Goodbye Lobster; Hello Meatloaf!

[RocketMan275]

I think you're right. EF is the ultimate pretentious veneer. :D

 

Will the sight of a person having meatloaf ruin the 'ambiance' of the MDR?

[dr__dawggy]

Personally I have the meat loaf on the last night of each cruise. It's not as good as what my wife makes, but I have no complaints about it. I normally ask the waiter for a double portion.

 

But as continuously pointed out food is always subjective and what one person likes another hates and vice versa. To each his/her own.

 

yup. Two things I like about dining on Princess: The menu is varied enough that there is something for every taste. And, If you order a dish you don't like, they are happy to bring you another. I have never gone away feeling the food in general was bad, even though individual dishes may qualify....based on my subjective opinion and personal tastes.

[MTJSR]

Why shouldn't Princess charge us thousands of $$ for the service they provide?

 

They should and I pay it. Issues with certain food items,suggest I am being fed a lower budget level of quality. Am I wrong for holding Princess to their own higher standards?

 

Is Capitalism suddenly a bad thing? Never!!

 

If you had your own cruise line with 18 ships and a new one on the way and say 25,000 staff to pay every week how would your pricing model look?

 

Exactly like Princess's. Next!

 

I haven't ordered the meatloaf in 8 cruises and if everyone did likewise it would be taken off the menu. Obviously some do like it and that's their choice. It's not haute cuisine but were we all raised on Celebrity Chef menus?

 

No but cooking 101 starts with a quality person tasting all items you plan to serve to someone. Only a loss of interest and quality let this plate hit my table.

 

Fish and chips is very popular in the Pub Lunches-not haute cuisine by any means but damned tasty which is the first thing many of us look for in food.I would defend their fish and chips even though I could get better in the UK on any High St. I don't sail on Princess expecting a gourmet meal. I get a satisfying, flavorful meal that I didn't have to cook or pay a la carte for.

 

Why not? you pay the same for great tasting food as you do for poor tasting food.

 

If people are "protective of Princess" that's a bias born of satisfactory experiences with the line. PCL is far from perfect-that's obvious- but which service provider/Capitalist enterprise is? Oh Silversea comes to mind.

Nobody goes hungry on a Princess ship. Nobody goes hungry in prison either:D

 

Lobster is one of those "Market Price" foods, driven by supply and demand. Princess serves up small warm water Brazilian ones to save money as they have 3,000 people x 18 to feed while they try to keep the prices competitive with the other lines and make a profit so they can buy more ships etc.

 

We're all a long way from opening up a Princess menu and seeing just one entree before us- Meatloaf with endive foam.

 

Endive foam? I never understood small food, big plates and crud dripped all around the plate. Yuk, give me real food, like Crown Grill

 

And really......Meatloaf for a cruise ship MDR dining menu? isn't that more truck stop?

 

Mark

...

Norris

 

...

[grouchomarx]

What is everyone here even talking about anymore? Are you all just bored? Clearly I am since I'm reading and posting on this stale thread about meatloaf.

[Treven]

I'm another hick; growing up relatively poor, my mother often cooked meatloaf. It certainly stretched her food budget. After saying that, as a single 70 year old I still like meatloaf and will cook it on occasion just for myself.

I'm surprised I never noticed meatloaf on the menu. I definitely will order it sometime during my next cruise just to see if it's as decent or not, as some have stated.

[cruiseintoheaven]

Have been working on recipes for the weekend - have now added meatloaf.

[MTJSR]

What is everyone here even talking about anymore? Are you all just bored? Clearly I am since I'm reading and posting on this stale thread about meatloaf.

 

Please contribute what makes you chuckle. We are here after all to have some fun too.

 

Clearly I've misunderstood the cruising class's diet, I had always thought items like meatloaf were for pot luck night in the trailer park. I suppose if I keep my expectations low, that's exactly what I will get every time:eek:

 

And besides, if meatloaf is on the MDR menu, what could possibly be on the buffet menu? Spaghetti O's!

