Picking up food with chopsticks is hard enough, now imagine picking that food off a nearly nude model. The Temple Restaurant in downtown Minneapolis is now the first restaurant in its area to serve sushi off the bodies of reclining models.”That’s body sushi, they call it. Instead of using a plate, you use a body,” said owner Thom Pham. Pham said the layout looks like a “beautiful piece of art. … It’s something different, something unusual.”The sushi is placed on bamboo or banana leaves which are glued to the models’ bodies.Pham said diners have to follow a very direct set of rules.”They have to fully respect the model, they can only use chopsticks to pick up the sushi,” Pham said.Around the world, it’s known as “naked sushi.” Pham said it’s very popular in Japan and Hong Kong. It also has made its way to New York and Seattle.Minneapolis city licensing agent Ricardo Cervantes said his officers will watch a demonstration of how the dining experience will work before Temple’s first scheduled body sushi experience in early March.If officials are satisfied with the “safety and sanitary” aspects of the practice, then the restaurant will be able to proceed.Cervantes said any “moral issues” that people may have with it would have to be addressed by the City Council.Pham said he has hired five female models and two male models so far. They’re training right now.”They have to be hairless,” he said. “They have to learn how to breathe evenly so they don’t move too much.”Basically, they have to sit still for an hour and a half while people poke at the food sitting atop their exposed body. “The money is good and they enjoy doing it,” Pham added.Patrons will pay $150 each for the dining experience, and they will need at least a party of six to book a meal.Pham said he has sold at least eight parties so far.
Popularity: 1%
