CGTNORMANDIE

13 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Order 3 of them and make a lobstah cocktail.

In MDR???  It would cost you a fortune!!😂

13 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Ghee for my lobstah.

Ghee for me!!

2 hours ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

Then I’ll buy the lobster and you cook it for me!🤪
You are on!  I’ll keep the butter on my side of the table!  You buy the lobsters and I’ll bring the crab and a bottle of Moët et Chandon White Star.  

(and I also use butter in the cooking, usually a compound butter of some sort.  But

I don’t just dunk my beautiful lobster meat in a bowl of melted butter)😃

 
Chaque personne a son gout! 😛

9 hours ago, Lois R said:

I guess I don't have to worry about that......I have never gotten a taste for curry. For some reason, I just don't like it.

Condiments? Well, Mayo would be in my top 3....depending on the sandwich of course😀

I guarantee you Lois…if you ever had one of my Indian dinners you would like it.  Chicken curry Bombay style and Madras beef curry with jasmine rice, lamb biryani, papadum, lime pickle, homemade mango and orange chutney with sultanas, sweetened lemon yogurt with sliced banana and tomato and onion raita all served with cold lager beer in frosted mugs!  We would also need some skewers of meat from the tandoor.  

5 hours ago, LandlockedCruiser01 said:

Interesting.  In Eastern European cuisines, a salad serves the opposite role: it's served with or instead of a heavier appetizer. (such as pickled herring on rye bread)  In those cuisines, a salad almost never includes lettuce, and usually consists of tomato, cucumber, white onion, and dill.  Sour cream, or oil and vinegar serve as the dressing.

 

A light appetizer like this salad was meant to excite your appetite for the heavier dishes that would come later.

As does the Greek horiatiki salad…chopped veggies and tomatoes with olives and feta cheese and no lettuce.  

9 hours ago, Lois R said:

I think French Toast is much more like the first picture🙂 and CGT, I have seen sausage and bacon with it....its ok with me. Bacon always make everything better LOL😀 

Hi Lois!  French toast with English bangers…yummmm!  And maple syrup of course!

9 hours ago, davekathy said:

I like the lobster served on cruise ships. I like to dip my lobster in drawn butter. I also prefer my lobster roll made with drawn butter and not mayo. I eat my lobster my way. 

I actually pour a little drawn butter and then mix the lobster meat with a little mayonnaise, chopped celery and a bit of celery salt.  This makes a great lobster salad or lobster roll.  

7 hours ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

You eat the lobster meat as is. The flavor of lobster should be by itself.  Come on, you’re from MA. Eat lobster meat as is, not drowned in butter. 
 

I’ll  pick up 2 4 pound lobsters on Friday and grill them. Come over and I’ll show you how good they taste without butter. 😊

Well thank you Sox Fan!  As a former Chef I have cooked lobster every way imaginable.  The last time I grilled a lobster it was a 6 lb. monster.   My favorite method is baked stuffed with fresh crab meat from Maine…and yes…butter!  

10 hours ago, natcarbone said:

We had the Smoked Tomato Soup in the Chef’s Table on RCCL Odyssey OTS twice in a week - it’s the first tomato soup I’ve had that compares to my homemade and the presentation was gorgeous. Trying to figure out how to replicate the flavor at home now to share with foodie friends!

I add a small can of diced roasted tomato and half and half then work it over with an immersion blender.  This does wonders for your average tomato soup.

French toast with sausage?

28 minutes ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

Only amateurs have drawn butter on lobster. 
 

{sitting back, eating popcorn and waiting for the drama}

Really?  And what would you suggest?  

2 hours ago, Guppy99 said:

but then you have to clean it, cook it, and clean up after it.

Great point!  I buy the lobster Sunday morning.  If I just want the meat the store I go to will steam it for me.  At any rate the trash goes out Sunday night…no fuss no muss!  

1 hour ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

With airplanes real 🦞 is available almost anywhere today.  Spent last September in New Brunswick and DW had lobster 4 times.  Once was enough for me.   Agree with the drawn butter requirement.

 

Monkfish if soaked in drawn butter is pretty good. 

I could buy a whole live lobster for $9.99-$10.99 lb at my local market…fresh from the tank.  The good news is that March is coming and the hard shell lobsters should be coming in.  The hard shell lobsters come from deeper waters and the lobsters are bigger and the meat is more compacted and flavorful.  More good news…the price should dip down to about $8.00 lb

A nice 2 1/2 lb lobster baked stuffed with crab meat stuffing…out of this world.

1 hour ago, righteous man said:

I've read that monk fish is a decent alternative to lobster ... not that monk fish will be available.

Monk fish makes a great addition to a Lobster Newberg.  When mixed with real lobster it’s a great way to stretch a Newberg.  

1 hour ago, SusieAV8R said:

Agree, CGTNORMANDIE,  about the drawn butter.  I personally believe that nothing compares to Maine or eastern Canadian lobster, and those won't likely be served on a cruise ship.  🙂

Believe it or not…we were on a repo from Boston to Caribbean and RCI JOS had just completed a series of Canadian cruises and was loaded with lobster.  It was some of the best I have ever had!  