Edited January 15, 2016 by MTJSR

[IECalCruiser]

At least four years ago Princess added the "Home-Style Cuisine" entree option to their menus in addition to a beef entree, a non beef meat entree, a fish entree, a shellfish entree and a vegetarian entree. Examples of the home-style cuisine entrees are:

 

Cumin-Spice Texas Beef Chili

Slow-Roasted Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Mint Vinaigrette

Island-Spiced Jerk Chicken with Rice & Red Beans

Braised Pork Shoulder with Salsa Verde

Half Roast Chicken with Gravy

Kassler-Style Smoked Pork Loin and Sauerkraut

Santa Fe Chicken Chili with White Beans and Corn

Classic Turkey Pot Pie

Skirt Steak Fajitas with Flour Tortillas

Beef "Stroganoff" with Buttered Egg Noodles

Saltimbocca di Pollo

Red Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs

Crispy Southern Skillet-Fried Chicken

All-American Meatloaf and Mushroom Gravy

 

On at least 10 cruises and 83 days since the Home-Style Cuisine entree has been available I believe I tried the meatloaf once and maybe another entree once or twice. I find the other entree options more appealing. The Home-Style Cuisine entree does not replace one of the other five entree options but provides people with another choice. It must be popular enough with others to keep that option on the menus.

Edited January 15, 2016 by IECalCruiser

[redtogo]

The meatloaf being served on Princess is the most horrid looking thing I've ever seen. :eek: Maybe it tastes OK but I haven't had the nerve to try it yet since there are always better options.

 

DH's favorite dish is Mom' Meatloaf. He ordered Princess' meatloaf, took one bite, and stopped eating. Their recipe is more like "pressed" meat. You know, grind up leftover beef and press it into a loaf pan with sone sort of binder. Slice and serve.

 

He (nor anyone else at the table who ordered it) would not eat it. I tasted it. It was pretty gross.

[JuneauWhatIMean]

Just a small aside to Hicksville, et al, (that includes me;)),: I've been cruising for over thirty years and I don't believe that even once have I received a dish in the MDR of any cruiseline that came close to the menu description. The tablespoon and a half of food I get is always such a letdown after the flowery descriptive paragraph that foretold it. Therefore I've learned to temper, (pun intended), my expectations. Is it just me???

 

Cheers,

 

Ali

[JuneauWhatIMean]

Yup. I have a feeling the menus are written stateside and executed onboard by people not familiar with US/European tastes or standards. Definitely something (hugely!) lost in translation. :eek:;)

[oskidunker]

Having been in the Army, the homestyle would be an upgrade. [emoji4]

[jmdrace]

just off the regal princess,,,as we noticed the menu is a big card with limited eats on it..my wife ordered the cheekin and i needed a magnifying glass to see it ,,if they are trying to cut everything to a 4 oz dinner they are doing it well . as for the horizon court buffet well i see all the stuff that did not get ate at dinner the night before . not sure what they do with all the egg sandwiches after breakfast maybe take the bread off and make pudding .

one night for my dinner i had the all time steak and then i added the salmon calling it a surf and turf was pretty good and filling . lobster was on the the menu one night .

this curtis stone person is some kinda chef but how about giving jack mcdavid and bobby flay a shot and whoopin up on that menu . this was our 20th cruise on princess can see some of the carnival things being installed (cut backs or cheapin)

[Woobstr112G]

Having been in the Army, the homestyle would be an upgrade. [emoji4]

 

Same here. Homestyle would surely beat Marine Corps chow hall food.....:D:D:D

 

Bob

[RetiredNTraveling]

I read this all with great humor, but I do need to point out...

 

Lobsters/crabs/shrimp are bugs of the sea. Most wallow in filth too.

 

If you were standing by a stinking dumpster and a 3' roach/spider/scorpion came out of the filth, you'd not first thing LET'S EAT right?

 

Why then the handing wringing lamentations for lobster?

 

ROTF,LMAO! It is so good to see you still have you wits about you!

As for creepy crawlers, DW & I both absolutely love Fried Rattlesnake!

 

Just Mike

[fuzwuz12]

Please contribute what makes you chuckle. We are here after all to have some fun too.

 

Clearly I've misunderstood the cruising class's diet, I had always thought items like meatloaf were for pot luck night in the trailer park. I suppose if I keep my expectations low, that's exactly what I will get every time:eek:

 

And besides, if meatloaf is on the MDR menu, what could possibly be on the buffet menu? Spaghetti O's!

