going and it's called Taiwan's

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<v Speaker 1>Modern Toilet Restaurant. So I read the section on the

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<v Speaker 1>website about it that says business philosophy and direction, and

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<v Speaker 1>it says in April two th six, all Mordern restaurants

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<v Speaker 1>changed their name to Modern Toilet Restaurants. In the future,

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<v Speaker 1>a greater range of washroom facilities will greet new customers

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<v Speaker 1>and old friends alike. So what's the story behind. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't know. I guess it's just good branding. But apparently

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<v Speaker 1>it started because an owner was reading his comics on

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<v Speaker 1>the toilet and inspiration struck and the shop began as

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<v Speaker 1>actually as an ice cream parlor where they served chocolate

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<v Speaker 1>only ice cream and put the scoops in these squat

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<v Speaker 1>toilet containers, and for some reason people went wild for it.

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<v Speaker 1>And then I expanded to like a full restaurant where

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<v Speaker 1>you got hot pot and mini commodes. I I really

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<v Speaker 1>don't get this, but according to the site, I know

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<v Speaker 1>that they've launched over sixteen places, and apparently there was

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<v Speaker 1>even like a short lived one in Vegas where you

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<v Speaker 1>could sit on a throne as you ate from a

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<v Speaker 1>tin year throne, but for some reason it didn't take off.

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<v Speaker 1>I can't imagine why. I'm it just seems like such

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<v Speaker 1>a brilliant business model. All right, Well, here is a

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<v Speaker 1>fun one. If you're tired of watching the pit master

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<v Speaker 1>at a barbecue restaurant do his work or board by

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<v Speaker 1>the local hibachi chef, you need to head to the

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<v Speaker 1>El Diablo restaurant in Spain. And that's where the chefs

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<v Speaker 1>actually cook over an active volcano. So I don't get it, Like,

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<v Speaker 1>what is it with Spain and all these disaster restaurants,

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<v Speaker 1>Like first the earthquake thing, now we're real volcano. I

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<v Speaker 1>have no idea, but this one actually does sound pretty fascinating.

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<v Speaker 1>And it's not like those viral videos of people cooking

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<v Speaker 1>steak over lava. It's more just a giant grill over

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<v Speaker 1>a four hundred and fifty degrees celsius fire pit in

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<v Speaker 1>the ground. But it's still pretty cool. And in the

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<v Speaker 1>view from the place it's actually on a national park

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<v Speaker 1>and it's supposed to be just stunning. Man, well, I

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<v Speaker 1>can definitely see the feel of that. Well, if we're

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<v Speaker 1>going for something scarier, I think we should move from

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<v Speaker 1>volcanoes to Spain to Japan's alcatraz e Er restaurant. But

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<v Speaker 1>it sounds a little bit weird, but but what is it?

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<v Speaker 1>It's so weird and again, not a restaurant I would

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<v Speaker 1>ever go to, but it's fun to talk about. So

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<v Speaker 1>according to Atlas Obscura, this place is a kitchy horror

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<v Speaker 1>themed restaurant. Instead of being sort of playful horror, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>like like Beetlejuice or something, it's it's more of a

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<v Speaker 1>jail slash haunted mental institution live. So you go in

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<v Speaker 1>and you get thrown on the floor of a cell

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<v Speaker 1>with some drinks, and to get any more service you

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<v Speaker 1>actually have to rattle the bars and yell desperately, which

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<v Speaker 1>sounds terrible, and then the drinks coming heads, which is,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, kind of tacky but okay, But this is

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<v Speaker 1>the most terrifying part to me. Every so often, killer

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<v Speaker 1>clowns come out to harass you and a friendly. They

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<v Speaker 1>take people to the middle of the room and then

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<v Speaker 1>manhandle them and poked them with fake syringes. It just

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<v Speaker 1>sounds awful to me. Yeah, I was. I was okay

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<v Speaker 1>with the general idea until you got to the killer

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<v Speaker 1>clowns cooking with fake synches. But what I'm curious, like,

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<v Speaker 1>what are the reviews like, do people like it? I

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<v Speaker 1>think they're pretty med from the most part. Like most

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<v Speaker 1>people say, the food is good and the service is terrible,

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<v Speaker 1>but you shouldn't go in the afternoon because the scaring

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<v Speaker 1>is sort of halfhearted them. That's good to know. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>here's one that I don't know if it counts as

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<v Speaker 1>a theme restaurant, but it's from North Korea, so I

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<v Speaker 1>do want to talk about it. So, I mean, I

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<v Speaker 1>realized it's a little late to discuss this, but what

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<v Speaker 1>are you using as your criteria for a theme restaurant?

