CGTNORMANDIE

4 hours ago, Harters said:

I'm also a chutney and pickle maker but don't think of them as condiments so didnt mention them. Although there are others, including what I expect to be a very nice beetroot one, tucked away, I have three in use at present - plum, tomato lime & chilli and one the recipe called "Christmas chutney", probably because it only uses dried fruits, like sultanas, apricots, dates, etc, which we commonly associate with Christmas cookery.

 

Most of the chutneys I make only get used when I make Asian dishes but the Christmas one most often gets used on sandwiches and is similar in texture to Pan Yan, already mentioned, or Branston - both well known British pickles (although Pan Yan hasnt been available here since 2002.)

Branston Pickle is definitely a condiment.  Pickles really don’t fit the definition but I always view them as a compliment to food.  I forgot to mention pickle relish, peppers pimento and green tomato relish and mayonnaise.  Then we come to all the Indian condiments…lime pickle, mango pickle, egg plant pickle, etc. etc.

My my my…where to begin?  Louisiana Hot Sauce, ketchup, fifteen types of mustard, A1 Steak Sauce, Major Grey mango chutney, Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce, on and on…not to mention my homemade fruit chutney.  If you consider pickles as a condiment then that opens a whole world of possibilities.

9 hours ago, Lois R said:

I am going a cruise this Sunday that is sailing around the British Isles. The majority of the ports are in Ireland with Scotland in there too. It starts in Southampton and ends in Copenhagen. I know the Irish like to drink whiskey but was hoping for some other choices too😀

I hope you like Guinness Lois…lol.  The Scots revere their Scotch whiskey.  They drink it straight up.  Bon Voyage Lois…hope you have a great cruise.  Come back here and let us know if you discover any great drinks!

On 8/22/2023 at 9:42 AM, BruceMuzz said:

I work on a small, rather expensive ship today.

Our menus are longer, with more choices, and more interesting choices.

I also notice quite a few typos and missing accents on the menus you posted.

Hi Bruce, you are working on a luxury ship?  We were comparing the comestibles on some of the giant mega ships.  The typos and missing accents and often misspelling were due to the Greeks limited English.  In those says the Chandris ships were all crewed by Greeks…unlike the multinational assortment of personnel you find onboard today. 

Have they done away with the 30% discount on a future cruise???

On 8/19/2023 at 11:49 PM, Girr said:

Early next year there's a rare opportunity to do this on NCL's Joy due to a recent dry dock decision.  It leaves out of Miami headed to Southampton (11-21 January), and then 13 February it heads back to Miami.  Both ways are strictly sea days.  

Winter crossings on a ship built for warm waters???  

19 hours ago, Lois R said:

CGT, we had Howard Johnson's here too. Now, I don't know if this was only in the south but they always had a Fish Fry on Fridays. Fried fish, all you can eat with fries and cole slaw😀 Actually, I still like that food. Back then (in the 60s/70s), it was so cheap and really good too!

Hi Lois, YES…the Friday Night Fish Fry at HoJo’s was nation wide.

2 hours ago, yarramar said:

This one looks like the menu on NCL

Yarramar,  LOL LOL 😂 

16 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

How interesting the menus of yesterday so different to today's due to the cuisine.

 

How I unfortunately find the oldies to be so inviting then now a days.

 

They were so interesting and very recognizing dishes brought up with and enjoyed then.

Just shows us what an important component fine dining was in those days.  Some of us were fortunate enough to have experienced this.  I would also add that each preparation tasted wonderful.

Bermuda…the Bermuda Rum Swizzle!  Bermuda produces the best Falarnum in the world.  Falarnum is a necessary ingredient in the Rum Swizzle.

Canada…Canadian whiskey of course.  A fine Crown Royal will do.

New England…Sam Adams Beer, of course.  A mixed drink with cranberry juice like a Cape Cod for instance.  

Howard Johnson’s was always a treat when we were on the road.  There were many burger shacks where you could get a couple burgers, fries and a shake for less than a dollar!  I remember cheese burgers when they were 15 cents!  Most of the dining establishments back in the 50’s were diners and barrooms and a lot of them were very good.  Urban renewal ruined most of the small restaurants in Boston.  We had at least 5 outstanding delis in Boston and dozens of little Italian and ethnic joints…one better than the next.  Chinatown had at least a dozen outstanding restaurants.  I really miss them all.

Compare the above menus to the limited garbage being served on the mega ships today.  Thank you Tufu for reminding us of how much we are missing.  Those menus are wonderful!

32 minutes ago, jcpc said:

@Georgia_Peaches Hi.  We, too, are loyal Celebrity Suite cruisers (been sailing with Celebrity since the first year they came out with the Horizon and for the past 15 years or so have been sailing exclusively in suites).  We, also, are making the move to MSC (Meraviglia sailing next month).  The Celebrity suite pricing is out of control (and their product is slowly getting worse and worse!)  Here's my question for you:  Regarding tips for the bar personnel, waitstaff, etc.  On Celebrity, we are very well known to most of the bar personnel because we sail so often.   On the last night we make sure to visit all the bars that we frequented regularly (mostly Martini Bar....LOL), and the Retreat Deck pool guys, etc. and give them a hefty tip to put in their tip bucket.  The crew knows this is our modus operandi so they are not looking for a few bucks each time they serve us a drink.  Since we will be "strangers" to the MSC crew how would you suggest we do tipping in the lounges?  Tip each night as we get our drinks or wait until the last night?  Also, how about the YC restaurant?  Do you usually get the same wait team every night.  WIth Luminae we always have the same waiter but, as you know, all other waitstaff pitch in and help wherever needed.  We know tips are pooled in Luminae so on the last night, again, we give a nice wad of cash to our waiter or the maitre'd.  What do you suggest we do on MSC?   I would imagine that since we are creatures of habit we will pick our "favorite" lounge or two and spend the majority of our time there.  Thanks so much for any advice you can offer.

