Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Four

[UKCruiseJeff]

Lovely pics JP, and it is lovely when the sort of day you dream of comes off like that. That meat is the shape of a beef rib but the colour of pork ... and was it your normal oven as the dish sort of looks like a broiler dish.

[mysty]

What an idyllic setting JP! Absolutely stunning! And the pork roast looks so very tasty!

[Lois R]

Ohhhhhhhh.........I LOVE a pork roast:D...........and that looks DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Actually, i have 2 pork chops defrosting for dinner tonight:)

[Bill B]

Is it pork day? Here in China, I have a pork roast thawing and will cook it later today. I eat a lot of pork and chicken because beef is incredibly expensive (and usually not very good). I'll do mashed potatoes and make gravy... along with coleslaw and lightly steamed carrots.

 

For pork in China (and Korea) the lean cuts 'westerners' consider the best are the least expensive - tenderloin etc - because the Chinese want it to be half fat. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts and the cheapest parts... the most expensive are the wings and feet!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Do you like my char siu Bill? I think of it often .....

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited December 10, 2017 by UKCruiseJeff

[jpalbny]

Drool.

 

Wow the pork roast (correct Jeff, the pork equivalent of prime rib) was so tasty.

 

I cooked it to about 140 and let it sit. Here's what was left after I carved two gargantuan slices for dinner.

 

 

Dinner was served. So juicy that it needed no accompaniment other than little bits of the crust that fell off.

 

 

I turned the pan drippings into a gravy for later. It will probably be drier when reheated. So that should be handy to have.

 

 

Now to relax a bit...and digest!

 

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[Tothesunset]

...We arrive the evening of Jan. 22 ...We depart the morning of Jan. 26 for Bangkok. So that gives us three days in Hong Kong. Maybe more like two and a half days net as during our first full day there...our body clocks will still be adjusting.

 

When we return from Danang, Vietnam, to Hong Kong, on Feb. 19, we will have an afternoon and evening around the airport there before our return flight home that next morning. Given that limited total time on our first visit here, not sure if we will or should have that much time for the New Territories or one of the islands.

Well, for a start, I'd be wary of leaving the airport on your way back. It's possible to get into town and back if you had 8 hours or so but I, personally, wouldn't risk it - plenty of others, including one of my sons recently, would.

 

One thing I can't comment on is food and drink during your time in HK because, of course, those things are so personal. Safe to say that there is no shortage of places to eat and if you were really keen to get down and dirty you could try some dim sum or eat at one of the many streetside restaurants on Temple Street (about 6 blocks or so North of the YMCA) while visiting the night market there. Beware, however, that authentic Cantonese food is nothing like Chinese food as we understand it in the West. I could never get on with it at all.

 

If you are keen on Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi cooking (and here I consider myself something of an amateur gourmet) and want to get really close to an original experience then I cannot but fully recommend trying one of the many small restaurants (which, TBH, is a bit of a grand name for them) in ChungKing Mansions (at the Southern end of Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui) located maybe 300 or 400 mtrs from the Y. The food is ecstatically good; the surroundings? Not so much.

 

For sightseeing, considering your time limits, I guess you really have to go for the touristy things like the Peak Tram, shopping in Central District and Tsim Sha Tsui, take a trip or two on the star Ferry (the Kowloon terminal is only a block from your hotel). Specific goods eg bicycles, dried fish, antiques, cloth etc etc tend to be sold in specified areas so if you have a specific need then the concierge or reception staff at the hotel should be able to help you out. For high class shopping you are almost next to Ocean Terminal (where, if you are lucky, the ship will dock) - a large indoor mall - and on the Island you have several shops/malls in Central District and also at Pacific Place (between Admiralty and Causeway Bay) on the island.

