CGTNORMANDIE

4 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

You have given me the idea to see if my local upscale grocery might have some types of pate available for sale.  They have a dedicated Cheese Shop within the store.  I wonder if that is where I might find such a product?  

I believe you will.  Even my working class supermarket offers a decent country pâté.  Better yet…learn how to make it.  Pâté lasts a long time in the fridge and you can freeze it.  

10 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Latkes:  your iteration of my Mother's potato pancakes would be well accepted by my family.  Doubt that applesauce would have been considered as a condiment, but certainly could have been a salad type item during one of our dinners.  

 

I love pate!  Of whatever type!  As I said, when I mention chicken livers to friends, many negative reactions to that.  Chicken livers and gizzards were often prepared when I was growing up.  Along with Sweetbreads, tongue, and even brains of some type of animal.  

 

My Father was a hunter.  Pheasant and rabbit were entrees more than once.  He also fished, but was less successful at that.  

Did you say pâté’?  I love pâté’ and galantines.  Once upon a time you would see that at every meal onboard ship.  They have virtually disappeared on cruise ships.  You can make a great lunch with some bread, pâté and wine…or as an appetizer to start dinner.

8 hours ago, Rotterdam said:

If I may add something here...

The FRANCE & QE2 were built as true ocean liners w first & "second class"..w the ability to do one class cruises.

The ships were built w extra strong hulls to withstand the North Atlantic and also deeper drafts. 

Cruise ships 🚢 later on were built w shallower drafts enabling them into ports such as the Carib, Mediterranean etc.

Since the draft of the FRANCE was so deep,  she & QE2 were not able to dock in ports w shallow harbors like St. Thomas.

The tenders on the NORWAY  not only facilitated the off loading of passengers & crew but also added years to her life.

Anyone that sailed in FRANCE & QE2 know the difference between those great oceanliners & the newer cruise ships .

I loved sailing in the FRANCE, THE NORWAY & QE2.

Knut Kluster took a big risk & certainly was much more a visionary,  creative, imaginative & quality driven business man. Fortunately for some of us, we were able to experience his dream.

 

 

 

Well said!  Indeed…some of us were very fortunate to have experienced the France, QE2 and Norway.

42 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I am going to need to review my Meraviglia menus, but I don't recall Tomato Bisque being offered during my cruise.

 

I agree with your thought about Lobster Bisque.  And, not only on a ship.  I order the soup at an ashore restaurant and the variations are many.  Some good; some:  not so much.  Particularly for the price charged.  

 

I really do enjoy Clam Chowder which I don't think I have ever seen on a ship's menu.  It's another soup that has many, many variations prepared depending, I guess, on whom is preparing the soup.  

 

Never offered on a cruise, but the She Crab Soup prepared in the Tidewater area of our country is delicious!  Slight differences exist from Chef to Chef, but the basic soup always seems the same.  There is a company that sells canned She Crab Soup that is quite acceptable for this landlocked cruiser.  

Lobster Bisque has to be made with real lobster.  You need the shells to make it right.  I hate it when they don’t add any lobster meat to the bisque.  
 

Clam chowder is what we do best here in NE.  Only a neophyte would try to make it with a roux.  

59 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Wasn't that due to necessity for guests to visit some of the Caribbean ports during those years?  I remember seeing the Norway anchored outside Charlotte Amalie's harbor with the two large tenders ferrying guests from/to the ship.  

 

 

If I recall correctly, this pool was the France's Tourist Class pool.  Refresh my memory, please.  There was something unique about that pool as I recall.  Those windows weren't it when the France was in service?  

The landing craft were built to expedite the tender service from ship to shore.  If my memory serves me right I believe each craft could hold close to 200 people.  The best part was when they landed at the private island and the forward ramp would come down like a D Day landing craft and 100 people would step off.  
 

I swam in the Tourist Class pool once upon a time.  There was a story about it.  They removed the pool and turned the area into a disco.   The new pool was much bigger and there were windows that looked into the disco.  You could sit at the bar wand watch the people swim in the pool.  There was another story about a fiberglass pool that got used in the disco…can’t remember…must be a senior moment…lol.

On 6/20/2021 at 8:43 PM, BklynBoy8 said:

This was Dad's 6th Year without enjoying going out to his favorite restaurants. Been a chef, we really went to some great restaurants of every level. Never disappointed.

Having a father who was a chef.  How great is that?  I’m sure he taught you well.  
What could be better than having an expert prepare your meals?

