Dark Dining
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Dark dining is the act of eating a meal without seeing the food that is being eaten. The basic concept is that the removal of
vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...
enhances the other
sense A sense is a biological system used by an organism for sensation, the process of gathering information about the surroundings through the detection of Stimulus (physiology), stimuli. Although, in some cultures, five human senses were traditio ...
s and increases
gastronomic Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating. One who is well versed in gastr ...
pleasure. Since 1999, specialised dark restaurants have opened in many parts of the world.


Origin

The first experience of dark restaurant took place in Paris, set up by Michel Reilhac and was called "Le gout du noir". This program started in 1997 and was followed by the opening of a temporary restaurant in the "Montorgeuil" district in Paris during the summer 1999. This program became in 2003 "Dans le Noir ?" founded by Edouard de Broglie, a French entrepreneur in cooperation with the blind foundation Paul Guinot. It became the first international chain of restaurant in the dark. The first permanent restaurant was '' Blindekuh'' (
Blind man's buff Blind man's buff or blind man's bluff is a variant of tag in which the player who is "It" (i.e, the person who is tagging others) is blindfolded. The traditional name of the game is "blind man's buff", where the word ''buff'' is used in its old ...
in German), in
Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
, Switzerland. It was opened in September 1999 by a blind clergyman, Jorge Spielmann, who wished to convey the experience of blindness to sighted customers. Spielmann says the idea came after guests who had dined
blindfold A blindfold (from Middle English ') is a garment, usually of cloth, tied to one's head to cover the eyes to disable the wearer's sight. While a properly fitted blindfold prevents sight even if the eyes are open, a poorly tied or trick blindfo ...
ed at his own home reported greater enjoyment of their meal through the senses of taste and smell.''Eating in the Dark''
SpotCoolStuff Travel, Page 17 Media LLC, accessed 13 October 2014


Growth

The opening of ''Blindekuh'' in 1999 was followed during the next few years by other dark restaurants in cities in Europe and North America and Asia. In 2008 there were around six and by 2014 there were claimed to be "dozens frestaurants around the world". The only international multi-restaurant chains is ''
Dans le Noir ? Dans Le Noir ? (French language, French for "in the dark") is a chain of restaurants where guests are served in total darkness, a concept called dark dining or blind dining. "Dans le Noir ?" also diversified its activities into shops and spas. Da ...
'' in Europe, Russia and Pacific,. Opaque is the only chain operation in the US after Dans le Noir ? left New York.


Operation

In most cases the restaurant area is kept in complete darkness, with all sources of light eliminated, including mobile phones and cameras. In other venues the customers are blindfolded instead.Katherine Luster
''Dining in the Dark: Top 10 Pitch Black Restaurants''
, Restaurants.com, 28 February 2014
Scott Mayerowitz
''Blind Waiters serve diners in the dark''
ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...
, 19 August 2010
Before entering, customers choose their meal, often selecting from among several generic menus rather than specific items. Allen's (2012) review reported that for many customers, eating in the dark can be "an unsettling experience", in particular the physical process of feeding oneself; even though the menu may be adapted to allow for "the diner's limited ability to aim a knife and fork". Many dark restaurants employ blind or
visually impaired Visual or vision impairment (VI or VIP) is the partial or total inability of visual perception. In the absence of treatment such as corrective eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment, visual impairment may cause the individual difficul ...
waiters and guides, whose condition enables them to work with little difficulty in darkened surroundings. Visually impaired staff may teach something of the techniques they themselves use in everyday life. Dark dining may also be staged as an event, rather than having a permanent location. Some dark restaurants offer live music or storytelling to accompany the meal.Wency Leung
''Dining in the dark''
,
The Prague Post ''The Prague Post'' was an English language newspaper covering the Czech Republic and Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe which published its first weekly issue on October 1, 1991. It published a printed edition weekly until July 2013, when ...
, 31 December 2008


Aims


Heightened sensory experience

The notion that a meal can be more enjoyable without sight is typically described as "the theory that flavors are intensified when people can't see what they're eating". A counter-argument has been put that "most of us eat with our eyes, enjoying a plate before we've tasted it. So the trade-off might not be even."Corey Mintz
''Dining in the dark''
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...
, 12 June 2008
An analysis by Allen (2012) of customer reviews found that many did report "heightening of the nonvisual senses". Allen proposed a neurological basis for this phenomenon, involving "combination-selective
neuron A neuron (American English), neurone (British English), or nerve cell, is an membrane potential#Cell excitability, excitable cell (biology), cell that fires electric signals called action potentials across a neural network (biology), neural net ...
s" which normally receive visual input in addition to that from other senses. Similar thinking has been the basis for the development of
blindfolded tourism Blindfolded tourism (also cecitourism) is a form of experimental travel, consisting of a guided tour in which the tourist is blindfolded while being talked through the visited areas, as opposed to traditional sightseeing. A blind tour is a differen ...
.