 

A nice half day trip would be to take the Star Ferry to Central, take a bus from the Central Bus Station (taking an upstairs front seat) to Stanley Market (Bus 260 is the quickest but I'd recommend getting the 6, 6A or 6X for a better view). Bear in mind that public transport costs are low and you should get one of these: http://www.mtr.com.hk/en/customer/tickets/about_octopus.html which covers just about all the public transport options. Taxis are also plentiful, too (except when it's raining!) and used to be quite reasonably priced but don't expect the driver to speak English. Top tip - get the hotel to give you something with the hotel name written in Chinese so that, if you get lost or need a cab, the locals will know where you are going.

 

Those are some random thoughts. I can give you a suggestion that would give you a trip up into the New Territories but you'd need a few hours and be prepared to be often the only white faces around. You'd also need to be a bit intrepid with buses etc but you're never more than a US$20 away from the MTR(subway) no matter how lost you might get!! I think HK is one of the safest cities in the world and you should never feel at risk no matter how remote, dark or impoverished an area you find yourself in (pickpocketing occurs but only to the unwary) but you might get stared at a bit if you visit less touristy spots, but only out of curiosity rather than animosity.

 

It's odd - we left HK quarter of a century ago and have revisited every 4 or 5 yearsand it always feels like going home. I'd live there again in a heartbeat.

 

I should add that it can get a bit chilly at night at that time of year and a light raincoat or umbrella if you are out and about would be wise. If you are lucky it will be bright blue skys and 20c. If you are unlikely it could get as low as 15c and be overcast, murky or raining. Jan/Feb is very unpredictable.

Edited December 11, 2017 by Tothesunset

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Afternoon Coolers,

 

Extremely happy we weren't scheduled to leave for Vienna today rather than last Monday, or that we weren't returning yesterday or today as BA have gone into meltdown with BA calling in armed police to handle unhappy customers with 50,000 customers stranded with flights cancelled. Over 150 flights cancelled yesterday .... and reading some reports today are pretty sad.

 

Curried smoked haddock and endive chowder ...

 

 

 

 

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[MBP&O2/O]

Speaking of breast issues ... Whilst working as OOD on the evening shift in Ecuador I was 'adopted' by a moth. I would never claim to be a lepidopterist but I know a moth when I see one and you couldn't miss this beast as it had a wingspan of almost six inches! It landed on my breast pocket and decided to stay there. I tried to move it but it just glared malevolently at me, bared its teeth and almost invited me to push the matter! Being that I wasn't scared of the critter, as far as I was concerned it could stay there. Pirates had parrots and I had a moth! As the shift was coming to an end I went to speak to the Chief Officer and found him in the bar. I went in - completely forgetting that my furry friend was still attached to my left breast! Oops! There were a few women in the bar - two officers wives, the wife of a dignitary from the British Embassy and her Lady in Waiting. I am told you could have heard the screams in Peru!

 

Mike

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

J...beautiful soup! And it sounds like you dodged a bullet with your timing for the Vienna safari! The travel gods smiled on you! :)

 

Mike....that moth sounds huge! Probably got taken as a bat in a dim bar! :)

 

Have a great day all!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thanks M,

 

Afternoon tea!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Bill B]

Mmmmm... freshly baked scones with strawberry jam and cream... my mouth is watering! I used to bake scones, but in China butter is expensive (IF I can get it), so what I have is saved almost exclusively for mashed potatoes. I have cookie recipes that don't require butter.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Mmmmm... freshly baked scones with strawberry jam and cream... my mouth is watering! I used to bake scones, but in China butter is expensive (IF I can get it), so what I have is saved almost exclusively for mashed potatoes. I have cookie recipes that don't require butter.

 

Hi, if you reduce the sugar and milk slightly in the recipe, then why not try substituting cold apple sauce for the butter. It is a traditional substitute for butter, oil and fats generally.

 

I'd be interested to hear the results if you try.

[spinnaker2]

Mike,

So very glad you weren't wearing wool, or maybe you were!

 

Jeff those scones look yummy. Did you have cucumber sammies too?

 

So cold here in south Florida, 47 F.

I hope Cam got home ok.

Bet it's colder in her neck of the woods.