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<v Speaker 1>All right, Well, so the definition I've found says it's

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<v Speaker 1>where the concept of the restaurant takes priority over everything else.

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<v Speaker 1>So it could be the architecture or maybe the feeling

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<v Speaker 1>or some novelty aspect like killer clowns, poking with sorrentious.

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<v Speaker 1>But I think North Korea's pizza restaurant does count though,

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<v Speaker 1>because it's a manufactured experience of the West that it's

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<v Speaker 1>supposed to be novel there. Okay, so so what's it like? Well,

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<v Speaker 1>apparently it's really weird. Kim john Ill spent ten years

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<v Speaker 1>trying to get it up and running. He brought an

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<v Speaker 1>Italian chefs to train the cooks. He imported cheese and tomatoes.

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<v Speaker 1>They made these very specific rules, like the exact measurements

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<v Speaker 1>that one olive should be from another, and supposedly they

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<v Speaker 1>worked over and over to perfect the recipes. But I

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<v Speaker 1>read this one review on Epicurious. It says this. It says,

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<v Speaker 1>the whole thing is supposed to be someone's idea of

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<v Speaker 1>New York or Italy, but the olive oil is rancid,

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<v Speaker 1>the pizza tastes like cardboard and flavorless. Maybe the whole

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<v Speaker 1>idea is propaganda to give the West a bad name.

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<v Speaker 1>But the best part is that at the end of

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<v Speaker 1>every night to North Korean lounge singers come out and

0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:34.160
<v Speaker 1>seeing off key Frank Sinatra tra tune. For anyone who

0:11:34.200 --> 0:11:38.280
<v Speaker 1>needs another reason not to go to the US, that's ridiculous. Well,

0:11:38.360 --> 0:11:40.720
<v Speaker 1>I know we've got two more restaurants to go, but

0:11:40.960 --> 0:11:56.520
<v Speaker 1>why don't we tackle those after the break? Welcome back

0:11:56.520 --> 0:11:58.880
<v Speaker 1>to part time genius, who were talking theme restaurants so

0:11:59.120 --> 0:12:01.640
<v Speaker 1>will So far you've talked about cooking over a volcano

0:12:01.840 --> 0:12:05.200
<v Speaker 1>and visiting North Korea for what sounds like pizza and

0:12:05.320 --> 0:12:09.280
<v Speaker 1>possibly food poisoning and a horrible lounge act. It almost

0:12:09.280 --> 0:12:11.040
<v Speaker 1>feels like you're going for a disaster tame here. So

0:12:11.080 --> 0:12:13.640
<v Speaker 1>how are you going to close this out? Well, I

0:12:13.679 --> 0:12:16.720
<v Speaker 1>did have that one touching story about the totally dark restaurants.

0:12:16.720 --> 0:12:18.440
<v Speaker 1>You gotta give me some credit for that. But but

0:12:18.520 --> 0:12:20.040
<v Speaker 1>you're all right, I'll try to make up for it.

0:12:20.120 --> 0:12:22.760
<v Speaker 1>So I've got one that's sure to keep you relaxed,

0:12:22.760 --> 0:12:26.600
<v Speaker 1>and it's my Hico Mono a k a. Tokyo's Hammock Cafe.

0:12:26.720 --> 0:12:29.079
<v Speaker 1>And I think part of the appeal of the cafe

0:12:29.160 --> 0:12:31.760
<v Speaker 1>is that if you're visiting and kind of running around

0:12:31.800 --> 0:12:35.160
<v Speaker 1>the city NonStop, this is the perfect place to kick

0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:37.400
<v Speaker 1>your feet up and get a drink. And in fact,

0:12:37.400 --> 0:12:40.480
<v Speaker 1>there actually isn't a single chair in the place. It's

0:12:40.559 --> 0:12:43.720
<v Speaker 1>just hammocks. So that reminds me of my favorite place

0:12:43.760 --> 0:12:45.679
<v Speaker 1>that used to be in the Empire State Building. It

0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:47.680
<v Speaker 1>was like a nap store where you could go in

0:12:47.720 --> 0:12:49.880
<v Speaker 1>and take ten or twenty minute naps in these space

0:12:49.960 --> 0:12:53.760
<v Speaker 1>egg ponds. It was so great. Yeah, exactly, But but

0:12:53.800 --> 0:12:56.600
<v Speaker 1>actually there's one catch to this place that there is

0:12:56.600 --> 0:12:58.880
<v Speaker 1>a time limit on how long you can stay. And

0:12:58.920 --> 0:13:01.080
<v Speaker 1>if the restaurant is big, see your cap to a

0:13:01.200 --> 0:13:05.480
<v Speaker 1>ninety minute time still too bad. Yeah, I don't not

0:13:05.600 --> 0:13:07.760
<v Speaker 1>ninety minutes feels like enough time to have a nice nap.

