Hot condiment

[Griff61]

Hi

 

My wife who is Thai just asked me a question that might sound a little unusual to many.

 

Being Thai she can not live without her daily fix of ( flame out your ears for most ) spicy food. I really really mean hot :eek:.

 

Will they let her bring her own hand made Thai chili sauce ?

 

We are going on Ms Noordam to Alaska return, 7 days

 

Cheers

[WupperAV]

Just pack it in plastic ziplocks and tell them it's in there. The airline may question her.

[cb at sea]

She can bring it onboard...but won't be able to take it back OFF the ship, if there's any left! If you're flying...pack it in your CHECKED bags...well wrapped.

Edited August 9, 2016 by cb at sea

[Clarea]

You may also want to ask this on the forum dedicated to Holland:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=171

 

More chance for folks with direct experience bringing food on the HAL ships to see your question in that forum.

[Dayenu]

On the ship - yes, put it in the carry-on in case they want to see that it's not alcohol.

 

If you fly, you may be required to check in with the suitcase, depends on how large the bottle is.

[chengkp75]

Technically, you cannot bring any non-factory sealed food onto the ship. Whether the line lets it slide is a different question, and may depend on the port, the season, and the individual screener. If you can make a decent looking label for the bottle, you will have a better chance of it getting by. If you can shrink wrap the top, even better.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Just pack it in plastic ziplocks and tell them it's in there. The airline may question her.

 

 

As would agricultural authorities in California, Hawaii and a host of foreign countries like New Zealand and Chile. Places that rely heavily on agriculture don't need any hitchhiking bugs and microbes that may escape your visual inspection. What casual travelers who violate prepackaged/inspected rules don't understand is that their selfish act (yes - I'm talking to you beach sand collectors too) can literally decimate crop production.

 

OP: there are many many prepared spice condiments (available for retail sale) that will far surpass whatever your spouse thinks is "hot." Do the research and I guarantee you'll

 

A) burn your lips off

B) gasp to catch your breath, and

C) fear going to the bathroom the next day.

Edited August 12, 2016 by Flatbush Flyer

[spookwife]

she should NOT bring anything home made. for variety of reasons. if she will not bring commercially packed( preferably UNOPENED) she is going to have to suffer.

 

on board she may actually find plenty of spice( although it may be Indian and not Thai)

 

the curries tend to be quite hot.

[Floridiana]

I would recommend bringing a commercially bottled hot condiment. In my limited (4 cruises) experience with HAL, the food is bland. They wouldn't give me the bottle in the buffet - decoration only. I know some of the crew bring 'hot sauce' aboard.

[Griff61]

As would agricultural authorities in California, Hawaii and a host of foreign countries like New Zealand and Chile. Places that rely heavily on agriculture don't need any hitchhiking bugs and microbes that may escape your visual inspection. What casual travelers who violate prepackaged/inspected rules don't understand is that their selfish act (yes - I'm talking to you beach sand collectors too) can literally decimate crop production.

 

OP: there are many many prepared spice condiments (available for retail sale) that will far surpass whatever your spouse thinks is "hot." Do the research and I guarantee you'll

 

A) burn your lips off

B) gasp to catch your breath, and

C) fear going to the bathroom the next day.

 

Hi Flatbush Flyer

 

FYI

 

Thai homemade chilli sauce containes chili seed which are crushed , cooked They are NO danger to any countries agriculture

As for what my wife might think what's " hot " she definitely " KNOWS " what's hot You would have to know Thai culture to understand but thank you for the comment and concern

 

Cheers

[OCruisers]

We bring Tabasco on with us to have in our cabin. We have a friend who brings her favorite brand of salad dressing to take to the dining room.

No reason why your wife can't bring her favorite. :)

[Flatbush Flyer]

Hi Flatbush Flyer

 

 

 

FYI

 

 

 

Thai homemade chilli sauce containes chili seed which are crushed , cooked They are NO danger to any countries agriculture

 

As for what my wife might think what's " hot " she definitely " KNOWS " what's hot You would have to know Thai culture to understand but thank you for the comment and concern

 

 

 

Cheers

 

 

You may say that and so do others with uninspected/non-prepackaged foods. That's why the prohibitions in the places I mentioned are so strict.

 

Try explaining it to an agricultural authority in an extra vigilant location. They'll nod politely and take it away.

 

And, trust me, plenty of folks know what is meant by "hot". Any major metro area will have multiple, specifically ethnic food stores with whatever you want/need in stock or easily obtained (not to mention internet sales) whether it's Thai, Indonesian, Szechuan or whatever.

[chengkp75]

Hi Flatbush Flyer

 

FYI

 

Thai homemade chilli sauce containes chili seed which are crushed , cooked They are NO danger to any countries agriculture

As for what my wife might think what's " hot " she definitely " KNOWS " what's hot You would have to know Thai culture to understand but thank you for the comment and concern

 

Cheers

 

Regardless of how your wife prepares the sauce, as I've stated it is against USPH regulations to bring any food onboard that does not come from a verifiable source, which I don't think your kitchen qualifies as, unless you do wholesale or retail business in this sauce. I gave you ways to try to circumvent the rules, which I likely shouldn't have, but even still, be prepared to have it taken.

