would you eat in the dark?

"Tonight, you will enjoy a delicious gourmet meal without your primary sense of sight."

I was reminded of the movie "When in Rome" (2010) when I came across the article "Dining in the dark: How uncertainty influences food acceptance in the absence of light" because of the pitch black restaurant scene.

It appears that eating in complete darkness is popular in some cities in Europe and North America. In these restaurants, consumers are challenged to test their sense of taste or are invited to let their other senses take over the sense of sight during the meal. But does eating the food in the dark affect its acceptability to consumers?

The authors of the article, using two food products, found out that it DEPENDS... If the food can easily be recognized even in the dark, then it will be accepted by consumers. Foods that are difficult to identify in the dark do not enjoy the same easy acceptance from consumers. Maybe the survival instinct kicks in when people attempt to eat in the dark. If they know that the food is safe to eat, they have a go at it; if they couldn't decide because of the lack of visual clues, they become more reluctant to eat the unfamiliar. Feeding the temporarily blind can possibly be quite a challenge to the adventurous gourmet chef.

I'm intrigued. Just imagine how different the eating experience would be without lights... I'm sure that the acoustic, the tactile, and the flavor characteristics would be heightened. Eating in a pitch black environment will definitely be an interesting experience.

I'll try it as long as there's no seafood in the menu.

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The article can be found in Food Quality and Preference 24: 209-212.

The authors are:
Brian Wansink & Mitsuru Shimizu (Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University), Armand V. Cardello & Alan O. Wright (US Army Natick Soldier R,D&E Center).