Jessica, Are you being mainstreamed? Who taught you to use your
BrailleNote and who provided it? Did you have a TVI (teacher of
the visually impaired) I also use a BrailleNote. Do you have
speech, braille or both? I hope we are able to help you without
invading your privacy.
----- Original Message -----
From: jessica <jessicabrown...@gmail.com
To: cookinginthedark@acbradio.org
Date sent: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:20:36 -0800
Subject: Re: [CnD] cutting food
I am ambidextrous.
sent from my BrailleNote
----- Original Message -----
From: "Charles Rivard" <wee1s...@fidnet.com
To: <cookinginthedark@acbradio.org
Date sent: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:43:41 -0600
Subject: Re: [CnD] cutting food
Another thought I just had is this, and I should have thought of
it before.
People say to put the knife in the right hand and the fork in the
left. I
could not do this, even though people may insist that this is the
correct
way to do it. The majority of people are right handed, so they
put the
knife in their right hand. Are you left handed, like me?
Switching their
instructions to fit your needs makes all the difference in the
world. For
example, I've been playing the guitar since 1968, but there's no
way I can
play one that is strung for a left handed person who fingers the
fret board
and making the chords with their right hand, because I've been
doing it with
my left hand for so long..
---
Shepherds are the best beasts, but Labs are a close second.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alex Hall" <mehg...@gmail.com
To: <cookinginthedark@acbradio.org
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2012 6:42 PM
Subject: Re: [CnD] cutting food
I'm coming in late here, I know.
I generally use my fork, in my left hand, to find the meat. I
then
find an edge or corner, move in a bit to approximate a bite-sized
piece, then put the fork into the meat so the back is facing the
rest
of the meat, the tines facing outward, the handle straight up or
tilted away from the rest of the meat. I then move the knife to
the
back of the fork and cut down, using the fork as a guide. If the
piece
is too big, which you can tell either by using the knife or fork
to
"feel" it or by judging the weight once you have it on the fork,
just
cut it in half by using the same fork/knife trick as above.
For anything I put a topping on, like pancakes, there is no
question:
cut it first, then add what you want on top. I usually cut the
item in
half (or as close to half as I can get), then rotate the plate
ninety
degrees and cut in half again. I now have four quarters that I
can
concentrate on one at a time. Of course, I usually end up with
some
very large pieces that I have to cut again. Pancakes and other
lighter, flat foods are good since you can usually tell the size
of
the piece by moving the fork a tiny bit once you stab the piece
and
pick it up. The balance of the piece, and the overall weight,
will
usually tell you if the piece is too large and where the excess
is. It
takes practice to read clues like this, but if you practice at
home,
where you can shamelessly feel the food if you need to, I think
you'll
get it.
At home, I often use my left hand as a guide, which I know I
shouldn't
do... but I'm at home, so I figure it does not really matter. I
will
also sometimes simply tear up the food, especially things like
pancakes. When I am out somewhere, I try to stick to things that
will
not give me too much trouble - fried finger foods, burgers, pasta
dishes with little excess sauce (alfredo, for example), that sort
of
thing.
I think a lot of it is just accepting that, when you can't see
your
food, you will have to find and cut it differently than others.
Getting good with using a knife or fork as a sort of food cane,
and
judging sizes and placements of pieces by how they feel on the
fork,
is important. However, it is even more important to simply not
think
about what others might be thinking (yes, I completely understand
how
hard that can be). Also, you may want to find a good friend, and
try
out different techniques with him or her; s/he can give you an
idea of
what is commonly accepted as "normal" or "acceptable", and you
can try
out different adaptations of techniques and ideas. Together, I
am
sure
you can work out things that look fine but still work for you.
As
someone else said, if you can find a blind person in your area
with
whom you can work, that would also be a very good idea. Hope
this
helps some.
On 1/23/12, Suzanne Erb <suze...@comcast.net> wrote:
Jessica,
Cutting up food does take lots of practice, and, I think e've
all been
there, so my heart goes out to you.
When I was getting my first dog at the Seeing Eye, at age 18, I
was so
concerned about how I looked that I didn't eat either the steak
or the
fried
chicken. I was afraid that everyone was eating the fried
chicken with a
knife and fork. Of course, anyone who knows anything about the
Seeing
Eye's
food, knows that I forfeited some fine food at the expense of
"looks". I
learned quite a bit that summer, not just about guide dog work.
Having
said
this, I think it takes a lot of maturity and self-confidence to
not be
concerned. In public, I tend to order food that I feel
comfortable eating
in public, unless I'm eating with people I know well and with
whom I feel
comfortable.
Best of luck to you.
