(3 Mar 1998) English/Nat
Diners at one of Rome’s more upscale restaurants get more than they bargain for when they eat out.
The restaurant ‘Eau Vive,’ or ‘living water,’ is already a little different.
It’s run by nuns – they cook the food and serve at the tables.
But they also provide the after-dinner entertainment, in the form of songs and dances from around the world.
The sisters from the Donum Dei Missionary Family set up the ‘Eau Vive’ restaurant in Rome as a way of spreading the word while earning money.
The women come from all four corners of the world – from the Congo and Vietnam to Peru and Benin.
Customers dine underneath religious images hanging on the wall including pictures of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus and saints.
Dressed in brightly colored and patterned attire, the nuns do all the work in the restaurant, from cooking the meals to serving the food.
The head cook is Cordon Bleu-trained in Paris and the dishes are like those one would expect from any top-notch restaurant.
But what follows isn’t so usual, since the nuns then provide entertainment for their guests as well.
Here, the nuns are treating their customers to a Congolese dance with singing and music.
The performances feature cultural songs and dance routines typical of the nuns’ different ethnic backgrounds.
Renee Priere, who has been in the religious order for 32 years, is in charge of the restaurant.
She says while some customers are surprised at the religious tone to their meal, most are happy to be a part of the unique dining experience.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
“Usually people are deeply happy, even if they’re surprised at the
beginning. Once in a while we have some negative reactions – people who don’t accept it. They say that ‘it’s not my conviction, I don’t think like you.’ But most of the time, I must say that people make (it) an experience, a personal experience in this ambiance and they are happy.”
SUPER CAPTION: Renee Priere, Donum Dei Missionary family
Malia, another of the nuns at the restaurant, believes the song and dance is an expressive way for the nuns to try to spread the word of God to others.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
“Dancing – it’s a way for us to praise Jesus for this love that we receive from him and also, it’s our – another expression of evangeliciation. It’s only preaching the gospel, but also we share with other peoples our culture by our dance, our songs also.”
SUPER CAPTION: Malia, nun from Polynesia
The sisters’ talents run to other types of dancing – these nuns from Vietnam stage a ballet performance.
And the restaurant’s ambience goes down well with customers, many of whom come looking for something a little different.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
“I had heard in the travel book that they actually, some people came late and
they had to sing for their meals, so I thought ‘Oh, this is going to be amazing.”
So when they started singing, I thought ‘Oh, this is great – I love it.”
SUPER CAPTION: Vox Pop, Japanese customer
SOUNDBITE: (English)
“Oh, I think it’s lovely. It’s nice stuff and it’s nice music and yes, I love it.
SUPER CAPTION: Vox Pop, Swedish customer
But despite its novel form of after-dinner entertainment, in some ways Eau Vive is exactly like any other restaurant.
When it comes to celebrating a birthday, the nuns use their singing talents to treat the customer to a birthday song.
Customers get a cake, a candle and a song, just like anywhere else – but here, they get a holy birthday celebration.
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1 Comment
This is beautiful, I like it very much!