Bringing food on board

[DeepWaterMariner]

On the way home on the Grand Med we stopped in the Azores...who knew they had great cheese. We had cheese and Portuguese wine on the balcony. Wonderful.

[slidergirl]

Mmm, I love manchego, and olives, and Iberian ham. The longer the cheese is aged, the more intense the flavor is. I have gotten some delicious cheeses at local markets in Barcelona (and yes, in the Boqueria).

 

I'm going to be in southern Spain in a month. I've been so busy researching the ports that I hadn't even thought about the delicious food opportunities. :D

 

Pick up some fuet to go with the manchego and olives, too! It's a very nice Catalan sausage!! Picked it up in the Boqueria, along with the cheese, olives, and some nice beans, and a bottle of Rioja - made for a nice relaxing picnic dinner.

[VennDiagram]

Food souvenirs are the best :) Thanks for all the info!

[VennDiagram]

I purchase Joanie's Gouda cheese at a small shop that is hidden behind the Tourist Information Counter. As you exit the pier, look to your right and you will see a few stairs up to the counter (about 100 feet from the welcome sign). Walk around behind the counter into the small covered mall. One of the few very small shops is similar to a mini-mart and has a small cooler with Gouda cheese rounds.

 

....

 

 

Thanks! :)

[serendipity1499]

Brockville is a great spot. Great story :) I didn't know you had a Torontonian history :)

 

I tell everyone I'm part Canadian, but they normally don't believe me because I have a Long Island Accent..

 

On the way home on the Grand Med we stopped in the Azores...who knew they had great cheese. We had cheese and Portuguese wine on the balcony. Wonderful.

 

What kind of cheese do they have in the Azores? ... Last Trans Atlantic, I was looking forward to a stop in the Azores, but we had to go straight across because of bad weather...They closed the port to incoming ships because it was full.. Some day I hope to get there..

[IRL_Joanie]

I know that a picture is worth a 1000 words, so I did a Google Search and found the best one to show you where the Convenience Store with Gouda Cheese Rounds at the Port of St Maarten is. I added text to help.

 

 

Joanie

Edited September 22, 2016 by IRL_Joanie

[DeepWaterMariner]

I tell everyone I'm part Canadian, but they normally don't believe me because I have a Long Island Accent..

 

 

 

What kind of cheese do they have in the Azores? ... Last Trans Atlantic, I was looking forward to a stop in the Azores, but we had to go straight across because of bad weather...They closed the port to incoming ships because it was full.. Some day I hope to get there..

 

I have no idea...not soft or blue cheese, more like a Swiss or cheddar. We bought it in a cheese and wine shop based on samples and it was cut from a large block. Wine was super cheap.

[sail7seas]

D they have Spanish or Portuggese wines in the Azores? I llike the 'green wine.

 

 

 

Maybe Provlolone like cheese?

[slidergirl]

D they have Spanish or Portuggese wines in the Azores? I llike the 'green wine.

 

 

 

Maybe Provlolone like cheese?

 

Ooh, a nice vinho verde is so nice and refreshing on a hot summer night!

 

I have to say: all this talk of cheese, olives, wines, got me going today. I stopped off at my grocery store and picked up a wedge of young Manchego, a small tub of tapas olives (with onions and garlic and carrots), and a hunk of a local artisan sausage. It was my dinner!!! No Rioja, but some nice La Croix plain sparkling water did just fine. My dog liked the cheese, too.

[ldlewis45]

It's ok to bring on board & if the ham is vacuum packed I'm sure you can bring it into the U.S.. But never plants or vegtables unless they are in cans..

I wouldn't recommend bringing back meat to the US, unless you want to waste your money and risk paying a $300 fine. Canned/jarred pork is fine, but pork in other forms needs a lot of certificates and permits, regardless of what form it's in. Plus, if you bring it and fail to declare it, it's a $300 fine. I work for CBP, and I've personally seized and destroyed a lot of it, and written a lot of fines over it, too. Eat all of it you want, even on the plane ride to the US, but make sure it never comes off the plane (not even the packaging).

[VennDiagram]

I know that a picture is worth a 1000 words, so I did a Google Search and found the best one to show you where the Convenience Store with Gouda Cheese Rounds at the Port of St Maarten is. I added text to help.

 

[ATTACH]394804[/ATTACH]

 

Joanie

 

Thank you! :)

[Boytjie]

I wouldn't recommend bringing back meat to the US, unless you want to waste your money and risk paying a $300 fine. Canned/jarred pork is fine, but pork in other forms needs a lot of certificates and permits, regardless of what form it's in. Plus, if you bring it and fail to declare it, it's a $300 fine. I work for CBP, and I've personally seized and destroyed a lot of it, and written a lot of fines over it, too. Eat all of it you want, even on the plane ride to the US, but make sure it never comes off the plane (not even the packaging).

