Navigating my salad bowl

This is one of the few things that often gives me a bit of a challenge but at the end of it all it turns out to be just another smile for me.

Just try to picture it. You go to a function or you are in a restaurant and a bowl of salad is placed in front of you. If you ordered the salad then you know what to expect in your salad bowl but if you are at a function and you are waiting for your meal along with other guests, then chances are that as a blind person you have no idea what is going to be in your salad bowl.

So, there you are with your salad bowl that is piled high with yummy greens and they are sprinkled liberally with salad dressing. Or, if you are lucky, your salad dressing has been placed in a small container at the side of your bowl and both are sitting on a plate.

Most of the greens are either huge chunks or pieces and now it is time for you to eat your salad. Easy as it goes, you need to be careful so as not to spill any of the contents onto your lap. Or even more, not to have the dressing drip onto your clothes.

This is normally the case for anyone but as a blind person I need to be extra careful. So how do I deal with it? I start by asking someone at the table to describe the bowl's contents to me. From there, I decide upon my plan of attack. I go very gingerly trying to cut the large pieces while ensuring that the contents remain in the bowl.

I am very gentle and make sure that I eat from front to back. That is, I start with pieces closest to me and proceed on to the back. If I have to sprinkle my own dressing from the container at the side of the bowl then I need to be extra careful.

Challenging, you say? Sure, but it is all in a day's work.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

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