[Griff61]

Regardless of how your wife prepares the sauce, as I've stated it is against USPH regulations to bring any food onboard that does not come from a verifiable source, which I don't think your kitchen qualifies as, unless you do wholesale or retail business in this sauce. I gave you ways to try to circumvent the rules, which I likely shouldn't have, but even still, be prepared to have it taken.

 

Don't worry. I won't tell anybody that gave me ways to circumvent the rules :D :D

[martincath]

I think I agree with a combination of all the above - firstly, obey Wheaton's Law and don't bother with the homemade stuff. On the agricultural-safety front, absolutely the cooking method for chili sauce ensures that it will be sterile when it's made unless your kitchen is filthy - but even if your kitchen and the container used for the sauce are totally sterile nobody else can verify that, so no customs agent anywhere should be dumb enough to allow a home-made food item through.

 

While I have plenty of respect for the spiciness of good Thai cuisine (several of the standard Thai chilies break into 6 figures on the Scoville scale, even if Sriracha is a total pansy jalapeno-based sauce), there are many readily available hot sauces that will be as spicy as anyone could possibly need - there are some idiotically-strong sauces these days, using the 7-figure jolokia/naga/scorpion/reaper type chilies.

 

Just go buy some - because in my limited experience (once was enough to ensure I will never eat HAL again) HAL food is indeed as bland as bland can be unless you pay for the fancy steakhouse etc. so anyone accustomed to spice will definitely need to bring something onboard to make it tolerable.

[cruise_mojo]

I bring a bottle of whatever hot sauce I feel like on any cruise.

 

 

that being said, if you are flying you'll have to put it in your checked baggage

 

on the cruise, yep breaking some kind of rules, the nasty ones of the health dept or coast guard or something

 

so, put it in some kind of small bottle, preferably plastic then maybe in a Ziploc too, and stick it in whatever kind of bag you feel like

 

I seldom put my store bought hot sauce in the checked bag, and just have it in my medicine bag. which I carry on, texas pete, Louisiana bull, trappey's, krystal, tabasco I've brought all of em on before and never had a problem.

 

I could see home made being sketchy since you'll have no telling what kind of bottle. and bottles are a no no now of any kind

 

get some kind of sealed tin can say a srew on lid with a gasket and put it in your checked bag, stuff isn't checked much in embarkation ports anyway

 

when you get off the ship though, you will be at that point breaking agricultural rules on bringing the product IN TO the country

 

ie no banannas flowers etc..... or hot sauce even though I bring whatever I have left over.....

[Griff61]

Thank you everyone for all your comments. As we will not be entering any foreign country with the product I'm not to worried about customs.

Yes. We are not taking it off the ship.

The seeds are born and raised in Canada

It will be my wife's call

 

Cheers.

Happy Cruising :)

[Geldhart]

The biggest rule is DECLARE the sauce to anyone who asks about anything to do about food, drink, or agricultural products, and be prepared to lose it really quick.

 

Agricultural inspectors don't mess around. Better to be honest to a fault and lose the sauce than try to smuggle it in and get caught.

Edited August 15, 2016 by Geldhart

[MicCanberra]

The biggest rule is DECLARE the sauce to anyone who asks about anything to do about food, drink, or agricultural products, and be prepared to lose it really quick.

 

Agricultural inspectors don't mess around. Better to be honest to a fault and lose the sauce than try to smuggle it in and get caught.

 

Honesty is the best policy when it comes to customs, apart from the possible delays and hassle, the fines can be huge.

[griffy116]

Honesty is the best policy when it comes to customs, apart from the possible delays and hassle, the fines can be huge.

 

I've been binge watching Border Patrol. They have Australia and Canada that I've seen so far. They don't play. Doesn't matter how innocently the people are, that customs form is not something they joke about. I used to carry hot sauce for my Grandson. He eats everything with it. I've carried Tabasco, Texas Pete and moved on to more brands he found to be his favorite. Never gave a second thought to these "inspections." It will never happen again. $800 fine for NO DECLARING. Fortunately, we cruise Royal Caribbean and they have a large assortment of hot sauces available in both he Windjammer and the Main Dining venues. I've bought foods in ports for snack and if they weren't all eaten, put them in zip locks I carry and brought them in the past. Won't be happening in the future. Doesn't matter what means you come into the country (plane, ship, auto) they check them all. Doesn't matter if you are visiting the country or if you live in the country and are returning.

[cruise_mojo]

so its all academic at this point

[Krazy Kruizers]

Here is the link to this question from the HAL board:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2388350

[MicCanberra]

The query was answered but not necessarily with the answer they wanted. Sounds like they will take their own hot stuff.