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Ken Korczak

Restaurant on the edge of time

March 12, 2006 | Comment icon 12 comments
Image Credit: stockxpert
Many of us have a favorite restaurant where we love the food, the atmosphere, and the special feeling it gives us. Today I bring you a story of one of my favorite restaurants — but I can only get to it through the process of lucid dreaming. A lucid dream is a dream in which you know you are dreaming. For several years, I experimented with advanced lucid dream inducement techniques, including using the NovaDreamer developed by The Lucidity Institute at Stanford University.The NovaDreamer is a kind of “dream mask” which you wear over your eyes at as you asleep at night. It uses motion detectors to discern when you have entered the REM state — Rapid Eye Movement — which is an indication that you are dreaming.Once REM is detected, the NovaDreamer signals you to “come awake” within your dream. The following story tells of a fantastic restaurant I disocovered in the “dream world.” I call it: The Restaurant on the Edge of Time."

One night as I was going to sleep I was very hungry, but I was too tired to get up for a snack.After a few minutes — and after using my favorite lucid dream inducement technique – I found myself in an exhilarating dream in which I was flying through a high, craggy mountain pass. I instantly realized I was dreaming, and tried not to get too excited. I didn't want to collapse the dream and wake up.After a time of thrilling soaring through the mountains, there was a sudden “whump”! I found myself looking down at a bright red carpet. Lifting my head, I found that I was in a bright room. I recognized it as some kind of large restaurant, furnished with heavy tables and chairs fashioned from oak, blackened with age. One entire side of the place, an entire wall, was a gigantic window — it was about 25 feet high. The room was like a big solarium.Outside the window was a vast, snow-covered vista. Huge black-gray mountains with jagged toothy peaks loomed nearby. In front of the mountains was a frozen glacial landscape, broken only here and there by a few gray rocky outcroppings. The sky was vibrant blue and full of sun.It was a breath-taking sight. I stood where I had landed, gaping out the big window.Suddenly, I felt somebody touch my elbow. Startled, I whirled and saw a petite woman, about five feet tall, and of astounding beauty. She had luxurious chocolate-brown hair tumbling to her shoulders. Her skin was pale ivory, and she had stunning green eyes. Her lips were like red pillow cushions. She was the most profoundly lovely woman I had ever seen! Her radiant smile was competition for the bright sunshine streaming through the giant window. She was achingly lovely!

I quickly learned this stunning person was a waitress. She said to me: “Do you want a table?” I stammered and said: “I guess so, but where am I?”As I asked this question, the place began to shift and waver. I was starting to wake up — something I did not want to do yet! I wanted to experience this world!But the woman helped me. She said: “Look down at the carpet and focus all your attention on it until things solidify for you.”I obeyed, and looked down at the carpet. As I did so, I began to regain control of the dream. The carpet became solid; I could soon see every fiber in it. (I later learned this was the purpose of the carpet — it’s a special color designed to help people stay solid in the dream state)!Anyway, once I was back in control, the beautiful waitress asked me how I got here. I said: “I think I’m dreaming, but I’m not sure. My physical body is on Earth, in a place called Minnesota. Do you know where that is?”

