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- submitted by shropshirelive |
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There
is a new eating experience which already is becoming
popular in Europe and America and no doubt soon
enough here in the UK.
It’s
where the restaurant staff really don’t
have to worry too much about food presentation.
This is because everything is served and eaten
in complete darkness - this phenomenon is becoming
know as “Dark Dinning.”
But why would you want to eat your food in the
dark I hear you ask well because it awakens the
senses and presents new pleasures apparently.
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Artistic Director Dana Salisbury from
Dark Dining USA explains more,
“I was choreographing a dance based on non-visual perception.
One morning in the studio, I peeled an orange with my eyes
closed. Pulling back the skin, I was dusted with hundreds
of droplets of pungent oil; never had an orange had such an
intoxicating aroma. I brought it to my lips; the structure
of the orange slice became clear and the cells burst open
and juice exploded in my mouth. It was so sweet.
I was swept with pleasure. The world seemed open and more
intimate at the same time. I wanted to share this intensely
pleasurable expanded ‘vision’ with others and
decided to create Dark Dining. The art would be the experience
itself.
People worry they will not know how to eat without seeing,
but they shouldn't; we all know where our mouths are and have
held utensils in our hands without thinking for years.”
Over in Switzerland they have taken it all one step further,
What makes the Blind Cow Restaurant in Zurich, Switzerland,
unique is that it is completely staffed by blind people and
operates in total darkness.
The guests queue up single file, place
one hand on the shoulder of the person in front and are then
led to their table, smoking is banned, so are flashlights,
matches, lighters and even luminous watches.
The owner, Rev. Jorge Spielmann, believes that the entire
"blind" effect for the sighted guests would be spoiled
by even the merest chink of light. The only concession to
seeing guests are lights in the toilets. However, the sighted
must be guided there by the staff in the same way as blind
diners.
The idea for the restaurant came from
dinner parties held in Rev. Spielmann’s home. Blind
himself, he would sometimes blindfold his sighted guests to
give them a chance to experience the world of the blind. He
said: "The sighted guests commented that being blindfolded
made them give more emphasis to the food and listen more intently
to the conversation around them. There were no visual distractions,
only intense concentration."
Rev. Spielmann, along with four blind
colleagues, raised money from local businessmen and the city
council and, in late 1999, opened the Blind Cow Restaurant
in a old church building. He wanted to provide jobs for blind
people and offer sighted people an opportunity to experience
a world without vision. The restaurant name comes from the
Swiss equivalent to the children’s game blind man’s
bluff.
The idea is so popular that 37 year
old Rev. Spielmann is being urged to open branches of the
Blind Cow.
Mr. Schaffner said: "People thought
it would be just a novelty and would wear off, but we are
booked solid for months ahead for the evening sessions, and
most lunch times are packed to our capacity of 60 as well.
Both sighted and blind customers are willing to wait to experience
what is perhaps the oddest dining adventure in Europe. People
crave the new experience—and besides, when you eat blind
you sometimes have to be a bit of a caveman. Many blind people
prefer to pick up a piece of meat and gnaw on it because that’s
easier than using a knife and fork. Many sighted people join
in."
At the end of the meal, the bill is
paid in the lighted lobby.
One of the diners mentioned surprise
when she tore off the top of the sugar packet that accompanied
her coffee and a little puff of escaping phosphorous momentarily
glowed a ghostly green.
"Blind" dates are a big hit
at the Blind Cow, and several dating agencies arrange for
people to meet in the total darkness of the restaurant where
they can ask questions and be themselves without once seeing
the person opposite. Later, if they choose, they can reveal
themselves in the lighted lobby.
Not all dining experiences are pleasurable
at the Blind Cow. A few people have become overcome by an
attacks of claustrophobia brought on by the intense darkness.
An elderly guest mentioned that the darkness reminded her
of being transported, in a totally dark box car, to a concentration
camp during WW II. Several diners complained that, without
sight, the food was tasteless.
The popularity of the Blind Cow is growing,
making it a hot destination spot for locals and visitors alike.
"Although we wouldn't wish
blindness on anyone," said Rev. Spielmann, "we just
want people to have the opportunity to experience our world
on our terms.
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