Dining in the dark will offer food for thought Charity for visually impaired to host a culinary experience with a difference
LIGHT lunches will definitely be off the menu at a dining experience with a difference. That’s because customers will be well and truly in the dark.
The dress code has to include... a blindfold.
The blind buffet challenge takes place at Birmingham’s Zen Metro, in Cornwall Street, this summer, with money raised going to visually impaired charity Focus.
The event, on July 19, promises to make eating with chopsticks a piece of cake.
It promises to be fun, but there’s a serious message behind the ‘Dinner In The Dark’ experience.
It aims to showcase the difficulties facing people with sight loss.
Susan Hoath, chief executive of Focus Birmingham, says: “This is a unique sensory event in Birmingham in terms of a dining experience.
“We hope as many people as possible will sign up to have a go at eating a meal while wearing a blindfold.
“It promises to be a really fun event but, of course, it also carries a very serious underlying message of how thousands of people in the Birmingham area cope on a daily basis with visual impairment.
“We hope to raise awareness for those people living with sight loss in Birmingham as well as muchneeded funds to continue providing our vital services.”
Jaimon George, director of Thai eatery Zen Metro, says: “We are delighted to be supporting Focus Birmingham by hosting this brilliant event.
“It is certainly different and will hopefully entice people to come along and support it.
“We haven’t done anything like this before so it will be very interesting for the team. It’s going to be a bit of a laugh and a learning curve, but there’s also the very serious message of highlighting the challenges that blind or partially sighted people face every day.”
Those taking part will be blindfolded before having their meals served. Diners will then attempt to eat and drink their meal without being able to see, although sighted guides will be on hand to assist.
There are only two strict rules. Light of any kind is forbidden, and diners are not allowed to get up and move around the restaurant by themselves.
The event, which costs £30 for a three-course meal and complimentary drink, starts at 7pm with a talk from Focus about the charity,
Go to Focus Birmingham website www.focusbirmingham.org.uk for tickets