The Paradox Restaurant 

The Paradox, at 64 East 7^th Street on the Lower East Side, was a restaurant dedicated to the philosophy of George Ohsawa and the macrobiotic diet.  It was a storefront below street level with small dining tables placed around the candlelit room.  The food was inexpensive and well-reputed.  Tea was served free, as much as you liked.  More than just a restaurant, The Paradox was a center for spiritual and cultural interests, a meeting place reminiscent of the cafes of Greenwich Village or Paris in the 1920s.  A person could spend the whole day at The Paradox without buying anything, and no one would complain.  The crowd at the Paradox was a mystical congregation, interested in teachings from the East.  When news of the new Swami uptown at Dr. Mishra’s reached The Paradox, the word spread quickly.