One evening last week, Antonio Gutiérrez found himself facing a welcome dilemma. Might he, a waitress asked, have room for a second helping of pudding?

Gutiérrez, who had already seen off a plate of pasta, a fish stew and a slice of cake, gave it some thought. The option would have been unremarkable for most diners, but for him, it was entirely novel — as was the cafe in which he was eating.

Gutiérrez was enjoying his meal at the Robin Hood restaurant.

By day, the restaurant on a side street near the center of Madrid is a typical Spanish bar.

But at night, it transforms itself into a pioneering place where homeless people such as Gutiérrez, 40, from Extremadura, can dine free of charge at tables set with flowers, metal cutlery and proper glasses.

The restaurant is the latest initiative from the charity Mensajeros de la Paz — meaning messengers of peace — which was founded 54 years ago by Father Angel García Rodríguez.

Its business model — using breakfast and lunch takings from paying customers to fund free evening meals for the homeless — is simple enough. Its aim, however, is a little more ambitious.

“The inspiration came from Pope Francis, who’s spoken again and again about the importance of giving people dignity, whether it’s through bread or through work,” said Father Angel.

“So we thought, why not open a restaurant with tablecloths and proper cutlery and waiters? People with nothing can come and eat here in the restaurant and get the same treatment as everyone else. It’s just common sense.”

Each day, Father Angel’s nearby church-cum-social center provides 200 homeless people with breakfast and lunch. In the evening, the new restaurant will feed 100 homeless people in two sittings.

The priest acknowledges that there may be something a little provocative in naming the restaurant after a figure who redistributed wealth at the tip of an arrow and the point of a sword. But the idea is less to rob the rich than to encourage them to share their good fortune.

上周的一个晚上，安东尼奥•古铁雷斯遇到一个令人愉快的难题：女服员询问他还要再来一份布丁吗？

古铁雷斯已经吃了一盘意大利面、一份炖鱼以及一块蛋糕，他仔细考虑了一下。对于大多数食客来说，这是一个很寻常的问

题，但是对于古铁雷斯来说，在这间餐厅吃饭就已经是天方夜谭。

罗宾汉餐厅坐落在马德里市中心附近的一条小巷中，白天这里是一家典型的西班牙酒吧。

但是在晚上这里就变身为流浪者餐厅，这着实是创举。今年40岁的古铁雷斯来自埃斯特雷马杜拉，像他这样的流浪汉可以在餐厅里摆着鲜花、金属餐具以及精致杯子的餐桌上免费用餐。

这间餐厅是“和平使者”慈善组织的新项目。54年前，安吉•加西亚•罗德里格斯神父创建了该组织。

罗宾汉餐厅的经营模式很简单，就是靠从付费顾客身上赚取的早午餐收入为流浪者提供免费晚餐。不过，它的目标却更远大。

安吉神父说：“教皇弗朗西斯一世启发了我们，他反复强调，不论是借助面包还是工作，重要的是给予别人尊严。”

“所以我们想，为什么不开一间铺着桌布、摆着精致餐具、有服务员的餐厅？一无所有的人可以来这吃饭，享受和其他人一样的对待。这是常识。”

每天白天，安吉神父在附近的教会社会服务中心为200位流浪者提供早餐和午餐。

晚上，新开业的罗宾汉餐厅分两批招待100位流浪者。

安吉神父承认，用一个使用弓箭与刀剑劫富济贫的人物的名字命名这间餐厅可能会引起争议。但是，与其说是劫富，不如说这个创意是为了鼓励富人分享他们的财富。

(Chinadaily.com.cn)

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    【餐具】cānjù cutlery utensils, as knives, forks, and spoons, used at the table for serving and eating food

    【挑衅的】tiǎoxìn de provocative stimulating discussion or exciting controversy