Unsichtbar

Wednesday night at Unsichtbar (invisible)was an incredible experience, for lack of a better description. I had come across the website of this place before, a restaurant staffed by blind and visually impaired people where you ate in total darkness, in order to get a taste of how they experience life. They say when you lose one sense, your body compensates by heightening the others, taste included, which made the meal that much more enjoyable. We were led around several winding turns in a hallway until we were in total darkness, along with several other tables of people. It was so cool, not knowing what you were eating, and having to use smell, taste, and touch (yes, after a while most of us abandoned the utensils and just used our fingers) to identify. The atmosphere itself was very comfortable and intimate, with everybody having to touch to pass food or bread or drinks around. Because of the darkness, your world was made up of the people in your immediate vicinity who you could hear, and even the people at the other end of the table seemed to disappear. Our waitress, Sandy, was visually impaired, and would use touch to locate each person at the table, sliding her arm across your back, and then over your shoulder to put the food in front of you. It was funny to notice that I still would look towards whoever was speaking, and still opened my eyes, even though open or shut made no difference. Also, when I got up to go to the bathroom, Sandy led me back out to the light, and the whole time I was ready to get back to the darkness. This was definitely one of the most unforgettable evenings of the trip.