Awareness and support for visual impairment

Allen (2012) has described the aim of temporarily conveying the experience of blindness as having been subsidiary in practice to that of the distinctive gastronomic experience. However, some dark restaurants have included awareness-raising in their stated aims, including the ''Dans le Noir?'' chain.''Dark restaurant provides ray of hope for visually impaired''
Around Town,
Indianapolis Recorder The ''Indianapolis Recorder'' is an American weekly newspaper based in Indianapolis, Indiana. First published in 1895, the ''Recorder'' is the longest-running African-American newspaper in Indiana and fourth in the U.S. History The newspaper ...
, 28 June 2012
Some dark restaurants devote part of their proceeds to charities or causes concerned with visual impairment. Among these are Dine in the Dark (DID) in Bangkok and O.Noir, Montreal. In Zurich, the original dark restaurant is part of the ''Blind-Leicht'' project, aimed at creating jobs for blind people.


Comment


Novel experience

Commentary has stressed the novelty and distinctiveness of the dark dining concept, e.g. "... it definitely elevates the simple task of eating into an entirely new experience. This won't likely be the type of restaurant you'll visit over and over again, but the glimpse it offers of a world without sight is certain to leave a lasting impression." Not only the eating itself, but also the conversation with one's neighbours, may be experienced as different. The diners' being unable to see one another has been seen as a positive feature, removing social inhibitions, particularly in
dating Dating is a stage of Romance (love), romantic relationships in which individuals engage in activity together, often with the intention of evaluating each other's suitability as a partner in a future intimate relationship. It falls into the cate ...
situations and it has also been pointed out that "Using the wrong spoon isn't an issue".


Marketing ploy

In some accounts the concept "can trend toward marketing gimmick" or is an example of a "theme or attraction to get ... bodies into seats". Gerard (2008) concluded that "there is little altruistic" about the restaurant he reviewed, and asked "Are we really so bored that we find it diverting to eat in the dark?"Jasper Gerard
''London restaurant review: Dans le Noir?''
''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'', 11 July 2008


Food quality

Some accounts have suggested that food quality may be accorded lower priority than novelty of ambience and experience. Comment in general accounts has included "Not all locations are strictly about the food" and "...other factors – namely the food – are sacrificed for the sheer concept." Two reviews of particular venues stated * "The food itself ... would likely be unremarkable in an ordinary setting" * "...indescribably awful food"


List of dark dining events or restaurants


International

*
Dans le Noir ? Dans Le Noir ? (French language, French for "in the dark") is a chain of restaurants where guests are served in total darkness, a concept called dark dining or blind dining. "Dans le Noir ?" also diversified its activities into shops and spas. Da ...


Asia

* Dining in the Dark - Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia * NOX - Dine In The Dark, Singapore * Noir. Dining in the dark. - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam * BlackOut – Na La'gaat Center - Tel Aviv, Israel * Black Restaurant *
Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped The Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) is a charitable organisation for the blind in Singapore. It was founded in 1951 and was known as the Singapore Association for the Blind. The SAVH is a registered charity and is affilia ...
* DID – Phnom Penh, Cambodia


Europe

* Dark Restaurant — Poznań, Poland * Blindekuh - Switzerland * Unsicht Bar - Berlin, Germany * Nocti Vagus - Berlin, Germany * Svartklubben - Stockholm, Sweden * Blind Bar * Vier Sinne - Vienna, Austria * Tenebris – Sofia, Bulgaria * C Taste - Amsterdam, Netherlands


South America

* La casa de Rafa - Quito, Ecuador


North America

* Blackout (Las Vegas, Nevada, USA) * Dark Table (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) * O. Noir (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) * ONoir (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) * Opaque (Santa Monica, California, USA) * Wyld Pines (Camas Washington, USA)


Australia

* Chefin Experience * Dining in the Dark Experience (Sydney)


References

{{reflist Theme restaurants Darkness