Simply hand out envelops on the last night.  The service in the YC is top grade and you won’t have to wave your wad around to get their attention.  If you decide to go outside the YC and frequent one or two of the bars you might want to give a discrete $20 bill just so a particular bartender will remember you.  

On 8/10/2023 at 7:52 PM, bobbismith said:

Hello all,

In October I am sailing on the Feeedom from Spain to Orlando.

What will it be like? Anyone want to share TA experience?

Bobbi

It will be a bit different from other cruises.  You get to know your fellow pax better than you would on a Caribbean cruise.  If you are a people person you will enjoy those sea days and getting to know other pax and crew.  You will find that the mood onboard is more relaxed and congenial.  RCI Freedom Of The Seas is a great ship to do your first TA.  You will not get bored.  Freedom has a great activity level for those pax who want to participate and there are plenty of spaces for those who want to chill.  The weather should be mild 70’s and the seas on your southern route should be calm.  

1 hour ago, tofubeast said:

Glad you enjoyed seeing them.  I was a little kid when I sailed this cruise, so I didn’t have as sophisticated of a palette as I do as an adult.  Looking back and what was offered in those days in a regular dining room? Wow. 

It is amazing to compare those menus with the mass production main dining rooms onboard the current gigantic circus ships.  The level of service, quality of ingredients and attention to detail reflected in the above menus shows us a stark contrast to the mediocrity being offered today.  Thanks again…it is a thrill to see how pax were feted in that golden era.  
 

You might want to post those menus over on the “Cruise Foodies”site.  The gang over there would love to see them.

On 8/14/2023 at 1:18 PM, MBP&O2/O said:

....and some purists would say only Bufallo Mozarella, and the pizza should be cooked in a wood fired oven.

Pizza Today just named Modern Apizza in New Haven, Connecticut as the number one pizzeria in America.  Modern Apizza uses oil fired ovens.

7 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

The first time I was in Boston I was in a pizzeria with a friend who was enrolled in Harvard.He took me to a place that many of the students gravitated to .It was delicious but I cannot recall the name .It was in 1962.

Cambridge still has a number of very good pizza joints…some…more upscale than others.  There is a small shop over on Huron Ave. called Armando’s and it is rated as one of the best neighborhood pizzerias.  There are also some newer brick oven shops in the Tech Square area.

8 hours ago, MBP&O2/O said:

....and some purists would say only Bufallo Mozarella, and the pizza should be cooked in a wood fired oven.

Seen it, done that and been there.  IMHO the classic Neapolitan Margherita pizza is not the be all end all.  I’ve had better pizza baked in regular pizza ovens.  Wood fired is very good but so is coal.  To me the quality of the ingredients makes all the difference.

1 minute ago, CntPAcruiser said:

 

And yet there are those who would say the sauce should not be cooked at all, but simply passatta, i.e., pureed tomato, with olive oil and seasonings. As for the cheese, some people who consider themselves purists would say only mozzarella should be used prior to going into the oven.

 

Like I said…really great pizza is hard to find.  I’ve dined with the purists and found their pizza to be average to a bit above.  The best pizza I ever had was onboard the Leonardo DaVinci and they cooked and seasoned the sauce.  The dough was made 3 days ahead.  They also added a basil leaf and they laid a strip of anchovy over the top of the pizza with an Italian black olive in the middle.  I’m from Boston and we have several highly rated pizza joints…Regina’s, Santarpio’s and many others in the metro area.  We also have hundreds of mediocre pizza joints…one worse than the other.

Really great pizza is hard to find.  The dough should be made from a natural starter vs yeast and the dough should be aged for 3 days.  The sauce needs to be cooked with onion and garlic, not straight out of a can, and properly seasoned.  The cheeses need to be mixed not just mozzarella.  The toppings need to be fresh and top quality.  I love a fresh mushroom pizza or a Italian fennel sausage, fresh mushroom and fresh onion pizza.  

On 8/6/2023 at 11:37 AM, mahasamatman said:

 

The Caribbean is about the worst possible choice for relaxation. The most relaxing cruises in our experience are transoceanic cruises. I would also avoid summer travel.

For Heavens sake…shhhhh.  That’s supposed to be a secret!  You are supposed to tell them about the rough seas and hurricanes and the boredom of being at sea for six straight days!

Crossing the North Atlantic is always a big question mark.  I have seen it as calm as a mill pond and as violent as a hurricane.  On average…and don’t quote me lol…you should experience moderate weather and fairly warm temperatures 60’s-70’s in early September.  But then again…???

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

To me, the answer is quite simple.  Some

folks eat to live and they are not “foodies.”  Those of us who live to eat…are foodies.  

C’est si vrai monsieur Hank!  

8 hours ago, Harters said:

Only when you tell them what it's made of. 😀

By the by, one of the major producers in Bury (home of the absolute best black puds) now makes a vegetarian version. Uses all the same spices, etc but a "trade secret|" main ingredient. Obviously it's not "proper" but it's actually tastes pretty much like the real thing.

 

Maybe we should start another thread - "What foods horrify Americans when they travel to other countries?"

 

I play on a food forum where most contributors are Yanks and I remember a thread like that a while back. Turns out Americans are often horrified by the sort of foods I regularly eat. Shortly on my way to your part of the world for a few days, MBP - looking forward to some good eats.

Kidneys, tongue, beef-veal-lamb liver, pickled lamb tongue, pickled or smoked pigs knuckle, etc…no problem…love them all.  Blood pudding…no thanks.  

The French have a famous saying…”Vivre pour manger ou manger pour vivre”.  Do you live to eat or do you eat to live.  Foodies definitely live to eat!