Enter the Hyberian Restaurant. All staff is from Hyberia. All food prepared, is unique to the country of Hyberia, let the chefs bring you a sampling. Notice how they have completely different eating utensils, that look like enlarged forks/knives spoons, except with wider/thinner handles that you purse between thumb and index finger. Check out the amazing customary clothing, notice the interesting accents of the Hyberians, talk to them about their culture, ask them about the paintings on the wall that depict their mythology and heritage. Get to know the sound, feel, and taste of the Hyberian culture.

With a couple of [really] creative chefs and staff/accent/behavior trainers... create a completely new and fake country, and bring it's food and culture to the US (and abroad). In every way convincing, the illusion never dropped. [i'm not a chef but my brother is, and routinely comes up with things that i have yet to see exist anywhere else, so i think this is feasible]
-- xercyn, Jun 09 2003

Hibernia http://www.hibernia.ca
All the oil products you can eat. Most are poisonous. [Cedar Park, Oct 04 2004]

Hiberian Restaurant http://www.romeby.c.../pages/faciliti.htm
[DrCurry, Oct 04 2004]

Cyberian Restaurant http://www.vrmaui.com/maui/lucys.htm
[DrCurry, Oct 04 2004]

Molvania http://www.molvania.com.au/molvania/
baked, without the restaurant [neilp, Dec 20 2004]

I wouldn't mind a restaurant from Strongbadia however I think the food at Hyberia would be tastier.
-- sartep, Jun 09 2003


I'd like a Hibernian Restaurant, but the food is a bit too greasy.
-- Cedar Park, Jun 09 2003


So, is there a good name that isn't going to inspire some thoughts of grease or countries that exist or something like that? I spent about thirty seconds coming up with the other one but I'd change it if someone had a better [read: halfway decent] idea... hopefully the thoughts of some other country didn't cause the fish...
-- xercyn, Jun 09 2003


There is a Hibernia National Bank I banked with when in college.
Aglauran? "what was bizarre has become usual, what seemed normal is now an oddity," -Italo Calvino
-- Zimmy, Jun 09 2003


Um, I was speaking of Hibernian, not Hyberian. I was trying to make a subtle (maybe too much so) reference to a huge off-shore oil drilling project. [link]
-- Cedar Park, Jun 09 2003


You don't mean "Iberia", then? How about France? That's a fake country, isn't it?
-- git, Jun 09 2003


Which sex is the Hymensroom for?
-- thumbwax, Jun 09 2003


The ruse would be even more sustainable if the theme represented a fictional ethnic group with no nation of its own, like Kurds and Catalonians (although the Kurds and Catalonians, of course, are not fictional).
-- beauxeault, Jun 09 2003


-Black toothed waitresses sporting enormeous cleavage serving blue stuff. -Specialty: wild sfiltersturn (in heavy syrup).
-- babyloon, Jun 09 2003


Is the intent to fool people? Anyone with half a mind for geography, or a globe at home, will know it's a ruse, and word will get our rather quickly among those who wouldn't have known otherwise.

Cedar, I've been to many Hibernian pubs in my time. Hibernia is more commonly (and originally) used as the name of the island which is occupied by the various Irelands.
-- waugsqueke, Jun 09 2003


Yes, of course people will think this is a ruse but many won't care. Is it really any worse than a restaurant that pretends to be from a country that does exist, but gets all of the manerisms, food and style wrong. I like Outback steakhouse for the food but if you are visiting from Austrailia please be gentle to the people who work there and play along with their theme.
-- sartep, Jun 09 2003


My intent was definitely not to try to fool anyone who really looked into the geography, but rather to make sure all the amenities were authentic-seeming enough that people could let themselves be convinced, if they wanted to go for it. I think that for many people, finding out it was a fake, and indeed completely unique, would only add to their appreciation if it was done properly, and given the care it would need to succeed.
-- xercyn, Jun 09 2003


I don't see the problem to fool or confuse. Seems like fun to me. Moreso, I was thinking of what passed as Hyberian in the classical greek times, an unknown region to the north. Where I live there's Friday's and Bennigans, but for everyone both are gringo restaurants, and yes, we play along.
-- babyloon, Jun 09 2003