Suzanne
On Jan 23, 2012, at 7:07 PM, Becky wrote:
U r not alone, we all have the same disability as u.
I have been blind all my life and I know that learning how to do
certain
things can b tough.
So sorry to hear that people have given up on teaching u how to
cut your
food.
Do u know anyone in your area who is also blind?
If so, Maybe they can work with u and they will probably b
more patient
and understanding because they know what it is like to not have
any
sight.
U can write me off the list if u like.
rebeca...@gmail.com
Rebeca with one c
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 23, 2012, at 12:35 PM, Jessica Brown
<jessicabrown...@gmail.com
wrote:
They were friends. I do not have any one who can help me who is
trained. I have not had much time to try to cut food but this
is
because other people give up teaching me not because I give up
learning. Trust me I do want to learn if it is the last thing I
ever
do.
On 1/23/12, Charles Rivard <wee1s...@fidnet.com> wrote:
Have you tried using your fingers to see what you're doing,
gradually
using
them less and less as you get used to what you're doing? Not
with
meat,
but
other cuttable material?
You say that people have tried to teach you. Were these people
trained
to
do so?, or were they friends and family members. Also, and I
don't
mean
this as it may sound, but at age 16, how much practice have you
had at
trying to accomplish this? Some people give up if it doesn't
work
almost
immediately, and this goes for people trying to teach as well as
people
trying to learn.
---
Shepherds are the best beasts, but Labs are a close second.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jessica Brown" <jessicabrown...@gmail.com
To: <cookinginthedark@acbradio.org
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2012 11:06 AM
Subject: Re: [CnD] cutting food
Once again. I have tried this before as well and it did not
work
for
me. I am 16 years old and have been blind all my life. People
have
tried to help teach me but no one seems to know how to teach me
and it
never goes well.
On 1/23/12, Nicole Massey <ny...@gypsyheir.com> wrote:
This was what I was going to suggest as well, with a
modification or
two.
For even chunks, take the fork, after using your knife to find
the
edges
of
the meat or other food, and place the fork in the meat near one
edge.
Cut
with the knife perpendicular to the fork's tines until that
entire
strip
is
free. Then move the fork to the next strip and cut the meat
into
strips.
If
you want it in chunks instead of strips, turn the plate 90° and
then
use
your knife and fork to find the first strip. Place the fork
near
the
middle
and cut starting at the ends and working toward the center,
cutting
center
chunks using your fork as your guide. Move to the other strips
and cut
as
well. This should help.
This brings me to a question. Jessica, how long have you been
blind?
Have
you had any training to help you deal with this blindness? This
is a
standard Vocational Rehabilitation Trainer exercise, so this is
why I
ask.
-----Original Message-----
From: cookinginthedark-boun...@acbradio.org
[mailto:cookinginthedark-boun...@acbradio.org] On Behalf Of
Kimberly
Qualls
Sent: Monday, January 23, 2012 10:05 AM
To: cookinginthedark@acbradio.org
Subject: [CnD] cutting food
Jessica,
I use a fork, not only to keep the food still, but also as a
guide...Stick the fork as far from the edge as the slice you
want...After you go one way, then take the fork and stick it in
the
slices to cut them into chunks, if you need...Everyone is right,
though, it takes a LOT of practice, and it can get messy, so you
may
want to practice on your own, first...I hope I explained that
well
enough...
Hope it helps
Kimberly
_______________________________________________
Cookinginthedark mailing list
Cookinginthedark@acbradio.org
http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
_______________________________________________
Cookinginthedark mailing list
Cookinginthedark@acbradio.org
http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
--
sent from my BrailleNote
_______________________________________________
Cookinginthedark mailing list
Cookinginthedark@acbradio.org
http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
_______________________________________________
Cookinginthedark mailing list
Cookinginthedark@acbradio.org
http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
--
sent from my BrailleNote
_______________________________________________
Cookinginthedark mailing list
Cookinginthedark@acbradio.org
http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
_______________________________________________
Cookinginthedark mailing list
Cookinginthedark@acbradio.org
http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
_______________________________________________
Cookinginthedark mailing list
Cookinginthedark@acbradio.org
http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
--
Have a great day,
Alex (msg sent from GMail website)
mehg...@gmail.com; http://www.facebook.com/mehgcap
_______________________________________________
Cookinginthedark mailing list
Cookinginthedark@acbradio.org
http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
_______________________________________________
Cookinginthedark mailing list
Cookinginthedark@acbradio.org
http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
_______________________________________________
Cookinginthedark mailing list
Cookinginthedark@acbradio.org
http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
_______________________________________________
Cookinginthedark mailing list
Cookinginthedark@acbradio.org
http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
