Friday, November 10, 2006

Like Melon for Mango 

Every so often I read a review of a restaurant that serves food in the dark. The latest is by American Jacqueline McGrath, a freelance journalist who has retinitis pigmentosa, and who visited the Parisian restaurant Dans Le Noir?. I know it's hard to eat when you can't see your meal, but is it really that hard to differentiate between mango and watermelon?


'That is watermelon, isn't it?' I asked the young man. 'Absolutely,' he replied. (A glance at the bar's chalkboard menu on my way out told me it was mango.)

'Dining in the dark: Traveler's Check: Dans Le Noir?' (Kansas City Star, 5 November 2006).

Wouldn't the smell and the texture give it away before you even took a bite? Slippy and fibrous vs firm and cellular? Tell me you'd know the difference?

I smelt mangoes in the supermarket recently. At first I could only see the peaches but no way did I move on until I'd spotted the mangoes and picked one up.

The reviewer's husband later admitted to picking up his steak because he couldn't eat it easily with knife and fork - he figured you can do that in the dark. What would you do in the dark (in public) because it's okay if people don't see you? I might relax.

Comments:
In colder countries the fruit often not only arrive not ripe but they also fail to ripen afterwards. Then you really don´t smell much (or taste much, for that matter!). But you are right, the texture probably should tell you what kind of friut it is. Though... when you are not used to not having your eyes to confirm what you have in front of you - it might be pretty hard. I´m sorry to say - but I guess I´m pretty much lost without my eyes! I even sleep with a little light on ´cause I don´t trust my ears!

But next time at Woolworts or Coles I´ll try to sniff my way through the fruit-sector :-)

Would you like to check if I did my Perth-list all right?

I remember you mentioned a good place for pies - but I can´t find the note anymore!
 
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