This brought to mind a hibernation restaurant, they give you a big feed and a cave to go to to sleep it off!
-- PiledHigherandDeeper, Jun 09 2003


I'm agreeing with you xercyn, I would definately go to a restraunt like this.
-- sartep, Jun 09 2003


// think that for many people, finding out it was a fake, and indeed completely unique, would only add to their appreciation if it was done properly //

I dunno. I think most people would wonder what the point was. "Oh, it's just a pretend country? Okay... um, why?" Because it's fun to eat pretend country food?

Real ethnic food has culture and reason and history behind it. This would just be one chef's made up hooey. I fail to see any attraction.
-- waugsqueke, Jun 09 2003


My point is mainly that (1) anyone that wanted to could always find out that the country/culture wasn't 'real', and more importantly (2) that the intent is to spend the proper amount of time to make it so the food really 'does' have the stories/culture/art/mythology/ history to go along with it, so that it's not just one chef's whimsy, but really several chefs, several historians, authors, creative types, that could really sit down and figure out what is necessary to make it a complete experience. So that the person who finds out that it's not a real country doesn't say / /Ok... , um why?// but rather "wow. how did they think of all this." [that'd be the goal anyway] It's like some made up world at Universal Studios or Epcot or something, except for adults, and thus thought out on deeper levels. [and yes, i still like both of those places...]
-- xercyn, Jun 09 2003


// that the person who finds out that it's not a real country doesn't say / /Um, ok why?// but rather "wow. how did they think of all this." //

But that's my point. No matter how much work you put into it to make it detailed and realistic-like... people still aren't going to say "how did they think of all this"... they are going to say 'why'. Furthermore, they'll say "why did they put so much work and effort to get this so detailed if it isn't even a real country?" You seem to be missing that point. That fake-country thing doesn't work.

Perhaps if you based it in the future, or on another planet. Or better yet, dig up some ancient culture that did exist and try to extrapolate their culture and food. But if it's just made-up for made-up's sake, why would anyone bother. Making up a country isn't hard - go spend some time at Nationstates.com and you'll see lots of 'em.
-- waugsqueke, Jun 09 2003


You tell him Jutta. ::holding Silmarillion in one hand typing with the other::
-- sartep, Jun 09 2003


This idea then is not a metaphor for the h a l f b a k e r y?
-- Tiger Lily, Jun 09 2003


Ha, sorry about that. Rather lazy of myself wasn't it? I fixed that error just for you. But really, why should I bother spelling a made up word correctly?

No, just razzing ya. Honestly, most places on the web don't appriciate correct spelling or proper grammar.
-- sartep, Jun 09 2003


Jutta- best description I think I've ever read. I contemplated replacing my entire description with your analogy. Briefly, anyway. It could be a -smidge- tough to decipher on its own.
-- xercyn, Jun 10 2003


What the world really needs now is a good, down-home "Elbonian" ristorante and patisserie, Dilbert style. No more of this "Hyberian" confusion with Hibernia, Iberia, Siberia, or even the Titan Hyperion (though one has to wonder what dishes named "Roast Helios", "Sauteed Selene" and "Egged Eos" might taste like).
-- jurist, Jun 10 2003


// Lord of the Rings : Linguistics = Hyberian Restaurant : Cooking. //

Presuming the chef cooks as well as Tolkein writes, maybe. It could also equate to bad Piers Anthony puns.
-- waugsqueke, Jun 10 2003


Having seen the level of originality in the creation of unique dishes by experienced chefs, i think this would be great if pulled off correctly. I'd forego the trained waiters as this becomes too novelty and would make the restaurant one of those expensive theme restaurants with crappy food that yuppies go to for the environment.
-- calculust, Jun 10 2003


I agree. Many restaurants already tell you their "story" on the menu, this just takes that from the nonfiction to the fiction department. Fun. (WTAGIPBAN)
-- krelnik, Jun 10 2003



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