Diners in the dark test their senses
Sightless dining benefits Perkins' Braille & Talking Book Library
The Boston Globe, April 17, 2008
By Kelly Onanian
The restaurant in Kingston was lovely, and the aroma of the food tantalizing. But Carla Marshall could not see what she was putting into her mouth.
The reason was not her vision; Marshall's eyesight is fine. It was because she had agreed to savor her meal as she had never before: blindfolded.
She was one of 30 guests who recently took part in "sightless dining" at Hunan Kingston, which claims to be the only restaurant in New England offering the experience of dining in the dark. Total dark.
"The goal of dining in the dark is to use your other senses to enjoy food," said Hunan Kingston owner James Luo, who holds one sightless dining event each month.
He heard about sightless dining in 1999 after it was created at a restaurant in Paris.
"I've been doing it since December. It was created so people could experience food in a more sensual way," said Luo, who is legally blind. "Vision dominates the other senses and can cover them. When you take away your vision, you eat slower, smell your food more, and take the time to appreciate what you're eating, and you enjoy every ingredient more."
Blind dining has spread to Hong Kong, London, Germany, Switzerland, and Canada - and to a few places in the United States, said Luo. He said he knows of restaurants in Hollywood, New York City, and Florida.
Those restaurants actually serve diners with the lights turned out, but Luo opted instead for asking diners to wear blindfolds crafted by his wife.
Luo, who opened Hunan Kingston 13 years ago, said a portion of each sightless dining event benefits a local charity. The latest benefited the Braille and Talking Book Library of the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown.
When Marshall, a New Hampshire resident, heard about the event, she persuaded her daughter, Devon, and her husband, David, to take part.
"A lot of my friends would not come down here and do this with me. They were afraid of not being able to see their food, but I think it's a cool idea and a great way to spend an evening," Marshall said.
Before diners put on their blindfolds, Luo explained they would be receiving a meal "fit for a king," with their first cocktail on the house, soup, salad, a variety of four appetizers and four entrees each, and a dessert.
He did not tell them exactly what they would be eating; that was for them to figure out.
As they put on their blindfolds, they carefully listened to Luo's instructions to keep their bottled water at "11 o'clock" and cocktail at "1 o'clock" in order to avoid drinking someone else's beverage.
The waitstaff wore small rattles on their aprons to alert diners, and with each course, they delicately placed a utensil in one hand of each diner while placing the other hand on the edge of the dish.
Luo said his menu was crafted to balance textures and flavors of Hunan's Chinese cuisine, and with each dish guests were asked to guess Luo's "secret ingredient."
The crabmeat soup contained a few pieces of asparagus, which took diners by surprise, and the salad was a crisp mix of tomatoes, cucumbers, and honeydew with a dressing of Thai fish sauce, bean curd, lemongrass, and honey.
The bountiful appetizers and entrees included beef with broccoli, spicy grilled shrimp, and Peking duck rolled in a pancake with scallions and hoisin sauce.
"I never would've guessed I was eating duck," said Sam Sorenson. "I didn't think I even liked duck before. Wow, I'm surprised! It was delicious!"
The sightless dining experience also makes conversation more intimate, says Luo. "Sensations are stimulated. The blindfold expands the imagination and understanding of what individuals who are blind experience throughout their lives."
Brian Chesney was one of only two people who were able to eat blindfolded with chopsticks. "I thought a fork would be easier, but I was surprised to find chopsticks were the better utensil for me," Chesney said.
"This was a pretty interesting experience and definitely makes me appreciate what those who are blind go through." he said. "It gave me a different perspective."
Dessert consisted of a slice of white cake, fruit, and a variety of ice cream flavors.
When all were finished, Luo told everyone they could take off their blindfolds. Looking relaxed and full, guests were invited to talk about the experience.
Stephen Giannaros of Medford, who is blind, said he found it interesting to "hear other people try to figure out what they were eating."