Last night we were treated to a dinner at Nalaga’at (translated as Please Touch), which is a combination restaurant, coffee house and theater. The plays in the theater are performed by actors that are deaf and blind. The servers in the restaurant are visually impaired or blind. I was looking forward to this “dinner in the dark” from the start of the trip as it seemed like it would be a really unique experience. It was!
We started by organizing as a group in the light. Here our host offered us a glass of cider and took our orders prior to heading into complete darkness. We were met by our waiter, Mohammed, who guided us to our chairs in the dark. To accomplish this difficult task we placed our hands on each other’s shoulders until we got to our seats. Once at the table it took a few minutes to familiarize how our glasses, napkins and silverware were situated.
From the start of the meal, I realized how difficult and frustrating it is to not be able to see while eating. It was extremely challenging to pour yourself water. The trick seems to be the place your fingers inside the rim of the glass and pour the water in by your fingers to ensure it is going in the glass and not all over the table. It was also difficult to dip your bread into tahini sauce without also dousing your fingers or, in some cases, hand. We had three courses, which were all absolutely delicious and smelled fantastic, perhaps enhanced by the lack of vision. Another difficultly was knowing whether or not you had fully finished your meal. I simply felt around on my plate with my hand as using a fork was insufficient. Others simply used their hands throughout the meal.
I studied retinal degeneration in graduate school and have always viewed this devastating event from a cellular and molecular perspective. Last night’s meal gave me a new perspective and appreciation for the daily challenges faced by people who are visually impaired or completely blind. I am sincerely thankful for the opportunity to develop empathy during this experience and look forward to sharing this experience and what I have learned with others in the future.