Brussels, Oct. 6 (BNA): While European Union countries are still considering capping gas prices, some companies are in a hurry to find solutions to the continent’s energy crisis.
In Brussels, the center of the European Union, restaurateurs have imagined what a future would look like without gas and electricity for gourmets, The Associated Press reports.
Guests at the dinner served at Brasserie Surrealiste and cooked by the Racines staff this week were the first to try it: no ovens, no stoves, no hot plates, no coffee machines, no light bulbs.
Still, great food.
Just garnish cold, or broil lightly over a blazing Japanese charcoal grill, and serve at candlelit tables.
“The idea is to go back to the age of the caves,” said Francesco Corri, owner of Rascens. “We’ve prepared a whole series of dishes that only need to grill for a few seconds…but the search for taste, for the amazing, for the amazing, is still part of our job.”
On the menu: brioche with anchovies, porchetta and focaccia cooked over a wood fire, raw white tuna, roast pork with beans, and cream of ricotta with pumpkin jam and pistachios as desert.
But what seems like a romantic atmosphere and a one-off experience is actually what customers can constantly face if their energy bills keep surging.
“People see a 30% to 40% price hike in the supermarket. We, the restaurateurs, buy the same raw materials and the same products. So what do we do? We increase prices. But primarily comes the price of gas and electricity.. Can we do?” Corey said. With our work without energy sources.. the answer is no.” “So we have to think a little more, and society has to realize how dangerous the situation is.”
The dramatic rise in inflation in Belgium could have been a deterrent, but 50 guests attended Thursday’s dinner organized as part of a “Brussels in the Dark” initiative that includes dozens of restaurants.
“We are at a point where one needs to choose between being cozy at home or eating out,” said Stefan Lebla, who was spending a night out with his girlfriend. “Finding balance is complicated. So yeah, of course, there’s a reflection on a daily basis. There are habits that need to be changed, which we try to change anyway, even if it’s not always easy.”