Dining in the Dark sounds like a novel concept, but it is how the blind live all day, every day. Real Blind is a restaurant in Gernsneim, Germany that gives its patrons an amazing experience. Well, to us it is an experience. To the blind it is life. I went on this experience with a large group of ladies and I think it’s safe to say we all walked away with not just a novel dining experience, but with increased knowledge of how the blind live through a meal.
Marcel, who is the owner, chef and server, walked us through the experience. Marcel became blind as a young adult, and puts his restaurant experience and humor to good use in this establishment. The restaurant, not much to look at from the outside, was once a discotheque and still has the remains of disco lighting, dance floor and bright walls on the upper floor of the restaurant, where we were escorted for our initial briefing and drinks while we awaited our dining time. Marcel explained (in English) the process to us, then had us follow him down to ground level. Holding onto one another, we walked into the dark and were each escorted to our seats. A few of the ladies felt claustrophobic for a minute or two, but the feeling soon passed for them. We were all feeling around our place settings, trying to figure out everything set before us. Marcel then brought us our ordered drinks, and the meal began. We started with soup which was, followed by the main course which included a very nice variety of food. There was something for everyone. After the main meal we were served a very nice dessert. We all had a lot of fun trying to figure out what was on our plates and what we had just tasted. In-between courses Marcel spoke of what it was like to go blind and answered all the questions we had, to include “what did we just eat?” His good humor was refreshing and we all enjoyed his company. Marcel made Dining in the Dark an experience I will never forget.
Another amazing thing about Real Blind is that Everyone that works there is either blind or visually impaired. I didn’t know what to expect from an establishment run by the blind. How would the food taste? How clean would the restaurant be? I can assure you the food was fantastic and the bathrooms were spotless. The blind deal with a lot of things I had never considered which Marcel was happy discuss. He even showed us how the blind differentiate coins and paper money.
Real Blind is mainly opened in the evenings for meals, but they will accommodate group reservations during the day. They offer three and five-course meals. Although you do not pick what you will be eating, Marcel welcomes your dietary restrictions and works around those. In addition to meals, they offer beer and wine tasting in the dark, communication training, workshops and Blind football (soccer). You can call for a reservation or book directly online at www.realblind.de.
06258 8333308
Saturday’s fill up fast so reserve early.
Magdalenenstraße 63, 64579 Gernsheim
https://goo.gl/maps/KUgeqfCM1ZK2