 

Is it true that you could also lose Global Entry/Pre TSA privileges if you break the rules?

 

Two weeks ago when we flew from Paris to Miami we enjoyed the last of our jamon from Spain on the plain. It beat the airline food. ;)

[ldlewis45]

Is it true that you could also lose Global Entry/Pre TSA privileges if you break the rules?

 

Two weeks ago when we flew from Paris to Miami we enjoyed the last of our jamon from Spain on the plain. It beat the airline food. ;)

 

Yes, and the fine for Global Entry members or other "trusted travelers" is $500, since they are supposed to be aware of the restrictions. Same for crew members. I've even had someone's GE status yanked when they did declare prohibited items, but only after being given multiple chances and they saw that the luggage was about to be x-rayed.

Edited September 24, 2016 by ldlewis45

[cruisemom42]

Pick up some fuet to go with the manchego and olives, too! It's a very nice Catalan sausage!! Picked it up in the Boqueria, along with the cheese, olives, and some nice beans, and a bottle of Rioja - made for a nice relaxing picnic dinner.

 

Thanks for the tip -- haven't heard of it but I will look for it.

 

I'm also a big fan of the real Spanish chorizo.

[retdon]

Did you know you can freeze cheese??? When DH was still flying to Curacao, he brought home tons of Gouda wheels and I wondered what to do with it and called the County Home Extension Lady, was told to cut in into the serving sizes I wanted, smear the cut sides with mayonnaise, wrap in saran and put in a zip lock and freeze. I kept some for several months and it was fine.

 

We sure miss all the great things he brought back especially coffee from Brazil.

Linda

[draftxhorselover]

What great news! Despite the fabulous food on board.. I truly hope to pick up some Spanish hams and Olives and enjoy them on board at cocktail hour... yum!

[Lovely other]

The one time I have seen insect worry.....

 

At one of our ports in Europe, there was worry about the wooden statues people were bringing back. Apparenly they could have insects. Prinsendam tagged them all - put them in bags and put them in the freezer for three days to ensure any bugs were gone and then returned them all to us.

 

I've never seen the issue with food though, but we don't do the Caribbean a lot ;)

 

That reminded me of a bit of a scary incident with wooden statues in South Africa.

A few years ago my hubby was working on a movie in Cape Town but I didn't want to go with him. He brought me back a large wooden giraffe that sat in our living room ...one very rare, hot morning I stepped on something in the kitchen which felt like it bit me. Couldn't see anything though so ignored it till my foot started to swell up an hour or so later ... I phoned the doctor who asked if I'd seen any insects and that's when I looked towards the giraffe and saw it was full of holes ... Next to it were two tiny stripy bugs. We caught them in a jar and eventually the doctors contacted the Natural History Museum in London. They were a type of bug that lives inside tree branches and they burrow their way out in hot weather ... They give quite a nasty bite and our rare hot weather had triggered their migration ... Never bought anything wooden since :(

[serendipity1499]

That reminded me of a bit of a scary incident with wooden statues in South Africa.

A few years ago my hubby was working on a movie in Cape Town but I didn't want to go with him. He brought me back a large wooden giraffe that sat in our living room ...one very rare, hot morning I stepped on something in the kitchen which felt like it bit me. Couldn't see anything though so ignored it till my foot started to swell up an hour or so later ... I phoned the doctor who asked if I'd seen any insects and that's when I looked towards the giraffe and saw it was full of holes ... Next to it were two tiny stripy bugs. We caught them in a jar and eventually the doctors contacted the Natural History Museum in London. They were a type of bug that lives inside tree branches and they burrow their way out in hot weather ... They give quite a nasty bite and our rare hot weather had triggered their migration ... Never bought anything wooden since :(

 

Oh my that is a scary story:eek:..

 

Many years ago I brought home a few wooden things on one of our cruises, but the ship took them from us & put them somewhere to check for bugs.. They were eventually declared free of bugs & cleared to bring home..

 

Planning a cruise to the Carib with our Friends..when they decide where they want to go & when, I've made a note to bring back a wheel or two of Gouda.. My mouth is watering from reading this thread again..

[sail7seas]

Years ago we were at a land resort in Santo Doming. Some of the folks in our group b ought mahogany salad bowls with serving forks and spoons in s ame wood.. When we rerwtruerne to our hotel, they were told to leave them in DR. They would not be allowed into U.S. at that time due to bugs.