Certainly! While I don't have personal experiences, I can create a scenario that might illustrate what it's like to "observe without using your eyes" while making dinner.
Imagine stepping into your kitchen. The familiar scent of spices and the warmth of the ambient light fill the space, but in this exercise, you decide to navigate the cooking process without relying on your eyesight. Instead, you engage your other senses to guide you.
You start by feeling the texture of the ingredients. As you reach for a potato, its rough skin contrasts with the smoothness of an onion. You can sense the coldness of the vegetables as you take them out of the fridge, and the ripe, firm texture of the tomato feels ripe under your fingers.
Next, you listen closely. The hiss of the pan heating up echoes in the kitchen, building anticipation for the cooking process. The gentle clattering of utensils, the soft rustling of plastic bags, and the bubbling of water on the stove all create a symphony of sounds that guide your actions. You can hear the sizzle when you add the onions to the pan, and the sound gives you cues about how they're cooking.
Your sense of smell is heightened. The pungent aroma of garlic fills the air as it browns in the pan, and you can smell the earthy scent of cumin wafting from the spice jar just before you unscrew the lid. These scents inform you of the progress of your dish and help you decide if you need to adjust the seasonings.
As you mix ingredients, you use your sense of taste. You pause occasionally to sample a spoonful of the sauce. Each taste helps you gauge if it needs more salt, or a pinch of sugar to balance the flavors. It’s an exploration of the dish through flavor rather than sight.
Finally, you rely on your intuition and muscle memory. You've made this dish many times before, and the way the ingredients feel, smell, and taste guides you through the process. You confidently adjust the heat, knowing when to simmer and when to let it boil. The rhythm of your movements becomes a dance, each step fluidly transitioning to the next without a moment's hesitation.
As you take the final dish off the stove, the warmth radiates through your fingertips. You can hear the soft thud of the pot on the counter, and the inviting scent fills the room, a sensory reminder of the meal you’ve just crafted.
In this scenario, "observing" the cooking process through touch, smell, sound, and taste illustrates how deeply intertwined our senses can be and how we can navigate tasks without relying on sight.