Talking to Restaurant Guests - another Dimension of Conversation

I yesterday started telling you about our days at the restaurant and in the next days, I thought I would give you some more insights into our new life as owners and waiters at Ammaji’s Ayurvedic Restaurant. Today I would like to write a bit more about how different this work is.

Previously, I have worked in several different ways. I was the performer on stage in front of thousands of people. I gave individual sessions and consultations. I performed workshops and led meditations. I worked at the computer. I still welcome guests in our home for retreats. And now I welcome them in our restaurant. This work brings a fully different relationship to people than I had before!

I always made a quite deep relationship with the people I met and worked with. A lot of these people became friends. They often came to meet me and we had long talks as well. Now I still meet a lot of people – but they come for a different purpose and that’s how the relationship I develop with them is quite different as well.

My conversations with people these days are shorter. They have come for food, are hungry and want to choose what they will eat. They want to sit in a nice place and eat well, which is why they have come to our place. And they are interested in our concept, our ideas and our food. So to most people I explain about the Ayurvedic values of meals and how we have placed signs for each dosha with the dishes in our menu card. They appreciate the concept of eating healthy and something which will be good for their belly as well, aside of tasting great.

When I am asked how we got the idea for this concept, I tell them about my past work in Europe, America and Australia. Well, as much as I can in the limited time. It is like a five-minute summary of the past sixteen years of my life!

Of course people also get interested in our retreats at the Ashram as well as our cooking workshops – who wouldn’t after eating such delicious food? Finally, when I tell about our charity work, everybody appreciates it a lot! Their meal at our restaurant supports the education and food of our children as well!

In the end, people take along a card and leave theirs, take our phone number and tell us they would come again for a meal, they would call or sometimes that they would come for a longer talk and meeting in the next days. That is however not a serious commitment. They were here for food, not for making friends. Maybe they come, maybe they don’t. I remember or maybe I don’t.

One thing however I know for sure: they enjoyed their time here, their meal and their talk with me. That makes me happy and is finally something this work has in common with all previous ones: I am fully happy because I can help people and satisfy a need while supporting children in need!