My parents always insisted that we go to college but my father always advised we should have a trade as well.  My brother was a builder and furniture maker and I was a builder and a chef…along with our professions.  I can’t think of anything more honorable than working as a chef or a furniture maker.  

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Reading about him in The Maritime Executive was very interesting.   No idea that he was a MIT alumnus.   I recalled his association with Ted Arison and have wondered for a long time about what caused their "falling out".  

 

His early interest in ecotourism and the humanist side of the travel enterprise was new to me as well.  

 

I was reminded that NCL was the first to develop a private island:  Coco Cay.  That was one of the attractions that caused me to book my Sunward II cruise during a Florida Winter visit.  Don't recall much about that visit except my traveling companion and I returned to the ship with numerous sand flea bites.  

 

RCI's roots came from Norwegians just as NCL's.  That has fascinated me for years.  Why?  The country's seafaring history/traditions?  

Knut was a visionary.  His gamble to take the SS France and turn it into a giant (for its time) cruise ship was brilliant.  He changed cruising into what we have today.  His idea to build two gigantic landing craft and mount them on the foredeck was truly beyond imagination.  As was the pool with the windows looking into the disco.  The Norway was one of the most comfortable and interesting cruise ships I was ever on.  

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

 Never could understand why P&O cropped the fwd funnel on Kungsholm, always thought the ship looked more balanced in the original design.

Agreed…even though the forward funnel was a dummy.  They made the aft funnel look like a dunce hat.  

9 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

Trying to get the thread back on track:  Tomato Bisque is a soup that I always enjoy but rarely see on a ship's menu.  What's your experience?  

MSC always offers tomato bisque…and they do it very well.  Lobster bisque seems to be the most maligned onboard most ships.  They simply don’t know how to make it.  You need real lobster and real lobster shells…cannot be made out of a jar.

5 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Although most of it is filmed in the studio, it still brings back great memories when they show some of the onboard footage, especially from the Island/Pacific Princess.

 

Watched a show last night on the Sea Princess, which is a ship that P&O purchased after I left.

LOL…we watched the same show.  Sea Princess was originally the Swedish American liner Kungsholm.  Talk about coincidence.  We were booked on the Kungsholm…France to New York in October 1975.  Kungsholm was on the last leg of a world cruise and I thought it would be fun to join her for the final leg.  We received a telegram in August announcing the closure of the Swedish American Line.  Sadly…we returned home on QE 2.  Another great line had bitten the dust and we were there to see it happen…so sad.

My first brush with Gavin MacLeod was when I saw him on MacHale’s Navy.  How can we thank Gavin and the Love Boat crew?  They introduced millions to the joy of cruising.  Once the show became a hit millions of people started booking cruises and we old salts never looked back.  

4 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Is that the time when ownership/management of NCL started to change?  

Yes it was…see Knute Kloster.  

On 6/13/2021 at 6:00 PM, Lois R said:

6.9 is not even bad.....they say as long as it is under 7 it is ok.  I try not to eat any fried foods anymore.

But I am on meds.......I take 1 pill per day so not bad.  I keep thinking about my upcoming cruise and if I want to treat myself occasionally, I will.  And remember, there is always sugar in those drinks. 

Lose some weight and get off the pill.  As long as you are taking the pill they label you diabetic.  Most people can lose the weight and lose the pill.  You’d be amazed what the loss of 10 lbs can do for A1C.  

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

😧   Whose bonehead idea was that one!  That obviously was pre-environmental concerns that NCL has about ocean pollution.  While I enjoyed my one NCL cruise (1979), I have not been impressed with this Company under changing ownership/management for many, many years.  

1979 was “ The Good Old Days”.  Back when NCL was a quality product with great service.  Things started going off the rails in the mid nineties.  I was onboard Norway in 1993 and things were really nice.  The service up in the top deck suites was excellent.  Room service would give you anything you asked for.  Giant shrimp cocktails were sent up every day around 4:00.  I even got a call from Room Service to inform me that they were there to help.  I had a cocktail party for some friends and the Concierge sent around written invitations and Room Service provided the hors D’oeuvres…lots of shrimp.  The Mumm was flowing.  

3 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

Sorry, but never ??? heard of RB hash. I know of the corned beef with it's fatty composition adds to the crust in a frying pan. But RB, interesting.....

