There Is A Rat Cafe In San Francisco And You Have To Be An Absolute Asshole If You Eat There
MONEY- With cat cafés and yoga classes with goats, there are plenty of ways to complete everyday, leisurely activities with animals if that’s what you’re into. But now San Francisco is offering one alternative that may not be as endearing — a rat café. “This is an opportunity to remind people that, while rats were public enemy number one in the 1900s, today, they are more than acceptable as house pets and café guests,” Cole Kourvais, a spokesman for the San Francisco Dungeon, told MONEY.
The San Francisco Dungeon, a tourist attraction where actors retell scary historical events, envisioned the Rat Café as a way to show people that rats are friendly, and not just disease-infested pests — a reputation they got for their role in spreading the bubonic plague in San Francisco in the 20th Century.
And while many street rats do still carry a slew of disease, the rodents that will be scurrying around the café aren’t dangerous, Jourvais said. They come from Rattie Ratz, a non-profit rescue organization for domestic pet rats located in Northern California.
The Rat Café will only be open for a limited time this summer, and tickets to dine with the rodents cost $49.99. Visitors can experience the café on July 1 or July 8 this summer, though more opportunities may be available depending on how popular it is. After dining, customers will have 15 minutes to interact with the surrounding rodents.The admission cost covers more than just the rat interactions, though. Guests will also have the opportunity to participate in the San Francisco Dungeon’s live-action show, which features rats as well.
Paying $50 to eat with rats has to be the most asshole thing Californians have ever done, which is saying something. One thing is to be a contrarian going against public perception. Another is to eat in a restaurant where you know the rats are almost definitely nibbling on your food as it is being made. Those fuckers almost wiped mankind off the planet with the black plague. New Yorkers turn off their brains to try to forget that they are in a rat-infested shit box of a city crawling with rats while residents of San Fran (they hate when people call it that) are not only happy to eat there but paying good money on some real deal weirdo shit.
And it’s not like Frisco (they hate when people call it that too) is some pristine city. Despite what the Tanner family showed you on Full House, San Fran is crawling with homeless people. Rats and homeless people are like Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley back in the day. If you see one, the other isn’t far behind. Having an entire restaurant glorifying the existence of rats is the type of shit that makes me extra happy Jed York ruined the 49ers. The Warriors going from a #grittycity like Oakland to San Fran is prototypical bad juju. Fuck San Fran and this weird ass hippy shit.