Here we are, enjoying our dinner

This evening we attended “Genießen im Dunkeln”, which means “dining in the dark”. We’ve been wanting to do this before we even moved here, it sounded like something cool to try. Well, we had the best time and it was one of the best experiences we’ve had in Munich, and probably the best dining experience ever! The restaurant does this regularly during March and November, so it’s not something you can do as a tourist unless you happen to be here during those months. Also, if you want a Friday or Saturday night reservation, you have to call well in advance.

Michael and I met at the restaurant the Vinorant Alter Hof. All the participants were in a room and we were given champaigne. It wasn’t dark yet, I think they just wanted to make sure everyone was there before proceeding. It was a flat fee of 49 euros per person and that included a 4 course meal and drinks. They explained about the wine and water glasses and how to pour your water. You need to put your finger in the glass to feel when the glass is full enough.

Then it was time to go in. We were called by the waiter and there were 2 sets of heavy drapes that created a small area so that you can close off the lighted area from the dark. Much like a photography darkroom or a butterfly room at the science center. When I say dark, there is absolutely NO light, you can’t see 1″ from your face. We were led to our table by putting our hands on the shoulder of the person in front of us. The waiters had those infrared vision things so they were the only ones who could “see”. Once seated, you get your bearings by feeling around where your forks, knife and glasses were. It was fun to feel around and find the bread, the water glass, and even toast each other. It’s pretty amazing how used to the dark you get. There were a few incidents where a small stream of light came in and it was kind of disappointing. Everyone kind of groaned when that happened because there’s something magical about imagining the room you’re in and what everything looks like, and you don’t really want to know the reality.

We introduced ourselves to the table and this guy asked Michael if he was “colored” or not. And we were kind of taken aback by that question. The guy said that he only saw 2 english speaking people, one white and one black. But is that something that matters? When they poured the wine, the first question everyone asked is “red or white” and the waiter would reply “it’s wine”. And then we thought about it and yes, it really doesn’t matter. As long as you like the taste, then who cares if it’s red or white? BTW, I should mention that everything is in German so we understood only about 1/2 of what was said.

Then the food came. I got the vegetarian meal and Michael got the regular one. It was so fun eating without being able to see! And you don’t really know what you’re putting in your mouth until you taste it. It really did heighten our taste buds and it was so much fun trying to guess. Sometimes it was obvious - like bell peppers and broccoli, but other times you weren’t so sure. After every course, the woman rang a gong and asked what we think we ate and then she revealed what it was. Unfortunately for me, because my meal was special, I didn’t really know until the end. Didn’t matter, I literally scraped the food off my plate. I was so disappointed whenever I finished each course because I wanted MORE! The first course Michael had some kind of seafood (scampi?) with glass noodles and I had vegetables sauteed in oil and herbs. Then we had potato cream soup (?) and it was served in a champaigne glass and we ate it with a straw! Then our main course I had potatoes and green beans with oyster mushrooms and something or another. Michael had a duck dish. It’s so weird how duck has more in common with beef than with chicken. Then for dessert we had pannacotta. The wine flowed freely and we drank quite a bit of it! I sat there, in the dark, sipping my wine, really relishing every moment. Being in the dark really heightens your senses to taste, touch, smells, and hearing. You try to guess what you think everything is. And then on top of that, it’s all in German so we’re also “in the dark” about things that they said.

We sat next to a blind guy, Robert, and it was interesting talking to him about how he does things like surf the net and get around on the UBahn and go shopping. In between the courses, he got up from the table (we didn’t hear him get up) and he read to everyone a story. It was in German so we didn’t understand a whole lot. But it was very enjoyable to listen to. Michael thought it was memorized but we forgot that he can read braille!!! At the end of dinner, they turned on a dim light, just enough to get a feel of the room and the people around us. What a treat that was! The light actually hurt our eyes for a minute. At the exit, they displayed all the food that we ate (of course, mine was different), but that was a treat too. We stayed there until around 11pm, when we had to ride our bikes home. Drinking and biking don’t mix! Naw, it was fine. We weren’t THAT drunk.

If anyone has the opportunity to do this, DO IT! Even though it’s expensive, it’s TOTALLY worth every penny!!!

Rowan just did something really funny, we were playing with these wooden stacking toys. It’s the wood rings that you put on a stick and then at the top is a ball for a head. He put it all together himself and then was saying “no”. I was confused why he was saying no, and then I realized that he was moving the wooden head back and forth like the toy was saying no. It cracked me up.