December 19, 2001

11:01 AM

Sightless dining.The world of the sightless is a world I don't often explore. In high school, I had two classmates who were brothers and both sightless. I was amazed at the "tricks" they used to cope in day-to-day tasks we take for granted. Dining at Blindekuh (Swiss German for blind man's bluff), where you eat in complete darkness, would be quite an 'eye-popping' experience. There's a four month waiting list for a table.
posted by JISH (8 comments total)

I would die of starvation if I were blind. I can't stand to eat or drink anything that I can't see.
posted by yesster at 11:41 AM on December 19, 2001

Wasn't there a similar restaurant in NYC? I remember hearing about it a few years back.
posted by riffola at 11:57 AM on December 19, 2001

Wow, JISH, what a great link, from a source no one could have come across.
Yesster: Even most great wine experts, when blindfolded, can't tell malt whisky from cognac, as a special issue of "Decanter" pointed out a few years ago.
But that's not the same as being blind. The blind - I had a blind girlfriend(who ditched me!)who taught me a thing or two - consider the sighted partially "blind", as indeed we are, in anything involving smell, hearing or touch. Taste is a more complex issue.
So the idea of a restaurant that privileges texture, aroma and shape - think finger-food - and where sightless people can actually relax, knowing no one is looking at them and that everyone else is tucking into their food just as they are, is just terrific. This really is feel-good!
I hope their waiting list is never diminished and that other similar restaurants open in other cities.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 12:34 PM on December 19, 2001

"Good morning, ladies!"
posted by bondcliff at 5:29 PM on December 19, 2001

Blindekuh (Swiss German for blind man's bluff)

Do they really call it "blind cow" in Switzerland?
posted by rodii at 8:32 PM on December 19, 2001

Well it's "blind goat" in Portugal.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 10:10 PM on December 19, 2001

what did the blind old man say as he passed the fishmarket?
posted by mlang at 10:48 AM on December 20, 2001

I'm the author of the article, and I'm thrilled that it has generated this discussion. (Also thrilled people are reading Ontherail, as it covers some really interesting territory). In answer to one of the questions above...yes, in Swiss German it really is "Blind Cow"...Europe and the UK are not as "politically correct" as the US, where such a name probably would not fly.

Vis-a-vis Riffola's post, I'd be very interested in finding out - if you have any idea where - about the restaurant in New York. I have done a bit of research to determine whether there are other venues like BlindeKuh, and have come across a couple of short-term projects but nothing larger scale. I'd appreciate any details or leads.

Thanks!
posted by Maggie Rosen at 4:24 AM on December 24, 2001