Boycott of The Village Restaurant.

Generally, I try to keep the theme of my blog positive and try to see the good parts of Bangladesh and the people who live here. Unfortunately, because of the continued disrespect shown by “The Village” restaurant, I cannot find the positives in this situation.

My husband's grandfather purchased the land our home sits on long before Dhaka became the mega city it is today. At the time he bought it, it seemed like a foolish purchase because it was not a coveted spot. He built a two-story apartment building with four large flats for himself and his extended family. As the family grew, two more floors were added to make it what it is today.

My husband, the oldest of three brothers and one of many cousins who grew up in this building have fond memories of playing cricket on the street, on the roof and even in their homes. They played with the neighbors who (mostly) lived in single-family homes that dotted the nearby roads. The pictures and stories of their childhood look and sound beautiful and fun. I would love to visit Dhaka ten to fifteen years ago, it sounds like a wonderful place. 

Fast forward to present day, the city has changed – grown, and is now over crowded. Our building is ageing but still a nice place. The family has done well maintaining their homes. The location is prime. We live inside the "diplomatic enclave" the safest and most sought after real estate in Dhaka. We live near the major road but our street is relatively quiet. 

There is a lot of noise in Dhaka, like any major city. Construction, people yelling, dogs barking, mongoose fighting, ceiling fans, cats, car horns, crows, and the foot falls of the upstairs neighbors. All this creates almost a musical cacophony that we are able to get used to and tune out. 

We have the extreme misfortune of living next to “The Village” restaurant. Zoning laws are more flexible in Bangladesh so this very large restaurant was allowed to be built right next door to our home. This restaurant features outdoor seating and outdoor kitchens (which we can see directly into from the higher floors and have observed animals climbing over the cooking surfaces during the night and early mornings). One of their kitchens happens to be right next to our bedroom windows. All day (and most of the night) we suffer having to hear the industrial exhaust vent motor, the clanging of dishes and silverware, and the employees shouting at each other over all the other noises. If this was not enough, they also feature music. All day they play a loop of Eastern and Western music. George Michael's “Careless Whisper” played every few hours. In the evenings, on weekends and holidays, they have live music. Terrible singers scream out the same songs and drown out everything else. We cannot watch TV or have a conversation at a regular volume even with all our windows closed. Sam wakes up frequently because of the sudden loud sounds of dishes or music changes. It is very hard for anyone to fall asleep before the restaurant is done washing the silverware and they do not finish until midnight or later.

"The Village" restaurant's wall on the left, our bedroom windows on the right. 

Sakib has been working with the management and managed to get them to redirect their exhaust fan so our home does not smell like their food (but does nothing for the noise) and to keep the volume at a reasonable level. This was working for a time; management was even calling to ensure the volume was okay. Management is changing and now, our problems are starting again. This time, they are not being reasonable. They have told us that, “the music will not have the right feel unless it is very loud.”

The owner of the restaurant is a member of the same club my father in law has belonged to for the last nearly thirty years. I met her and her children at the club restaurant when my mom was in town. She knows about our struggles with the noise and does not seem to care. Profit comes first relations with neighbors are inconsequential.

Sakib has tried so hard to handle this diplomatically with little results to show for it and he grows tired of it. I hope that those of you reading this, who live in or visit Dhaka, will join me and my family in our boycott of The Village Restaurant, maybe then they'll take a look at our point of view and respect the neighborhood they moved into. 

"The Village" One of the outdoor dining areas.