She laughed and said: “Yes, you are still on Earth, but you are probably in a different time period, and there is no Minnesota now.” And then she added: “But congratulations on making it here!Then she led me to a table and asked me if I wanted something to eat. I said yes, but that I didn’t have any money. She burst out laughing. “You don’t need any money here! Feeding you will be an honor — you’ve earned it!”I said, “Why?”She said: “Because you’re here!”I said: “Thank you. But I’m not sure if I can eat, or what I want.”She winked at me, and said: “Don’t worry, I’ll bring you something you’re going to love.”As she turned to go back toward the kitchen, I looked at her more. She was wearing a prim, earthy green knee-length frock. Her legs were smooth and muscular. On her feet were soft black ankle boots. She also evinced sweet scent, very subtle, like melted white sugar, or perhaps mild vanilla. Whew! She was so attractive is made me dizzy!But I forced my mind off Eros. I looked around the restaurant a bit more.
About six to eight other diners were present, speaking in low voices, minding their own business. Were they dreaming, too? They sipped drinks from crystal goblets, and ate from dark wooden bowls and wooden plates.I was seated at a large oak table right next to the big windows. I looked out into the landscape and was surprised to see a human figure walking out on the glacial ice-pack. It was coming toward the restaurant, and as it got closer, I was absolutely flabbergasted by what I saw!I realized that I was looking at not a human, but a proto-human! This "person" was some kind of Cromagnon man, or something. It stood tall and erect, but had a heavy, ape-like brow and face. It had thick, tangled black hair and beard. It was wearing animal furs, and high animal-fur boots or leggings. Strangely, it must have been 6’-8” or 6’-10” tall.The proto-man was skinny, but tough-looking and sinewy with muscle. He was also carrying a variety of animal skin pouches. I had the impression that he might have been some kind of shaman on vision quest. In the dream state, thoughts like that just come to you; it’s kind of like ESP.As the proto-man man came closer, I realized he could not see me through the window, or even see the restaurant. He stood there for a while, just kind of smelling the air.

He seemed to sense that this was a magical place.It began to dawn to me that this restaurant was probably designed to be a kind of viewing area, set up in the distant past, where "mind traveling" beings from the future could come to witness the ancient landscape while relaxing over a fine meal. What a concept for a restaurant!A was stunned and fascinated. I could not take my eyes off the proto-man. It was an eerie feeling to see a being that was perhaps only "somewhat" human." He had the unmistakable mannerisms of a human, yet he was alien somehow — truly another species. I felt I could sense the beginnings of higher intelligence in his face, a certain light in its eyes — as if he too was transcending to a higher level of understanding, just as those of us at the restaurant might be doing.I made a mental connection.Here I was at this restaurant, honing my own abilities to live and experience consciousness beyond my ordinary experience — striving to transcend my present level of existence — just as this proto-human was on a vision quest, striving to transcend his own level of development. He eventually began to walk on, and slowly disappeared into the distance.Presently, the lovely waitress returned with my food. She set down a wooden bowl filled with what looked like a delicious beef stew. It had small whole onions and tubers in it, and some other vegetables.

She also set down a bowl of leafy salad, looking like spinach leaves. Finally, she presented a large, crystal glass containing a green drink of some kind, with ice in it.She said: “You’re gonna love this. What you might want to try is spearing a chunk of meat, wrap it in one of these valor leaves and pop the whole thing into your mouth. The stew is quite spicy and the cool taste of the leaves balance the flavor.”I said, “Okay,” and then, “I’ve never heard of ‘valor’ leaves. What are they?”She said, “Just a kind of delicious plant we grow here.”She left , and I began to eat. I took her advice about wrapping a chunk of meat in the valor leaves. I popped a wrapped bit into my mouth — and the flavor exploded within! The meat had a pungent, hot & spicy flavor — it was 100 percent succulent! — and the minty flavor of the valor leaves balanced it perfectly. It tasted so good I almost went into a trance!I dug into the rest of the bowl and began to eat like a starved animal. It was so delicious that I couldn’t shovel it all into my mouth fast enough! The whole onions were cooked to a perfect degree — just slightly crispy and full of flavor.

