Dying for a cuppa? Visit Bangkok’s ‘death café’ to experience death and coffee

Just like the thought of dying is outrightly terrifying, the thought of a cuppa is inherently comforting. Even the contrast in the surroundings of both the concepts is also very stark. While death may seem to many as dark and frightening, a café on it might just appeal to almost everyone. Just think what it will be like if a place offers you a combination of both these contrasting concepts. Death along with a cuppa! As bizarre as it may sound, it is true.

There is a café in Bangkok known as the Kid Mai Death Café, where visitors are advised to face their own mortality by lying in coffins and experiencing the cafe’s funeral theme. This café has been dubbed as the ‘death awareness cafe’ and has earned the fame of being the world’s most morbid café. It is located on the busy streets of Bangkok and is fiercely showcasing its unique concept of death in almost all the aspects of its chic establishment.
The idea behind this unique concept is based on Buddhist principles, aiming to motivate customers to go on and lead better lives. Literally, ‘Kid Mai Death Café’ translates to ‘Think New’ and the owners believe that this café will help spread death awareness among people.

The centrepiece that will attract your attention right when you enter the café is a decorated white coffin, where visitors can lay down for some time and secure a discount on their drinks. You can lie down in the coffins, introspect about your life and think about your dying moments. The word ‘death’ is almost everywhere in the cafe and one can get that eerie feeling in almost every corner of the café. The idea is to make people appreciate their life, how time is fleeting, and how death can knock you down any time. Along with this, the other things that will scream for your attention are a replica of a funeral ceremony, which includes wreaths, a coffin, skeletons and a lot of other signs signifying death.

The menu of Kid Mai Death Café is also killer and has drinks named Born, Elder, Painful and Death. The café is also spread out to a public pathway, wherein people can see signs that say, “what is the purpose of your life?” While some find it disturbing to see such signs, the owners feel all such complaints are welcoming as these means people are aware and thinking about death.
The café’s owner Veeranut Rojanaprapa says that his establishment is neither a dark take nor a gimmick on cuddly cafes, which are commonly found in Thailand. In fact, this idea has been conceived to spread consciousness among the Thai people regarding death and life.

It seems like the Kid Mai Death Café has taken the statement of dying for a cup of coffee quite literally!