[Birdbrain]

Back in the '70s, during my brief residence in San Francisco, I had a favorite restaurant called Communion. Located South of Market, it served a delicious Indian vegetarian buffet, all you could eat for 60 cents. Still some of the best curries I've ever had. But the really memorable thing was the house rules: no reading, writing or talking.

By one account, "the customer had to learn while enjoying such a cheap meal." Urged to take only what you need ("Want is ideas, need is real"), and they entrusted customers to make their own change from the open cash register. And finally, to keep the pupils on their lessons, the restaurant enforced a no-talking rule. "By doing away with useless talk as well as 'distracting' music and wall paintings, Communion hoped 'to let people have a chance to learn how their bodies feel about food.- and how to pay full attention to their food and their eating.'"

This was exactly the kind of wacky and progressive twist that I'd come to California for! Mostly, I recall intense flavors, a homey place among strangers, and plenty of fork and spoon clicks...