augmented illusions

Another marker: I’m able to have dinner somewhere with D. I get to choose where, and so I choose Indonesian food at Sateh Bar. T., a friend of ours recommended this place, and, as she’s part Indonesian we fully trust her advice. Sateh Bar is the annex to a larger restaurant on the first floor. Already when you get through the door, you recognize the kitchen knows its business. It’s a restaurant where women cook, and that usually means the food is better. (Sukasari in Amsterdam is another place like this) It was a struggle to get there, more or less. Lots of stops along the way, because I haven’t yet got the stamina. More fatigue means I have to concentrate harder, but D. was beside me and I could relax a little. Sateh Bar is an informal place and is usually packed, so we were lucky to get a table. As I sat down, i was handed a menu in braille. Imagine that! Apparently this restaurant is part of an initiative that wants to make dining out a better experience for visually impaired people. After I recovered from my surprise, I felt incredibly welcome. I avoid eating out on my own, because I have to ask waiters to read the menu to me, which they’ll do willingly or less so, but I feel embarrassed (even more so when I have to ask waiters to escort me to the men’s room and back: A. said: if you’re blind, you need an iron bladder) So, I go with D. and rely on her, but it detracts from the fun a bit, it’s less festive, in a way. It all felt entirely right: being on equal terms. The special touches served to make me less special: that was noticeable in other things too. Without having to ask, I was told where my plate was, what food was on it and were. Discreetly, the waiter brushed the back of my hand with my glass of water as he put it on the table. It’s hard to describe how I felt because of this. Very relaxed, entirely at ease. Graciously I was assisted in paying (usually D. does this, using my card). The owner showed me out, leading me through the restaurant. Amazing, and that’s without taking the food into consideration, which was excellent: sateh ayam kecap, sayur lodeh, acar ketimun, and orap orap. All wonderful, a bit Sumatran in its taste and very well cooked.
Everything about the experience of having dinner there made me feel more connected, more alive, more part of everything that was going on. I don’t know why the owners have this special sensibility towards me and others like me. Obviously they know blind people and their preferences pretty well. That they display their sensitivity so courteously is mind blowing.