The wisdom of seeing and not seeing @ Dialogue in the Dark

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Sometimes we see things we do not want to see.
Sometimes we want to see things that we can't see!
Sometimes when we close our eyes the unforgettable images are still there.
Sometimes no matter how hard we try, we can’t remember the images we want to see.
A quote from the Three wise monkeys: See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil.
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I got a call from OR and I wasn’t sure if I heard what I heard, which was eating in the dark!
Later I got an email, which confirmed it, and it was similar to the one I wanted to try back in UK.

It seemed great because I am quite shy meeting lots of people for the first time and the darkness broke down my shyness barrier because there wouldnt be any eye contact in the darkness!
Even with darkness as a comfort barrier, I was still slightly timid to talk.
Secondly I am quite clumsy, so I didn’t have to worry about others seeing the mess I made.

Before I was invited to Dialogue in the Dark event, I found out about a similar concept in the UK called
Dans Le Noir with restaurants located in London, Spain, New York and Paris.
As well as restaurants they have Spa massage bars with the same theme in Russia and France!
I was intrigued about it then and would have given it a try if I were in UK. It is basically dining in pitch-black darkness.

I had vaguely heard about Dialogue in the Dark, because they had an event before called “Concert in the dark 2011”.
I assumed this dinner was a kick-start to the moonwalker event held by Orbis, but they were independent events.

Anyway, got to the location by MTR and quite a few OR members had already arrived.
We were split into tables of six.
Before we went in, we were briefed that it would be pitch-black inside and a guide would guide us to our tables.
We were each supplied with a white cane to help us as well.

I knew it was going to be pitch-black, but when you are actually in pitch-black darkness it really is quite shocking, similar to being in the middle of the ocean when your feet can't touch the floor.
But after a while, you get accustomed to it and begin to relax.

In pitch-black, you cannot see and it is down to the rest of your senses such as touch, smell and verbal communication, it was then that I realised how important it was to be able to convey concisely.
Our guide gave us a tip: she said if we remained silent, we did not exist to the people around us.

After the food arrived, it was more comforting, but there were a few challenges ahead such as how to pick up or cut the food. The most challenging part was pouring hot tea and cutting the meat attached to the bone!
Basically it was the same as having normal dinner but in darkness, and the usual items you would expect could be found on the table such as Salt, Pepper, Sugar and toothpicks!!!!

The guides were amazing because in the darkness they could guide us to our tables, serve the food, and collect the plates.
The menu and sample dishes were kept secret and revealed when we all finished our meals and made it back to the briefing lounge.
The food was delicious, however the portions could have been bigger because I was still hungry.
I think I must have eaten most of it because referring to the sample dishes at the end they looked quite small.

Menu that was revealed at the end

Starter/Main revealed at the end

Dessert that tasted Gr8

It would be really fun if they switched the lights on after finishing the dinner, so we could see our plates and the mess we made on the table if there was any, and the real distance from the entrance to our seats.
It was probably only a few steps to the table, but being blind for the first time, every step was small and you were not sure if you were going to walk into something.
The duration of dinner was two hours, but it went so quickly.
The food was prepared by Gingko House, a restaurant that only employs pensioners.

It would be so cool if we all had a badge with our names in BRAILLE as a souvenir from DID or the task of finding our seats labelled in BRAILLE with our names!!!
After the experience, it gave us an insight into the world of being blind and the obstacles to overcome, and how fortunate we are with 20/20 vision.
If there was more time, I would love to hear them talk about blind people in the society, and how facilities are incorporated to make their lives easier such as special tiles with raised patterns and the BRAILLE alphabet.

Thanks to Openrice again, I finally got to try this experience which I shall compare to the UK one later and I love my personalised chopsticks.

Dialogue in the Dark Exhibition Centre
Shop 215, 2/F, Household Centre, 8 King Lai Path, Mei Foo