0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:11.000
<v Speaker 1>But uh, I mean, I really do like hammocks, but

0:13:11.120 --> 0:13:14.120
<v Speaker 1>I hate falling asleep around other people, and I'd have

0:13:14.240 --> 0:13:16.400
<v Speaker 1>such a hard time not falling asleep if I nestled

0:13:16.440 --> 0:13:19.719
<v Speaker 1>into one. But I do like that idea. Okay, So

0:13:19.960 --> 0:13:22.600
<v Speaker 1>here's my last theme restaurant, and it's also from Japan.

0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:26.200
<v Speaker 1>Have you heard of the Future Sweets Factory and Santa City, Japan?

0:13:27.080 --> 0:13:29.920
<v Speaker 1>I haven't even heard of Santa City. What what is this?

0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:33.240
<v Speaker 1>So this place is it's kind of like a kid's

0:13:33.280 --> 0:13:37.199
<v Speaker 1>only Willy Wonka factory for pastries and it sounds amazing.

0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:39.880
<v Speaker 1>So apparently no one over twelve can go in. And

0:13:39.960 --> 0:13:42.880
<v Speaker 1>this famous pastry chef started because he remembered a time

0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:45.800
<v Speaker 1>in Japan when kids could run wild and be kids.

0:13:45.880 --> 0:13:48.360
<v Speaker 1>But in a growing city, he felt like there wasn't

0:13:48.480 --> 0:13:51.200
<v Speaker 1>enough for them. So parents actually leave their kids at

0:13:51.240 --> 0:13:53.360
<v Speaker 1>the door, and then the kids go in and they

0:13:53.440 --> 0:13:57.040
<v Speaker 1>watch chefs work with crazy robots and making new types

0:13:57.080 --> 0:13:59.960
<v Speaker 1>of inventions and delicious sweets. But the other part of

0:14:00.040 --> 0:14:02.480
<v Speaker 1>the whole experience was that the chef thought that parents

0:14:02.480 --> 0:14:04.640
<v Speaker 1>weren't talking enough to their kids, like they were always

0:14:04.679 --> 0:14:06.640
<v Speaker 1>on social media or doing work on their phones. So

0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:08.760
<v Speaker 1>the only way you can actually find out what sort

0:14:08.800 --> 0:14:11.120
<v Speaker 1>of fun and mischief happens inside is to ask your

0:14:11.160 --> 0:14:13.160
<v Speaker 1>kids about the experience. And I guess I have a

0:14:13.160 --> 0:14:15.679
<v Speaker 1>conversation over some of the delicious pastries they bring out.

0:14:15.960 --> 0:14:18.160
<v Speaker 1>I love that well. I think after your talk of

0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:22.400
<v Speaker 1>ice cream, toilets and psycho clowns, you've totally redeemed yourself

0:14:22.400 --> 0:14:24.480
<v Speaker 1>with this one, Mangoes. So I think I'm gonna give

0:14:24.480 --> 0:14:27.280
<v Speaker 1>you today's trophy and thank you so much. That's it

0:14:27.440 --> 0:14:29.960
<v Speaker 1>for today's nine Things, Mango. I look forward to seeing

0:14:29.960 --> 0:14:32.240
<v Speaker 1>you and Tristan up here tomorrow, and I can't wait

0:14:32.280 --> 0:14:34.240
<v Speaker 1>to see the look on Tristan's face when he gets

0:14:34.240 --> 0:14:36.520
<v Speaker 1>to go to Bubba Comstrom Company, when he just gets

0:14:36.600 --> 0:14:41.120
<v Speaker 1>draft off there. All right, we'll be sure to check

0:14:41.160 --> 0:14:43.760
<v Speaker 1>back in tomorrow. We'll be back with a full length episode.

0:14:43.800 --> 0:15:01.720
<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much for listening. The brok