Dining In the Dark

Eating is truly an experience for the senses. There’s the smell of butter, salts and spices that fill a room, before you even take a bite.

The sounds of pots clanging and sizzling on the stovetop that build the first salivary bits of excitement in your taste buds. And, as the dish makes its way to your plate, the suspense ends – as you get to see, touch and taste the final culinary creation. But, what if you removed one of these senses during dining?

It’s an experience that guests recently had at the Dining in the Dark: A Sensory Experience event held at USD’s Ministry Center. The event was collaboratively organized by the Engineering Exchange for Social Justice and community partner, GiftedBack (Gifted Blind Artists Crafters and Knitters), with sponsorship from the Mulvaney Center for Community Awareness and Social Action. At the event, guests were given the opportunity to dine without sight, while blindfolded, in addition to exploring art, storytelling, dancing and gifting “in the dark,” i.e., through multi-sensory engagement. The art, shared stories, dancing and gifting items were all made, shared or led by blind or low-vision artisans/design thinkers. The event aimed to raise awareness about and promote inclusivity for the blind and low-vision community.

Pearl Mecenas, founder of GiftedBack, designed the evening’s experience along with Dr. Odesma Dalrymple, associate professor and director of the Engineering Exchange for Social Justice, incorporating insights and contributions from a committee of blind and low-vision collaborators. Part of the proceeds will help launch GiftedBack's new venture dedicated to empowering visually impaired adults to travel with trained guides, ensuring fully accessible and enriching experiences for them. 

The evening began with a pre-event artistic engagement, where guests had the opportunity to interact with nine blind and low-vision artisans and design thinkers to learn about their creative process. Many artists gave guests the additional opportunity to observe their creative process in action as they worked on pieces in real-time. The featured artists often incorporate textures and other elements into their pieces so that people could engage with their craft beyond sight. Some of the artwork, including ones that were finished on-site, were sold at the event.

Before dinner, the majority of guests chose to blindfold themselves to fully immerse in the evening ahead. The dinner, curated by Chef Marbi Beccera, the executive chef of La Gran Terraza, featured a menu that showcased diverse flavors and textures. Before each of the three courses, guests received a metaphorical description of each plate. One description was: “Imagine biting into a warm, golden exterior that crackles with every touch, revealing a soft, delicate center. As the warmth melts away, a cool, silky cream takes its place, bringing a soothing sweetness, while bright, zesty bursts cut through the richness, creating a refreshing balance of textures and temperatures that playfully tease the senses.” After each course, a literal description followed. For this dish it was: "This is a crispy apple beignet served with a side of rich, dipping chocolate sauce, accompanied by fresh berries and a scoop of velvety vanilla seed ice cream. The combination of warm and cold, crunchy and soft, creates a truly indulgent experience."

One guest was convinced that his chicken was steak, while another thought the strawberry was kiwi. During and in between each course, stories were shared by blind and low-vision artisans  and design thinkers. These stories ranged from reflections on their artistic journeys and life experiences to their collaborations with USD students and hopes for future partnerships and inclusion efforts. 

The evening concluded with the GiftedBack pop-up that provided guests with the opportunity to purchase and or enter an opportunity drawing for gift items made by GiftedBack artists, and  dancing in the dark, led by DJ Shon Mackey, a GiftedBack artisan who guided guests through accessible dance moves that complemented his music selections.

The event aimed to help participants understand how much of our built environment is designed for visual engagement, and as a result how that can unintentionally exclude many persons with visual impairments. Some of the evening’s proceeds will also support the advancement of assistive technology co-development by members of the blind and low-vision community with students, faculty and alumni of the engineering school, and the engagement of the community members in collaborative experiences like the User-Centered and Capstone design courses and summer and semester research projects.

“When you design for marginalized communities, you ultimately create better designs for your broader population”, said Dalrymple.

Organizers hope to make this an annual event.

Written by Angelica Acuna, Elena Gomez, Odesma Dalrymple and Pearl Mecenas.