A SENSE OF SAVORY
NewView’s Blackout Banquet hopes to raise awareness in a dining experience without sight
Dining for the average person is a sensory experience that engages all five senses – touch, smell, sound, sight and, of course, taste. Now imagine visiting a restaurant with one of your five senses removed or severely limited and being forced to navigate routines you’re used to with a completely altered perspective.
For the more than 130,000 people in Oklahoma experiencing low vision or blindness, this is not a hypothetical, but rather a daily reality.
NewView Oklahoma, a private, nonprofit that works to improve the lives of people who are blind or have low vision by improving their independence through training in life and vocational skills, mobility, the use of assistive technologies and more, will host its second annual Blackout Banquet on June 24 at Kamp’s 1910 Cafe, 10 NE 10 St. The event is aimed at giving those without vision limitations a firsthand opportunity to experience dining without sight.
Ahead of the event, chefs Steve Stavinoha and Josh Hill, and baker Tammy Stavinoha prepared the same meal that will be served to guests for me and two other members of The Oklahoman staff, as well as Ashley Howard, vice president of marketing and communications for NewView.
We were blindfolded and guided through the meal alongside Mark Ivy, who works as NewView’s development manager and is a client.
When dining without vision, the unawareness of where items are located and what is being placed before you means you are more dependent on the staff of the restaurant, and you also are required to slow down and work through your actions and movements more deliberately. Off the bat, the experience took away the level of comfort I am used to feeling when eating with a group at a restaurant.
Ivy mentioned that, despite being extroverted, losing your sight can cause a person to close in on himself or herself and become less social. I found this to be true when the meal first began as my anxiety increased until I settled into the meal a bit more.
“It made me realize just how much sighted people take for granted in life and that we should be partners and allies in helping to ensure there’s adequate accommodations in public
spaces, social settings and in the workplace for those who are blind or have severe vision impairment,” said Clytie Bunyan, managing editor for diversity, community engagement & opinion at The Oklahoman.
Ivy who has a genetic, degenerative eye condition that has caused his eyesight to progressively decrease over time, said that losing his vision made going out to restaurants a task that, for a time, was no longer enjoyable until NewView “taught him how to be blind.”
Ivy also said he is still learning the ins and outs of dining without vision, at times finding himself taking “air bites” and bites that are larger than expected. He said he has noticed his other senses becoming more active as his sight declines and a change in the way he perceives the ambiance of restaurants, since he can no longer take it in via his vision.
“As a foodie, I enjoyed the challenge of taste testing while blindfolded, but elements outside of tasting were an unforeseen challenge. Finding my water glass, remembering where I put my fork after setting it down, exploring my plate to find and cut a piece of meat – I never considered those as daily hurdles blind folks manage every meal,” said Cheyenne Derksen, deputy managing editor for digital initiatives and breaking news at The Oklahoman. “It was definitely an eye-opening experience.”
Throughout the meal, Ivy offered guidance and tips to our group from his firsthand experiences. His encouragement included such notes as not being afraid to use our hands with our food and “tip-toeing” our fingers across the table to find our wine and water glasses so as not to knock them over.
In a similar fashion, guests at the NewView banquet on June 24 will be blindfolded before being seated, and one of the organization’s trained staff members will guide them through their meal, assisting them through the blind dining experience. The banquet aims to raise funds and awareness for the work NewView is doing. Tickets for the banquet are available at https://nvoklahoma.org/event/okcblackout-banquet/.