Thank you one and all for your comments.  Im still laughing😂.  It’s very obvious that this thread is divided between folks who look forward to “Lobster Night “ and don’t get lobster very often and the folks who can take it or leave it.  With the high prices for everything I'm amazed that they can even serve lobster tails no matter how small they are.  Those of us from New England and eastern Canada are not too excited by the lobster situation because we can have real lobster, live and kicking, anytime.  One steadfast rule is…ALWAYS serve the drawn butter on the side!  

18 hours ago, lahore said:

Because cruise ship MDR food just isn’t that great. I disagree with the notion that dressing up (people and food) makes the main game (eating) any more enjoyable - quite the opposite actually. Even on our favourite cruise line Oceania, frequently awarded for exceptional food, we normally eat at the buffet.
 

I am a reformed vegetarian who spent a lot of my working life in Asia. Western food doesn’t appeal to me in the main, and I like to be able to pick and put together a plate of food that other people might consider a little bizarre.  It’s not uncommon at all for me not to want to eat anything that’s on the menu with the MDR.  

I have a good friend who cruised on Oceania for 14 days and never once went into any of the dining rooms…always the Cafe!  

3 hours ago, DingoMom said:

I respect your opinion, and totally agree that tipping is a personal decision. However, there are times that I do tip $1 per drink. At Cafe Al Bacio, I have had some excellent baristas who are engaging and who make special designs in my drink. I don’t know if they will be there the next time I come, or if they will be the one taking care of me, so ‘I tip as I go there.’ Also, to the casino drink servers. Sometimes, on some ships, they are hard to find. I tip by the drink there, and find that I am usually in their ‘rotation’ when they are going to get drinks. 

Coffee and casino are fine…I totally agree. I was referring to a regular bar that I would be attending for the duration of the cruise.  I always try to set up a rapport with the bartenders and servers.  I’ve even had bartenders recognize me three years later.  

On 2/7/2023 at 2:25 PM, SororitySue said:

We are sailing on the Silhouette Thursday and have pre-paid our gratuities and classic drink packages. Is appropriate to tip bartenders, baristas, etc., in addition to this and if so, how much? Thanks so much!

We have sailed in all types of suites and we always tip for excellent service and only for excellent service.  This is over and above the daily service charge.  Normally we tip at the end of the voyage.  We use envelopes with cash and usually a nice short note thanking that particular person and promising them a good review.  Sometimes I tip a bartender and server if I’m in a bar that I frequent during the cruise.  I never tip up front but only after I have established a rapport with the bartender/server.  I would never tip 1 dollar per drink as most servers view this as a bit gauche.  I usually slip them a 5 or 10 dollar bill once or twice as we go along.  There have been a few times when I tipped bartenders nothing at all or $20 or more.  There have been other times I have tipped a lot for waiters and butlers.  One time I left a recalcitrant waiter an envelope with a note telling him why he wasn’t getting a tip.  There is no typical amount to tip.  It is up to you, what you perceive as great service and an amount you feel comfortable with.  Tipping is a purely personal matter.  You get to decide.  You would be amazed at what a 5 dollar bill can do for the person who brings you room service in the morning or the young lady who carves the meat in the buffet or $50 to the assistant to the cabin steward or $100 or more to the butler.  Just as we rate and review these people they rate and review us also.  They remember the pax who treated them well.  Many times I have run into people who had served me on previous cruises and all of them were smiling when they recognized me!  The decision to tip is yours alone.  

We always found the first night in the MDR to be chaotic so dining in the Cafe on the first night was our preferred venue.  

Hank, great minds think alike!  I am constantly finding new routes and new opportunities by following your method.  Right now I’m planning a trip to Rio then sailing back to Europe just as soon as I am physically able.  

On 2/11/2023 at 5:05 PM, baypeople said:

We were in a suite on Equinox recently and wanted to tip certain folks a bit extra for very good service.  However, we have no idea if we chose appropriate amounts.  I'm looking for suggestions for both suites and Aqua, especially when paid gratuities are part of the all inclusive packages.  All comments and suggestions are welcome!

The good news is that…there are no appropriate amounts!  Tipping, over and above the included tips, is simply a matter of your personal discretion and what you are comfortable with.  I usually tip the room service people each morning and I tip via envelope at the end of the voyage to everyone else.  
 

As an ocean liner historian I always get a chuckle when I see someone from the European side of the ocean taking umbrage at the very thought of tipping.  When, in actuality, it was the European shipping companies that started the “custom of tipping” that began with such companies as Cunard and White Star as well as CGT, Holland America and The Italian Line.   

21 hours ago, Kolleen said:

Of course on my wildest cruise, the ship sank. 

The ship sank???  Care to explain???

Various renditions of fruit chutney.  It drives me nuts when they set out several excellent curries in the ships’ buffet but never seem to supply the condiments…no chutney and no riata. I can’t eat curry without my condiments.  

10 hours ago, zdcatc12 said:

I'm not sure if anyone watches "Mysteries of the Abandoned", but on the episode a few weeks ago, the "Big U' was one of the stories on the episode. They had the granddaughter of the designer on there with the history of the ship and some indoor shots. Sad, but beautiful at the same time.

That would be the indefatigable Susan Gibbs granddaughter of William Gibbs the designer of the Big U.  The ship should have been saved years ago but ran up against one unsuccessful buyer after another.  The ship is an American icon and historic monument.  The question is…how many years can the foundation go on without an end use for the once great ship?  The Big U will probably never sail again but she could become part of a convention/exhibition center on dry land.  That would make a great maritime museum.