Food does make you happy in Manila
When Jethro was diagnosed with his mental disorder, she did not cringe. "I began to investigate what foods had the ability to heal me, make me happy and improve my character" she comments. Taking the next step came almost on its own: “I thought that if it had helped me, why not share it with others?” Headdress with a top hat, Jethro speaks slowly , always with a smile and striving to find the right word in each sentence.
From the very concept, ** Van Gogh is Bipolar ** ("Van Gogh is bipolar") is not a typical restaurant. It is advisable to reserve a table , because it only admits twelve diners per shift, which lasts about three hours. Forget about going, dining, paying and leaving: at VGIB you sit with strangers and interact with Jetro and the other customers. Choose a hat from the collection and put it on. firefighter helmet? Stewardess hat? Even a hunting one with a cloth bird sewn into the wing.
Jethro, master of ceremonies
Watch out, it's coming Jethro with a natural citrus drink. “ We have a garden in Isabela (in the northeast of the island of Luzon, where Manila is located) and we grow them naturally there, as well as some of the vegetables we use.” In the beginning, VGIB was a one man show , but Jetro has decided to have his family in the kitchen as well, and the results are excellent. Now there are four, and on nights when the place registers full, he calls friends to help him wait tables . In return, he gives them dinner.
The decoration is a chaotic and harmonious mix at the same time . They are old furniture that friends had left over (a vintage chair here, a bar stool there...) and materials that he has been collecting from his various trips to all corners of the planet. Flags, dolls, vases, lamps. Your shoes -for example- they are left at the entrance of the premises, in a refrigerator (turned off). The anteroom of the bathroom is a dark room for developing photographs. What a weird place.
An unused decoration
But you would have suspected something when you opened the letter. Why are the dishes called "Virginia Wolf's Tears"? (wild turkey noodle soup) or “Larry Flint's Cabbage Experience” (coleslaw with herbs and fruits) ? Isaac Newton gives his name to a herbal drink that eradicates bad moods, while Mozart, Plato, Picasso and Michelangelo lend their names to different types of tea that, according to the menu, "get rid of stress, eliminate depression and they make you happy." What do all these characters have in common? Well, they all suffered from some kind of mental disorder, like Vincent Van Gogh and Jethro vin Raphael. "They have that problem, but they were also geniuses," says the owner. “The trick is knowing how to turn it into genius.”
Jetro and his assistants begin to distribute coconut with chrysanthemums among the clients. “Chrysanthemums are known for their relaxing ability” . After a while, when the coconut water is finished, the host gives the guests a spoon to scrape off the white meat inside the fruit.
Suddenly, Madeleine, a Filipino-French woman who is helping Jethro that night, starts singing a blues. “Every evening is different,” explains Beth, a regular customer. "You never know how it's going to end." Many of the attendees are people with depression and mental disorders who have ended up becoming friends with Jethro.
An amalgamation of curiosities
The fish comes out of the kitchen: a huge barbel. “It's wild fish. In addition to being cheaper -because people are not familiar with it-, it is tastier”, assures the ideologue of all this great hodgepodge. It is accompanied by an exquisite wild rice and natural banana potatoes. After five years , Jethro has tried to return to the roots: a strong commitment to local production, which is also more sustainable. What foods are not recommended in depressive periods or if you are diagnosed with mental imbalances? “According to my research, the pig. All meats are good except pork,” he indicates.
served now a sponge cake and ginger tea with honey ("Buddha's holy water"). Time for the healing ritual. For the uninitiated, everything indicates that Jethro is getting this story out of hand. “I have decided to turn it into a self-healing center. But you only pay for the food, not for the ritual ”, He assures. The ritual has three phases: mind, body and soul.
"The art of healing" Start by breathing through your nose for four seconds. Slowly. Hold it while she feels your chest inflate. Expel it through the mouth -until now closed- in five seconds. Repeat up to a maximum of fifteen times. “Through breathing, thoughts are not so crowded and it helps to revive the mind, preventing recurrence in negative experiences” , reads the explanatory booklet. Hey, healthy mind.
Welcome to the happy restaurant
It's the body's turn. To alkalize it, water and baking soda. A bomb against cancer cells, says Jethro. “For every half glass of water, add an eighth of a teaspoon of baking soda. You can add a slice of citrus, to give it a refreshing flavor,” according to the manual. Separately, take a teaspoon of homemade coconut oil. Whether or not you mix it with honey to make it more edible is up to you.
The soul is more complex to fix. You must express your “inner demons”, your fears. And also communicate your love. How? Writing it on a red wall to use . Everything that makes you happy. The wall looks like a high school bathroom.
And with this and the cake for dessert, it won't reopen until the next day at 6:00 p.m. Van Gogh is Bipolar . Well, or not, because Jetro likes to close the beach bar and go on a trip without prior notice.
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