Silence served at US restaurant

Silence is golden - at least that's what one US eatery is banking on after taking a cue from Buddhist monks in India.
Eat, a restaurant in Greenpoint near Brooklyn, is serving up a four-course meal of organic, locally-sourced food, but isn't allowing any chit-chat.
The chef of the restaurant decided to run a monthly event where all diners must chow down in complete silence after spending time with Buddhist monks in India.
Nick Nauman, Eat's managing chef and events curator, came up with the idea in a bid to address the "alienation" caused by the countless distractions people encounter while eating.

Threatened with the punishment of having to finish their meal at an outdoor bench if they spoke, the crowd remained silent. "I didn't expect anybody to screw it up," Nauman said.
The 28-year-old wants to "reconfigure the relationship between a space and food" and "transform Eat into more than a restaurant" through a series of upcoming lectures and artistic performances, the Observer reported.
He is also open to suggestions about more novel events the public would like the restaurant, which is located on 124 Meserole Avenue, to curate.