[NABS-L] Dining Etiquette

Tue Oct 30 17:09:42 UTC 2018

If I'm out to eat with family or friends, I'll usually ask someone to read me the menu, since it's less awkward than trying to get KNFB reader or Seeing AI set up to do it on my phone. But if I'm out in a more professional setting, I'll often look up the menu online before I go and read it then and make a decision about what I want to eat. I might ask someone to clarify something if I don't remember, but I find in professional settings it's just smoother if I already know what I want.

-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L <nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of John Dowling via NABS-L
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2018 1:01 PM
To: simon bonenfant via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: John Dowling <1008jmd at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NABS-L] Dining Etiquette

Hi Simon,
You could always use something like seeing AI or KNFB reader, or, you could use Aira as a guest and ask an agent what's on the menu.

On Oct 30, 2018 10:53 AM, simon bonenfant via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> Hi Folks. 
> As I read  this thread another question comes to my mind. What have you all done about reading menus when they are not in braille? Most places I go to the restruants do not have braille menus. I've heard of people using knfb reader or Seeing Ai or something else to that effect but that has really never seemed to work for me. 
> I find that when I've tried using Knfb Reader to read menus it usually jumbles things together and I end up not clearly distinguishing the price of the ingredients in the dish to the actual dish which makes this task very confusing with Knfb Reader. I usually end up asking whoever I'm with to read me the menu which is fine with me but I'm just curious how others handle this? 
> Thanks. 
> Simon. 
> Sent from my braille note touch.
>
> On Oct 27, 2018 9:05 AM, Justin Williams via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> >
> > Soups can be a little sloppy, so watch that, and be ware of how much salad dressing you put on your salad, and how big the pieces of the salad are.
> >
> > But yes, those items she mentioned are definitely worth consideration because they can be readily accessed without a whole lot of effort.
> >
> > Justin
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of 
> > Jameyanne Fuller via NABS-L
> > Sent: Friday, October 26, 2018 11:42 PM
> > To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list' 
> > <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> > Cc: Jameyanne Fuller <jameyanne at gmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [NABS-L] Dining Etiquette
> >
> > I echo what Tara said. Practice on your own until you feel comfortable with it. In the meantime, if you're out to eat in a professional setting, try to get things that you don't have to cut. They don't have to be handheld, but things like pasta, soup, or salad don't necessarily have to be cut. Though twirling spaghetti onto a fork is another matter.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: NABS-L <nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Tara Briggs 
> > via NABS-L
> > Sent: Friday, October 26, 2018 6:47 PM
> > To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
> > <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> > Cc: Tara Briggs <thflute at gmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [NABS-L] Dining Etiquette
> >
> > Hey Jason! Welcome to eating as a blind person! We’ve all been there! Probably one of the best things I can do just for you would be to practice when you’re by yourself. He could also start with something like toast and tried cutting up with a knife and fork. Then you can look at what you’re doing. One of the best things you can do is eat small bites! If you lift your fork up and it feels heavy and that might mean at the bite is too big. I hope other people pass on their tips and tricks. I have found that the sharper The knife,  the easier it is to cut food.
> > Tara
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> > > On Oct 26, 2018, at 4:21 PM, Jason Perenski via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> > > 
> > > Hi,
> > > I hope this is the right place to ask about this. My ability to 
> > > gracefully cut food with a fork and knife is abysmal. This is an 
> > > uncomfortable situation to discuss since dining is so essential 
> > > for social and business situations, and these skills are usually 
> > > so incredibly obvious and second nature for most people. I know 
> > > everyone struggles with something, but as an otherwise independent 
> > > and successful young adult, this topic feels like something I 
> > > shouldn’t be stumbling over.
> > > 
> > > I don't eat a lot of meat or food that needs to be cut in general, 
> > > but I'd like to look professional in more formal social and 
> > > business settings now that I'm about to leave college. And 
> > > frankly, I also don't want to be the blind person who always 
> > > orders something handheld when eating in public.
> > > 
> > > Unfortunately, no one taught me when I was younger, which is a 
> > > widespread problem for blind children. I've read some guides 
> > > online about proper table etiquette and how to cut something 
> > > without looking like a slob. And I've even bought playdough to 
> > > practice with. But I'm still lousy at it. I'm curious if anyone 
> > > here has other tips or tricks to get more comfortable and graceful 
> > > at this. To be as detailed as possible, here's what sometimes happens:
> > > 
> > > 1. I start cutting along the back (convex) portion of the fork, 
> > > but I'm only partially successful at separating a bite. I end up 
> > > with a tiny bit of meat clinging to the large piece and it's 
> > > difficult to tell when I've successfully finished cutting 
> > > something. This happens a lot with larger, rounded cuts, where a 
> > > good edge to start from isn’t available or obvious. I place the 
> > > fork in and position the knife along the back of it, but the thing 
> > > to be cut extends well past the tines of the fork to either side. 
> > > In theory I should easily be able to tell when the knife scrapes 
> > > the plate and there's no more meat to cut, but in practice I'm not always successful at it.
> > > 2. While cutting, I start shifting the thing to be cut around the 
> > > plate and, occasionally, start actually sliding the plate around. 
> > > I don't know if this has something to do with technique or perhaps 
> > > even strength. This happens less and less with experience, but 
> > > it's still uncomfortable when it does.
> > > 3. This all becomes a bigger challenge with more complicated 
> > > dishes (meat with sauce on top, or plates with several other items).
> > > 
> > > Is this something you've ever related to, or is it just me? Were 
> > > you taught any alternative techniques that might be helpful? Am I 
> > > missing something obvious? Is my technique possibly incorrect? Are 
> > > there meals you find easier to handle than others? All of this 
> > > makes me feel like a bit of an inept loser for a skill that 
> > > shouldn't be difficult. If you have skills or techniques to make 
> > > this process more seamless and graceful, I'd love to hear them.
> > > 
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