There is restaurant called "O.Noir" in Toronto where you get to experience eating a meal while sitting in the dark. I believe the original concept was created by a blind man in Zurich, Switzerland who decided to open up a restaurant that gave customers a feeling of what it would feel like to eat blind. I have yet to try eating at "O.Noir", but it is definitely on my list of "Must Try" restaurants.
I think this is a very neat concept because not only are you given to opportunity to get a taste of what it feels like to be blind, you are also given an opportunity to really experience the food that you are consuming. I know too many people who don't really "appreciate" the food that they consume. It doesn't even have to be "good" or "tasty" food, just food in general. They eat it, they like it, but they don't really look past the fact that they're eating something that their bodies require. They don't think about how specific ingredients were carefully chosen to create a sauce, nor do they think about the time and effort it took to create the meal that they are consuming.
While, Indian cuisine is not my favourite (I'm not a fan of strong, aromatic spices), I have a huge appreciation for the numerous spices that come together to create some of their cultural dishes. Take Tandoori Chicken for example, there is a blend of at least 7 spices (this doesn't include anything else, for example yogurt and lemon juice that is also used in Tandoori chicken) that are combined together to make a mixture that is then rubbed onto chicken. If half of the spices were missing, some people (at least some of the people that I know) probably wouldn't even notice.
While I understand that not everyone can afford to eat at expensive restaurants, I think it would be valuable for people to sit down, close their eyes, and really taste the food that they consume. I admit, before my love for food became an all out obsession, I too never really cared much for the appreciation that food (as well as those who take the time to prepare the food consumed) deserves. Hopefully the idea of restaurants that challenge the way we consume foods will help us change our framework with respect to how we appreciate food.
I have tried the restaurant in the summer soon after it was opened! I first saw it on TV a little over a year ago, and was curious to check it out. So as soon as I found out there was one in Toronto, I ran there!
ReplyDeleteIt was a prefixe menu that you order at the bar prior to entering the dining room where you are served by one of the vision-imapaired servers. The two of us each got a 3 course meal. You get to choose each course from a small list of choices. From each course meny, there is also a "surprise" item. We figured that was the whole point of going to the restaurant... not knowing what you're eating and letting all other senses guide out tastes and perceptions of the food.
Whenever the server comes over and asks if we were finished with our plates yet, we would simply answer, "ummm... I'm not quite sure yet", and we would feel around our plates to see if there are any food left! haha
Another funny experience there. The couple that was sitting at the table directly in front of us turned out to be my boyfriend's friend!!! How coincidential was that?! Dining at the same restaurant, at such an odd time, sitting in the same room, in total darkness! Fully recognized that it was him by just his voice- we didn't even see him!
Food was not the best, but it was okay! But I would definitely recommend it for the experience! The bill came up to be about $100 with 2 drinks and 2 3-course meals!
I've heard quite a lot about this restaurant but I also have yet to try it. I'm glad to hear though that someone else has a "Must Try" list.
ReplyDeleteI think it's an amazing concept. Everyone is in such a rush, at least in Toronto, that we rarely sit down and enjoy the senses that food provides us with. Our lives are based around eating and yet most of the time we can't recall what we ate for dinner yesterday. We need to take advantage of the enjoyment our senses can provide and then maybe we will all value food for more than its nourishing factor.
Wow, what a neat concept! I never heard of this restaurant and is definately one restaurant that I have yet to try. I think this is a place Brain Wansink ( author of Mindless eating) needs to go and experiment. In the dark there may be many environmental cues that we cannot see and therefore cannot influnence our eating pattern. I wonder if people do eat differently under this setting and by how much.
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