Any experience, even simply going to a restaurant, can create
new beliefs about how you want to live your life.
I have read in many different cultural and religious texts not
to take any moment in life for granted, as all experiences can
be opportunities to learn about yourself and the world around
you. Recently I went on a trip to Melbourne, Australia and while
I was there I had two very memorable experiences, both in
restaurants. I love going out to eat anyway, but these two
events were both what I believe to be extraordinary, as neither
had ever happened in my life previously. Let me tell you a
little about what went on in this strange place we call planet
Earth.
The first restaurant I went to was with my brother and was
called ?Lentil As Anything? (www.lentilasanything.com), which is
a play on words based on an old Australian rock band called
?Mental As Anything?. All the food is vegetarian, which is great
for me as for seven years I have fit into this classification,
although I?ve started to eat fish recently for health reasons.
The thing that shocked me here was that the menu had no prices.
On the back of the menu were the words, ?Pay what you feel?,
then the owners went on to tell you the ideas behind this
concept. In the same vein as the Hindu belief of karma the
patron is urged to give equally in monetary value what they feel
the meal is worth to them. I think the main idea is that they
want to create a more traditional human relationship with
customers instead of a purely capitalist consumerism type of
connection. Much of our society has shifted to a focus on the
acquisition of money as of ultimate importance, and interaction
between people is relegated to being simply a ?meaningless?
transaction.
Well you probably want to ask me, ?How long has this restaurant
existed? Do they make a profit?? The answers are: The restaurant
has been around for years, and as they have opened a second
storefront in a separate location, I ?d have to believe that
they are doing just fine. I ate an entr?e of breads and dips
which was very tasty, followed by the best lentil burger I?ve
ever had in my life (I?ve had many), and I drank a chai tea
which unfortunately wasn?t very good that day. When I went to
pay, a lot of questions entered my mind like, ?How much should I
pay? Should I give a lot so I?m not perceived as being a
Scrooge? Could I pretend that I haven?t got much money? Do
homeless people come in here to get a free meal? The realization
I had after I paid was that in this age-old trading process
one?s conscience is tested. You want to walk away from the
experience happy, and you would like for the restaurant owners
to feel that they got their fair amount for their services. A
feeling of trust, respect, and unity is given to this
relationship, where you might even feel that your honor is being
tested. This is altogether a very different human connection
when compared to many modern fast-food ideologies that are
pervading our local environment.
In my last article entitled, ?The power of meals? I emphasized
the importance of what we eat, how and whom we eat with, and
even the relevance of how the person who was cooking the food
felt emotionally. In a consumer situation should any of these
factors become irrelevant? Eating is one of the few imperative
actions that every human must do if they want to exist in our
world. Why not make the experience as sacred as all the other
important rituals and beliefs that we partake in?
The second amazing restaurant experience I had was at a place
called, ?Moroccan Soup Bar? (Check reviews on Google). They also
serve a vegetarian-only cuisine menu, which after going back to
several times is easily one of the tastiest I have ever eaten in
my life. Back when I used to eat meat everyday I thought that
vegetables were boring, boy was I wrong! The textures, vast
array of flavors, and multiple ingredients are tantalizing to
all taste buds that I have taken with me to share in this ?holy?
experience.
The particular evening in question saw my girlfriend and I
arriving late and subsequently being the last people eating.
Earlier on in the night the owner, an Islamic woman, had sat
down at the table next to us with a few customers who were
obviously regulars or friends. When she mentioned the film,
?What the bleep do we know?? I had to interject, as I felt I was
one of the few people around who saw the film and had also
thought the movie to be quite interesting. She was saying that
not many people were in the theater compared to the mainstream
stories like ?Batman? or ?Star Wars? and was wondering why more
weren?t interested in real life as opposed to human created
narratives. At the end of the night she came and sat down at our
table to discuss what we did and didn?t like about the film.
The conversation flowed naturally about aspects of life such as
science, spirituality, religion, and human relationships. She
said that earlier that day she had gone on an excursion with a
group of Islamic women and Jewish women to a Mikvah (a Jewish
women?s? bathing ritual), which she had organized. She said that
at first the Islamic group were quite reluctant to go, but after
they had went and met the Jewish women, none of either group
wanted to leave. They?d all enjoyed the connection so much that
the Jewish women were planning to visit the Islamic group at one
of their religious ceremonies. Of course I thought this was
great given the turbulent political climate in Israel and
Palestine.
I haven?t even gotten to the really cool part of the story yet.
When I went up to pay for the meal I gave the woman the thirty
dollars (very cheap for the quality and quantity of the food)
and she handed me back fifteen bucks. Quite surprised, she then
went on to tell me that on some nights she would give patrons
half of the price of the meal back if they would do her a little
favor. I asked her what it was and she told me that I would have
to give the money to someone who I felt really needed or
deserved it. This just blew both my girlfriend?s and my own
minds! The lady said that she believed 90% of the people went
through with this generous task, and that she simply hoped that
it might affect some of our beliefs about humanity and the
interrelatedness of all people on planet Earth.
My girlfriend and I have been contemplating child sponsorship
for a while so we took the fifteen dollars and used it towards
our first monthly payment to Plan International
www.plan-international.org. It just proves how powerful one
humble, anonymous person can be in making a difference to the
world, as well as to people?s perceptions of reality. It is true
that every moment is a chance to learn from what?s around us in
the world, as well as an opportunity to share knowledge with
others by incorporating our new beliefs into our own actions and
behaviors.
About the author:
Jesse S. Somer M6.Net http://www.m6.net Jesse S. Somer is
a simple human being who loves to see the great generosity that
some people have for their fellow planetary family members.
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