CNIB brings 'Dining in the Dark' to area
Posted Jul 22, 2010 By Ryland Coyne
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EMC Lifestyle - The host approaches, welcoming the visitor to what's anticipated to be a most revealing dining experience. An opportunity to sample exquisite cuisine in an intimate setting with fewer than 10 other invited guests. 
Submitted
Yours truly attempts to sample the main course of roast chicken, asparagus and mashed potatoes. Without the benefit of sight, one must rely on other senses in order to feel one's way through the meal.
"I'll ask you to grab my elbow," Carlos instructs.
After taking an initial tentative step down the hall, the directions continue.
"We are about to go through a doorway...you are approaching your chair...if you reach in front of you, you will find your chair..."
The voices in the dining area sound familiar. But without the benefit of sight, one can't be sure to whom they belong, how far away they are or even the dimensions of the room. Without sight, it becomes apparent, what ought to be a comfortable, natural setting is somehow mysterious, even daunting, forcing one to make greater use of other senses to compensate for the limitation.
This is no ordinary dinner meeting. This is Dining in the Dark, a new initiative for Ottawa being coordinated by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). On this occasion, a number of media members have gathered together at the catering firm Tulips & Maple in Ottawa's west end. It's a chance to experience a meal in near complete darkness, simulating conditions people with vision loss deal with daily.
"I want to thank all of you for joining us on this adventure," announces Troy Cross, director of fund development with CNIB in Eastern Ontario. "It's going to be a fun and unique experience."
Like all the other guests, Mr. Cross has slipped on a blindfold or sleep mask and been guided to his seat. Feeling his way around the place setting, his fingers trip over the cutlery and everyone learns to move slowly, especially with glassware placed at the top of the setting "at the 1 o'clock position."
As an 'icebreaker', the group is instructed to pour water from the decanter into the large tumbler. "The trick to pour water is to dip your finger into the glass so you can feel when it's getting close to the top," Carlos explains.
With step one successfully completed, Mr. Cross takes the opportunity to outline the goal of CNIB's Dine in the Dark program. It's hoped, he says, that area residents will give serious thought to their vision health and to where they would turn should disaster strike and they were forced to adjust to a world without sight.
"I want this evening to be an opportunity for you to pause, I want this to ignite your senses," Mr. Cross says. "I want, hopefully, for you to be able to go home at the end of the evening and think about your own vision health. And ask have you been in to have your eyes checked lately? Then I want you to consider being an ambassador for vision health and making sure that you're talking to your friends about having regular eye exams and also talking to them about the experience you had this evening."
The ultimate goal, he adds, is to have other people host these dinners or cocktail/dessert parties at their home as possible fundraisers for the organization.
"We want people to get together with friends and do this," Mr. Cross says. "Rather than bring a gift, make a donation to CNIB."
By registering with the organization at 1-866-842-9071 (ext. 5006), a Dining in the Dark host will receive a kit which explains the initiative, offers pointers and even includes recipe ideas.
"Just have fun," Mr. Cross says. "Really, what we want is for people to be creative."
DINING ADVENTURE
Chef Andrew Skorzewski introduces himself and offers a brief overview of the meal.
Course one features a warm celery soup, which, thankfully, is served in a glass and does not require a spoon.
"I thought it would be interesting to start slowly, eating with your hands rather than using utensils," the chef would explain later.
The main course presents more of a challenge, a chicken dish with a hint of tarragon, accompanied by asparagus and mashed potatoes. Off the plate, sprigs of crushed tarragon are placed alongside to enhance the flavour experience.
"When we eat, most of what we sense in terms of flavour actually comes from our nose, the olfactory glands," Mr. Skorzewski explains. "I thought that crushed herb would just heighten the sense of tarragon.
"If anyone got a twig in their mouth," he then jokes, "it's because you ventured off the plate."
The experience of using a knife and fork without vision produces mixed results.
"I haven't picked up anything with the last five forkfuls," one guest announces, sparking some laughter from the group.
"I think you ate all my asparagus," calls out another.
The conversation remains light but cautious. Without being able to make eye contact, it's suggested dinner guests are less inclined to speak up.
"That has to do also with the isolation aspect," Mr. Cross suggests. "You can't sense what's going on around you, that you become more introverted."
Dessert arrives in a parfait glass, a real taste explosion with chewy cake, ice cream, macadamia nuts, and caramelized pineapple all mixed together, and some ginger and lime zest tossed in for good measure.
Careful dips into the tall glass produce spoonfuls of sweetness that don't always reach the mouth. Other attempts produce nothing but air.
There are many ways to describe the hour-long experience as it reaches its conclusion. Frustrating. Confusing. And utterly enlightening.
All guests are unanimous in their praise, telling Mr. Cross how it has given them a greater appreciation for their own vision as well as a bit better understanding of what those people without sight go through every day. He says that's the type of reaction the CNIB is hoping for.
"We want people to experience this Dining in the Dark, really to stop for 15 seconds and to think about, 'Wow, what would it be like if I went to work and lost my sight at work, how would I continue? Am I on my own?' And (the answer is) no you're not because there's an organization that's here to help you."
CNIB
The Ottawa office of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind is the largest outside the national headquarters in Toronto. With several satellite offices throughout the region, it covers much of Eastern Ontario from Trenton to the Quebec border and up to Deep River, Mr. Cross says.
The organization offers a wide range of programs and services for people of all ages with partial or complete vision loss, from teaching independent living skills to orientation and mobility instruction. The CNIB also supplies assistive products such as magnifiers or talking watches and makes use of the latest computer technology to help with reading of everything from email texts to online books.
Renée Meunier, one of the dinner guests, knows first hand the organization's value. At just two months of age, her son Mathieu was diagnosed with oculocutaneous albinism, a condition that affects the pigmentation of the skin, hair and eyes, and also causes vision problems. While she thought the worst at the start, an initial contact with the CNIB brought her comfort.
"I was being a mum who didn't know what would happen," she recalled. "I left there feeling it was going to be okay. It gave me hope."
To learn more about the CNIB, visit www.cnib.ca or contact the East Region office at 613-563-4021 or 1-866-842-9071.
rcoyne@perfprint.ca
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