The tubers were sweet and savory.As I was eating, I hardly noticed that the waitress had brought me a large crust of freshly baked bread, golden brown and fluffy white on the inside. I grabbed the bread and used it to sop up the gravy.After I finished the bowl of stew, I reached for the glass of green liquid and took a tentative sip. It was some kind of magnificent wine! It was like kiwi-fruit wine, except the sweetness was more perfect, the flavor more exotic. It gave my tongue just the right feeling. After a couple of sips, I poured the entire contents down my throat.When the waitress came back and asked me how I liked it, I made a fool of myself, babbling about how superb everything was. I asked her what the stew was made of, and get ready for this — she said it was made from mammoth meat! I had just eaten mammoth stew, and it was the best meal of my life!She asked me if I wanted some desert. Of course, I said yes! A minute later she was back with what looked like a dry, crispy piece of toast, or some kind of large, squared cookie. It was waffle-yellow with bits of red in it. I took a bite — again my mouth erupted with delightful flavor! It had a sweet, banana-strawberry taste. Although it looked dry, it had the moist consistency of a strudel, or a fresh scone.As I was eating this, I began to feel the solidity of the restaurant shimmer and waver.

I tried looking at the red carpet again, but it wasn’t working. Darn! It was time to go, time to wake up.As I faded, I saw the waitress-goddess smiling at me with a look of pure love — she seemed to be saying good-bye, and telling me to come again. I suddenly felt awful I had no way to leave her a tip!I awoke. I got up out of bed and started whooping and hollering! I could not believe the marvelous journey I had just been on! My mind was swirling for the rest of the night!Since then, I have returned many times to the restaurant established somewhere on a distant shelf of time, but it would take an entire book to relate everything I have experienced there. Perhaps the best thing about it is that I can eat all I want, and not gain a speck of weight — there’s no calories in dream food!



Ken Korczak is the author of Minnesota Paranormala:
http://www.amazon.com/Minnesota-Paranormala-Volume-1-ebook/dp/B004Y5G114/ Comments (12)


Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #3 Posted by RamboIII 18 years ago
its weird how this waitress seems to know she exists only in thought form which to me is very odd.
Comment icon #4 Posted by Dominik 18 years ago
Why? It's his dream. She is just a figment of his imagination. She knows what he knows and so on. Why would that strike you as odd?
Comment icon #5 Posted by noyritus 18 years ago
Well there is a columnist here that does the site justice! I was fortunate to have lucid dreams often when i was a kid, all I had to do if i wanted to enter one was sleep on the floor. But as i got older I'd go years without having them, but recently I've began have them more often I love them. They are mesmorizing and somehow I feel a deeper meaning while I'm there, for instance, last time I was at my favorite fishing spot and I felt I was really there but more like in the form of a ghost or slightly in a different dimension. I felt more like a god or spirit visiting this docile place during ... [More]
Comment icon #6 Posted by Pandora2173 18 years ago
Would someone pleeeease tell me how to go there! Man I could taste that food just from his deion....I'm drooling. Definitely gonna have to make a pot of stew sometime this week. Now, if I could only find some mammoth meat........
Comment icon #7 Posted by ROGER 18 years ago
Doctor has me on antidepressant drugs that have a similar effect on my sleep , dreams . But my nights I spend with my ex -girl friend! Hope my wife and Her Husband dont find out!
Comment icon #8 Posted by twopits 18 years ago
If you like Ken's dream, check out his blogging at http://ironghost.wordpress.com/ twopits
Comment icon #9 Posted by nohands 17 years ago
yo sir, idol all of your columns were superb i wish someday somehow i will write column too....hehe idol!!!! Basically here in the philippines pilipinos like small restaurant called karenderia,,,usually each karenderia is consist of not more than ten ready cook food,,, lolx just facts
Comment icon #10 Posted by E.T_PHONED HOME 17 years ago
Wow sounds like a fantastic dream to have :-) I have dreams where i know im dreaming and i control what happens in them. I didnt know it was called lucid dreaming im going to look into this, thankyou. In my dreams i can make myself fly, i have to concentrate really hard to make myself get off the ground but once im up in the air im up and away. I can't fly very high though, i never seem to fly higher than a lampost!
Comment icon #11 Posted by Bosanchero 17 years ago
all i can say is when i am about to go to coma i better have one of those masks on
Comment icon #12 Posted by nohands 17 years ago
hehe i forgot to ask how to enter a lucid dream hehe nice place there, maybe its like a fantasy world, hehe


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