- Check out these ways to 'spice' up your dining experience...
Enjoying a good meal isn’t just about having good food and drink. Your environment contributes to your enjoyment, which includes the ambiance, the décor, and your company.
Although you can enjoy what you eat in a traditional manner, there are plenty of odd and interesting ways to enjoy your meals. Here are just some of those more interesting ways to enjoy your next dining experience.
- Have a casual dinner on your back patio
When you think of all the different ways to enjoy a meal, have you considered having a casual dinner on your back patio? Perhaps with friends, family, or even alone?
While there’s nothing inherently special about a backyard patio, there is something special about eating dinner outdoors. Nature tends to make people feel amazing, and you can feel that good even in your backyard. You don’t need to be in a secluded forest or on the beach. Nature is everywhere and everything, including the grass and trees in your yard.
Next time you feel like you need a little mood booster, take your meal to your backyard and enjoy eating outdoors in peace. You might like eating outside enough to get an outdoor kitchen and start cooking your meals outside, too. You don’t always have to rely on a barbecue – you can get a range for your outdoor kitchen and cook real meals.
- Head out to the forest
If you’ve never seen the YouTube channel Almazan Kitchen, you’ve got to watch at least one episode. These are outdoor cooking videos like you’ve never seen before. Food52.com calls it the how-to-survive-in-the-wilderness meets seasoned-cinematographer meets I’ll-have-what-he’s-having.
The entire series of videos are wonderfully shot and it’s extremely soothing to watch and hear every vegetable get sliced up. While you may not be in the mood to film your meal preparations, you can take the lead by going out into the forest to cook some meals.
Or, if you happen to live near a park that isn’t too busy, bring your food over to a barbecue pit and cook in the park.
- Dine in the dark
They say that when you block some of your senses, your other senses are heightened. This is very much true, especially when you block your sight. Whether you wear a blindfold or sit in the dark, once your eyes can no longer see, your hearing, taste, smell, and touch will begin to sharpen.
There’s something special about blocking your sight compared to other senses. Not being able to see enhances your other senses more than anything. Sight tends to overpower your other senses, so when you block sight, your other senses emerge strongly. Research shows that just 90 minutes without sight and your hearing will be heightened.
One of the most incredible experiences you could have to heighten your senses is dining in the dark. Imagine enjoying a full three-course meal in a restaurant… completely in the dark. That’s exactly what people do at Dining in the Dark events, like the one that came to Seattle, WA in February 2022.
The amazing thing about eating in the dark is that both your sense of smell and taste will be heightened. Since smell is integral to taste, this will greatly enhance your dining experience.
Although many restaurants host these types of events periodically, if you’re lucky, you’ll find a restaurant fully dedicated to dining in the dark.
- Eat with your hands
If you’ve never eaten with your hands, you’ll want to try it at least once. In some countries, like Ethiopia, people eat with their hands and utensils are rarely used.
When you eat with your hands, the visceral experience will make you feel more connected to your food. It doesn’t matter what you eat – just try eating with your hands and see how it feels.
- Eat in your jacuzzi
On a cool day when you just need to get warm, why not take a meal with you to the jacuzzi? You can relax in the hot water and eat without having to get out. It might sound silly, but it’s better to eat when you’re in a relaxed state, so you don’t disrupt your digestion.
How will you eat your next meal?
Whether you dine in the dark, cook in the forest, or have lunch in your jacuzzi, try something new for your next meal. Be adventurous and try something you’ve never experienced before. You just might find a new favorite way to dine.