A prison-themed restaurant in Egypt? It might seem distasteful in a country where thousands of people, mostly Islamists but also secular pro-democracy activists, are languishing in jail on what right groups say are trumped-up charges.<\/p>\n
Yet, the restaurant in the coastal city of Mansoura called \u201cFood Crime\u201d is doing good business because of its novelty, according to patrons. Props like handcuffs, inmate number plaques, a prisoners\u2019 cage and even an electric chair are served up as welcome selfie-fodder.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a catchy idea and I did not want to do something that is traditional,\u201d said the restaurant\u2019s owner, Waleed Naeem, 37. \u201cOur prices are competitive \u2014 our most expensive sandwich on the menu is just 15 pounds (84 U.S. cents).\u201d<\/p>\n
Naeem is irked by anyone who tries to link the restaurant\u2019s theme to the large-scale crackdown on dissent since the military ousted an Islamist president in 2013.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people of Mansoura really like this restaurant and think it\u2019s a great idea. But others are making a huge deal out of this on social media,\u201d said Naeem, who has refused to give media interviews to news outlets that want him to speak about what his eatery symbolizes.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy restaurant is not political,\u201d said Naeem, who maintains that the idea of Food Crime was inspired by similar establishments in South Korea, China and Italy. \u201cI don\u2019t think it has anything to do with real prisons and those inside them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The restaurant\u2019s unusual decor attracts many in Mansoura, like Yasmeen Khouly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea is crazy, but it\u2019s all about trying something new and seeing what\u2019s out there, she said after eating there with a friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously seeing handcuffs and an electric chair is strange.\u201d<\/p>\n
Engineer Ahmed Atef, however, said the environment reminded him of his days in the army, and \u201cthe prisons I used to see when I served.\u201d<\/p>\n
The motif has even drawn in policemen like Amr El Gohary, who said he was impressed by features of the \u201camazing decor,\u201d like the handcuffs and a metal cage that allowed him to engage in some role reversal.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously it made me love this place. The experience of eating in the cage was interesting because being a policeman, I\u2019m the one who puts people in handcuffs and prisons.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A prison-themed restaurant in Egypt? It might seem distasteful in a country where thousands of people, mostly Islamists but also secular pro-democracy activists, are languishing in jail on what right groups say are trumped-up charges. Yet, the restaurant in the coastal city of Mansoura called \u201cFood Crime\u201d is doing good business because of its novelty, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":56588,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7863],"tags":[27777,25928,27776,27778],"class_list":["post-56587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english-section","tag-engineer-ahmed-atef","tag-mansoura","tag-restaurant","tag-waleed-naeem"],"yoast_head":"\n