Ground roast beef makes a great hash.  You see it every once in a while usually in diners.  When I had my restaurant I was able to buy 50 lbs of beef fore shanks, legs, at a time…50 cents per pound!  I would throw them in a big stock pot and make beef stock.  Once the stock was boiled down I would fish out the beef parts and separate the meat from the bones.  The stock would make wonderful sauces, gravies, soups (especially onion soup) and the left over beef would make the best RB hash you ever tasted.  A big platter of RB hash, eggs and hash browns was raved about.  I could get at least 50 or more servings of RB hash out of that stock pot.  We had the stock pot working 7 days a week.  

14 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Why ketchup?  Many do enjoy this condiment with their eggs.  But, why?  What is that condiment adding that I am missing?  

Corned beef/roast beef hash…always with ketchup…just a dab.

5 hours ago, Rotterdam said:

Thanks ShipGeeks...will do.... I did see some chairs from the FRANCE &  dining set w 4 chairs from the ss United States...

Ideally I'd like to put together a room from the FRANCE or the Italian Line....

Thank you all for the info.

You should have been around for the first transatlantic sailing of the Norway ex SS France from the shipyard in Germany to Miami.  Someone who was there told me they were literally throwing gorgeous chrome chairs, from the France, overboard.  What a shame.

9 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

An interesting idea if the Chef on one's ship cannot produce a Poached Egg that is not so overly done that the yolk is unable to coat the Hash.  

Absolutely!  Once upon a time I went to MDR onboard RCI and ordered Eggs Benedict.  They tried to serve me two poached eggs that were rocks on English Muffins that hadn’t even been toasted.  I simply got up and left the table.  

On 6/13/2021 at 5:23 PM, BklynBoy8 said:

QM2 has one area for what I would call Midnight Snack. A small variety for items, not like the past.

This is not a new idea…having a snack in place of a midnight buffet.  The Germans used to offer snacks after 11:00 PM.  And let’s not forget the Italian ships…pizza at 2:00 AM.  The SS France had a small bar in First Class that could be accessed by a staircase from Tourist Class.  The bar served hot dogs, sandwiches and onion soup late at night.  Now we are seeing snacks appearing late night in the buffet area on a number of ships.  

14 hours ago, GlobalMethod said:

Yes! ... all sangria is good sangria! ... we have it in some form or fashion almost everyday at home for our personal HHs! ... both red and white can be wonderful ...

 

use the fruit of the season where you are ... when I lived in the USA I used to make mine with cherry brandy but that is impossible to find now ... currently adding a bit of ameretto disaranno ... delish ... 🙂 ... our primary added fruit yesterday was cherries, which just came into season, but last week our primary fruit was strawberries! ... 🙂 ... All Good!

Cherry Brandy…GREAT IDEA!!  

6 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

We do have a Culver's in my community.  It is no longer part of the national chain that maybe exists.  Food/service remains good.  But, it competes with others of that type and really does not "stand out" in my opinion.  Yet, during this past 18 months or so, they have survived as has their competitors.  

 

The really most top end steakhouse that we have in my community is Fleming's.  It also has survived.  Service, cuisine, etc.:  always good.  Their ala carte menu makes them very expensive.  

 

We have a local "top end" nationally recognized steakhouse called the Pine Club.  Cash only; been there once--a chaotic mess of patrons at the bar waiting for a table--a parking area for the restaurant that I don't consider safe if a mugger knows that those in that area would be carrying significant cash.   I'll go to Outback before I go to this restaurant.   

I’d go to Culver’s just for the frozen custard.  I am partial to a DQ cheeseburger but I like Culver’s menu better.

17 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Muffin crusty?  Hash of of corned beef or roast beef?  

 

Really have no preference for the "beef", but the entire entree, if it is well prepared, in my opinion, ought to be "crusty".  

 

And, the name of the Chef on what ship that will consistently produce such an entree is.....?  

The guy up by the pool in the YC who cooks breakfast almost every morning.  He’ll cook the muffins, hash and eggs any way you like!

46 minutes ago, Lois R said:

That is where we differ........I just love my English Muffin toasted......well done......that makes it crusty😃

You say tomato I say tommato…

39 minutes ago, Lois R said:

I love Sangria😃........have you tried White Sangria? I actually like it better than the original.

White, red or rose’ is fine with me.  You need certain fruits with each wine.  White wine calls for peaches, apples, grapes, pears, berries, etc.  Red wine calls for oranges, limes, lemons and nectarines.  Always made with Cognac or Brandy and something sweet.  I like agave syrup.  

Anyone here care for a good Sangria??  Served with a chaser of soda water and ice can be very refreshing on a hot day.