Students experience eating a sense short

Walking in a room with all the lights off, windows and doors covered in black, the guests were required to take an eye mask, sit down at a table, put the eye mask on, and the journey to Dining in the Dark began.

Sponsored by RLA, Dining in the Dark took place in the Gold Room from 8-10 p.m., Wednesday. The students were served with salad, ravioli, and cookies, without being able to use sight. Then they had to guess the soda they were served.

“It’s fun, different, yum, and hilarious,” Chelsea Lukasiewicz, 19, sophomore of Fort Calhoun, said.

The main purpose of Dining in the Dark is to use other senses while enjoying the meal. This was the first time RLA held this kind of event on campus, and the students were excited to try the new experience. But without using sight, they struggled more than they thought.

“I lost my fork like five times,” a student said while eating.

“Yeah, the struggle is real,” another said.

Without using sight, other senses became more sensitive, and everything except sight became more significant. The flavor of the dressing became stronger. People could feel the texture of the salad, smell the ravioli from far away, and feel the bread skin with their fingers. It was hard to eat at the beginning, but the students got used to it and said they enjoyed the dining experience.

Without the eyes, our ears became the dominant sense. People could hear the sound of someone coming, the sound of someone writing on a paper, or the conversation from the other side of the room. The Gold Room became a dining room where tables were not the boundaries between the groups.

People from different tables talked to each other as they shared the same experience, the same struggle, and the same enjoyment—a sight that we don’t usually see in the Dining Hall. The social event was a success as all the students responded positively and hoped that RLA events could be advertised more so more students could participate.