Create a fleshpot for all your senses with camouflage

By Amy Reiley

I love getting lost in a fantasy. And most of my daydreams revolve around food. There is one food fantasy that most sensualist share. And, lucky for us all, it is one of the easiest fantasies to make a reality. It simply involves a blindfold, a lover and an open fridge. I’m talking about the “9 ½ Weeks experience.”

Its funny, 9 ½ Weeks is really no great film. And yet, that one moment when Kim Basinger slips on the blindfold has become one of the best known, most re-created and certainly sexiest moments in American cinema. It inspired the cover of my first cookbook. It even played out again on the big screen with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart in this year’s, No Reservations.

But why is that moment among the most celebrated, re-created and unforgettable food fantasies in cinema? Certainly the passion with which Basinger played her role as a starved, young hedonist would have something to do with it. It also may be the vulnerability blindfolding brings to the wearer. It forces the sightless to give one of their senses over entirely and put trust into the hands of a “captor.” But for me, what is so captivating about the fantasy is the dedication with which Basinger really tastes the flavors, absorbs the textures, sounds and smells.

We are so accustomed to identifying and passing judgment on foods by sight that without it, we awaken the rest of our senses and force ourselves to find new criteria by which to judge foods. We must become sensualists, involving and enjoying the experience of tasting in so many ways.

 A How-To Primer

It is simple to set up your own 9 ½ Weeks scene. The only investment is a blindfold (sleep mask or necktie can work, too). I recommend stripping down or wearing something that won’t absorb stains — this will (hopefully) get messy. The foods can be anything you like. This is one of the few times I would say clichés are great. Jello? Whipped cream? They work for me! But exotic is also exciting. Mix it up with a slice of ripe mango or a velvety rose petal. (Roses, as well as violets, orchids and tulips are edible and offer sensational textures.)

One last tip: You won’t want to set up your sexy smorgasbord in front of your refrigerator. Not only is it a waste of energy, it is also far too cold to play out a sexy love scene.