 

 

I laugh at the comments with "eek". I expect to see that in a comic book or a fifth graders note. I laugh at the snobby comments about people growing up poor to like meatloaf, or it is trailer park food, or cheap scrap meat with breadcrumbs collected from tables. People eat what you like and stop looking down your noses at people who like something you find beneath your lofty status in life.

[Tina G]

We last cruised with Princess a year ago, in Indonesia. Perhaps because many of the passengers were Chinese, the menus were quite different than to what we were accustomed. On Italian night, there was no shrimp Fra. Diavolo. Is that no longer available, or was it just on that cruise? We have sailed HAL for the last two trips, mostly because of the food.

[JuneauWhatIMean]

Sheesh......someone threw water on the campfire. :rolleyes: (Not you, Tina;).)

[MTJSR]

I laugh at the comments with "eek". I expect to see that in a comic book or a fifth graders note. I laugh at the snobby comments about people growing up poor to like meatloaf, or it is trailer park food, or cheap scrap meat with breadcrumbs collected from tables. People eat what you like and stop looking down your noses at people who like something you find beneath your lofty status in life.

 

I promise to no longer make any attempts at humor. Mark

[keithm]

We last cruised with Princess a year ago, in Indonesia. Perhaps because many of the passengers were Chinese, the menus were quite different than to what we were accustomed. On Italian night, there was no shrimp Fra. Diavolo. Is that no longer available, or was it just on that cruise? We have sailed HAL for the last two trips, mostly because of the food.

My spouse is Chinese. Trust me there SHOULD have been Shrimp! It's pretty much a staple. Sounds like real cheapening to me. Hope the food is good on the Regal in a few weeks..Or it's right back to Celebrity/Cunard. Food quality is a real dealmaker/breaker for us. It's a reason we'd NEVER sail on NCL!

[keithm]

I laugh at the comments with "eek". I expect to see that in a comic book or a fifth graders note. I laugh at the snobby comments about people growing up poor to like meatloaf, or it is trailer park food, or cheap scrap meat with breadcrumbs collected from tables. People eat what you like and stop looking down your noses at people who like something you find beneath your lofty status in life.

Most "meatloaf" I've seen, IS trailer park quality food. Lets face it..It's either made from burger meat or beef scraps. We're in the food industry & THAT's what it is. True, if the beef scraps are from top notch cuts of beef, it will be better, but often it's not the case.

[Mary loves to travel]

Commercial meatloaf usually is a way to get rid of scraps. But, many of us who make it at home use much, much better ingredients. For example, I use ground round (yes, not "x% lean" which means they ground up some amount of beef from wherever and threw in some fat as well, but round steak ground up on-site at a butcher counter), ground pork and ground veal.

 

It's a similar discussion to eating meatballs with spaghetti -- they can either be made of scraps & soaked in tomato sauce for flavor, or be made from quality ingredients.

 

I love meatloaf at home, but never order it when out. It's just a disappointment, and nothing like what I think a real meatloaf should be.

Must admit, I'm now curious about the Princess meatloaf :D

 

(and, even though I like meatloaf, I'm loving the humor on this thread! )

 

Mary

[RocketMan275]

Commercial meatloaf usually is a way to get rid of scraps.

 

(and, even though I like meatloaf, I'm loving the humor on this thread! )

 

Mary

 

If you accept that the meatloaf served in the MDR is commercial grade and composed of scraps, then it follows that most of the food served in the MDR is also commercial grade as well. IOW, the meatloaf and the lobster are comparable in quality.

[shredie]

Most "meatloaf" I've seen, IS trailer park quality food. Lets face it..It's either made from burger meat or beef scraps. We're in the food industry & THAT's what it is. True, if the beef scraps are from top notch cuts of beef, it will be better, but often it's not the case.

 

Aren't the much-praised burgers also made from "burger meat"? And what's everybody got against trailer parks? There's one of those retirement "campgrounds" off the freeway near here that's full of RVs and fifth-wheelers and looks like a trailer park to me. Oh, I get it. They spend all their money on those massive RVs so they can't eat anything but meatloaf.:D

[RocketMan275]

Aren't the much-praised burgers also made from "burger meat"?

 

Don't tell them the materials in hot dogs and sausages.