The blind leading the blind never tasted so good.
By Sheliza Thobani
Photos by Dark Table
“How the hell are we supposed to eat?” I hear a voice behind me — my sense of hearing is enhanced by the complete blackness.
“People without sight find a way, so we will too.”
The phenomenon of blind dining is already popular in cities such as London, Paris, Toronto and Montreal. Vancouver has joined the crowd with the recent opening of Dark Table. The concept: eating in darkness in order to enhance the other senses, thus improving the overall dining experience.
Fear overwhelms my emotions as we enter into the darkness; time stands still without the ambiance of streetlights. A waitress guides us to our table, Congo line style, likely to prevent falling or tripping. Sitting in the pitch black is overwhelming, and the initial shock is suffocating.
[pullquote]Unfortunately, they have yet to obtain a liquor license, so if you plan on having a few drinks, I would recommend going somewhere else before or after.[/pullquote]
Blind man Jorge Spielmann, who blind-folded his guests so they could experience their food as a blind person, devised the concept in Switzerland. Dark Table is the third restaurant of its kind in Canada, opened by Moe Alameddine, who was inspired by Spielmann. The restaurant provides job opportunities to blind British Columbians, a demographic in which 70 percent are unemployed; nine of the 24 people on staff at the Vancouver location are legally blind.
As our eyes adjust to the dark, it becomes easier to place where everything is; I gently feel the tip of my knife to ensure that I’m using the appropriate side to butter my bread. Aside from the quiet voices and echoes of “careful,” the room is mostly silent, filled with couples sitting next to each other.
Alameddine refers to the restaurant’s cuisine as “fusion Mediterranean.” The ordering process takes place at an outdoor patio by the entrance, with benches placed along the sides. We were able to pick the main course, but the starters and desserts remained a surprise, so allergies had to be addressed to the server beforehand. As it was opening night, the service was a bit disorganized, but they were extremely friendly and even offered us free swag: blindfolds! Unfortunately, they have yet to obtain a liquor license, so if you plan on having a few drinks, I would recommend going somewhere else before or after.
[pullquote]The purpose of our temporary blindness became clear: a new appreciation for food.[/pullquote]
The first course was a salad with roasted vegetables: we picked up each one, ate it with our hands, and called out what we thought we were eating. One in particular had the resemblance of a potato, but the texture was more rubbery. It wasn’t until we had devoured two of them that I realized we had consumed roasted mushrooms. This was interesting, considering we both usually detest them.
The purpose of our temporary blindness became clear: a new appreciation for food. We all tend to judge food by the way it looks, and we don’t want to eat what we think we won’t like. Overall, this enhanced my eating experience, as I ate everything off my plate, including the battered broccoli and beef tenderloin. Being picky here isn’t an option.
“Now we can say we’ve been on a real blind date,” my boyfriend says to me, and I can see the smile in his voice.
