'Perfect for people without table manners': Dine in Darkness challenge for a good cause

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Dine in Darkness will be held on Friday, May 3, at the Woodend Community Centre to raise funds...
Dine in Darkness will be held on Friday, May 3, at the Woodend Community Centre to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities. Photo: File image
Fancy digging into a plate of food and not knowing what you're eating? 

Participants in the Dine in Darkness charity fundraiser at Woodend on Friday, May 3, will take a leap of faith, hoping the chef has given them something nice to eat, says organiser Terry Bartlett from Drewdod Promotions.

And Bartlett should know - he is blind so every meal is a new dining experience.

"Now people can experience what it is like to eat when your eyesight is impaired."

Dine in Darkness will be held at the Woodend Community Centre, starting at 5.30pm.

Its goal is to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities.

"We give people a chance to be challenged to eat food without seeing what they are eating first."

Bartlett said it will be a two-course meal and participants have to discover what’s actually on the plate. Allergies, dietary needs and preferences will be taken into account.

The participants are blindfolded, led to the tables and seated in a dark room.

"It’s perfect for people without table manners and everyone can hear you as you eat."

Bartlett said it will be a purely sensory experience as the chef doesn't even tell the organisers what he will be serving on the night.

"They are different each time. There is no set menu as each chef decides what to serve - and it is a surprise to us, too."