 

Thinking of maybe crown roast of pork on the Barbie for Christmas dinner. Has anyone done that, I am looking for suggestions on cooking it.

 

Have a great cocktail hour all!

[Camillus112]

Hello from La Guardia Airport in NY. Finally on our way home! Syracuse flight is at 10 pm and temps will be in the teens F when we arrive at Camillus. Lots of snow in the forecast, so I’ll be missing Tampa!!!

[jpalbny]

Oh goodness, Cams. What a long trip home! Albany has been tolerable. We went out walking in the snow on Saturday, and then yesterday we did 5 miles because the sun was breaking through and it felt great to be outside. Hope the weather shock isn't so bad for you.

 

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[UKCruiseJeff]

Great news Cams! That was some trip!

 

We seemed to have had some snow in the UK but not us.

 

Tonight was a long time ambition fullfilled. You know how yo throw a sweet paper at the fireplace but it never lands in the fire. Tonight ...... BULLSEYE! :D

[mysty]

Congrats J!!!!!!!

 

Cam..hope your second leg goes smoothly!

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers! First snow storm of the season is on the go. An "Alberta Clipper" and expected to drop 10 - 15 cm. Let the winter madness begin!

 

I have a question regarding the correct pronunciation for J's delectable creations from yesterday's tea. Is "scone" pronounced to rhyme with "cone" or to rhyme with "con". I've heard both and I'm not sure which is correct. ???????

 

And now for the entertainment segment for this post. :)

 

For the classical music aficionados there is a young conductor making waves in Perm, Russia. Teodor Currentzis and his orchestra musicAetterna are earning rave reviews. Here is the link for a clip of Mozart's Requiem: 3. Dies Irae from the Salzburg performance.

 

 

For the blues and soul aficionados Robert Finley has recently released his second album called Goin’ Platinum. He is teamed with the best Southern blues and soul musicians. Here is a link for a “teaser” clip of Medicine Woman.

 

 

 

 

 

For something completely different there is Saz’iso, and their album of saze music (a kind of folk music from Albania’s mountainous south) called At Least Wave Your Handkerchief at Me. Here is a “teaser”clip from their album.

 

 

 

 

Have a great day all!

[Tothesunset]

I have a question regarding the correct pronunciation for J's delectable creations from yesterday's tea. Is "scone" pronounced to rhyme with "cone" or to rhyme with "con". I've heard both and I'm not sure which is correct. ???????

Both. It's one of those words that some people seem to feel the need to take a stance on the better to display their pedantry. I would posit that when the word is used in either pronunciation it is unlikely that the listener (unless completely dense) wouldn't understand its meaning.

[jpalbny]

And in Scotland, there is a Scone Palace, where it's pronounced to rhyme with spoon. We didn't order any scones there, however, so I don't know whether the biscuit is pronounced like the castle.

 

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[mysty]

Thanks TTS and JP! Now I won't feel like an idiot whichever pronunciation I use. Unless of course I visit the Scone Palace and really put my foot in my mouth. :)

[UKCruiseJeff]

I can say that it cannot be "scone" as in "cone" because that is the way I pronounce it so ergo it must be incorrect.

 

I'd also offer two other bits of proof. I am from the Eastend and as Eastenders do not have either afternoon or high tea - they have dinner at lunch time and supper or tea at dinner time as in "I'm not going to ask you again, come in and wash your hands as tea/supper is on the table getting cold" - it follows that if they pronoince scone as in cone it must be wrong as they never eat them therefore never order them. And they don't sell them in greasy spoons as they cannot be served with chips.

 

It also follows that as they say scone as in con in both Claridges and The Lanesborough and they are toffs, and scones must only be eaten by toffs and not riff-raff, then that must be correct.

 

QED

[jpalbny]

You just undid your whole argument by using Latin at the end. What kind of riff-raff does that? You must be a secret scone eater!

 

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[mysty]

Would that make J a toff in Eastender's clothing? :)