Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Four

[TLCOhio]

Mysty, That fruit is a frequent challenge in the food basket in cooking shows in the USA. Most chefs haven't used it, and once they open it, noses are upturned.

Taste has to get beyond smell.

 

Nice reporting, thanks! When I was in elementary school,we had an exchange student (through AFS) living with us for awhile. He was from Cambodia, and just such fun. He taught us about Cambodia and we taught him a little about American family life. I often wondered what happened to him, with all of the upheaval that followed his return to his country. We lost touch with him sadly. Your trip and travelogue made me think of him once again. He was a gentle soul.

 

Sorry that I have not had time to drop by the Cooler. We are now completing our third week in Southeast Asia. Getting ready to fly this afternoon from Siem Reap, Cambodia, to Hanoi, Vietnam. Spins was nice enough to drop by and post on my live/blog. Candy shared the above helpful sharing about her past, Cambodian-related experiences. Very nice! If there is any doubt, do not miss going to this part of Cambodia and experiencing the amazing Angkor Wat religious structures. They call it a "Wonder of the World" for a reason.

 

On that "durian" fruit, our guides in this part of the SE Asia have mentioned its unique challenge of terrible smell . . . versus . . . its supposedly wonderful taste. On our seven-day Mekong River cruise, the chefs did a demonstration on the "durian". It was smartly done outside, not inside.

 

Below is the link to our live/blog. Still have Hanoi, Ha Long Bay sailing, Hue and Danang to go for our "journey/adventure" in this first visit to Southeast Asia.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2591474

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 195,146 views for this posting.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Just read an interesting article about a controversial fruit called "durian" which is somewhat popular in Singapore. The description of the fruit does not sound appealing and yet it has market stalls devoted to it and fans who visit those markets. According to the article:

 

"The durian, if you are not acquainted with it, is a pungent fruit which on the outside looks like a cross between a giant kiwi fruit and a hedgehog. Inside the yellow flesh resembles a decayed kidney and smells like rotting rubbish. Its pong has got it banned from hotels, carry-on luggage and subway systems in Singapore; the sign proscribing it looks as if the city-state has outlawed spiky hand-grenades or a pernicious whoopee cushion."

 

https://www.1843magazine.com/dispatches/the-great-durian-divide

 

Any experience with a durian J? And your food pics are yummy . :)

 

 

M,

 

Durian is extremely smelly but tastes sort of like custard. There are signs around you in Singapore including on the MRT warning you, but unusually no fines stated. Singaporeans are extremely law abiding and considerate and they don't walk and eat or eat on public transport where it is forbidden.

 

This is the sign on the MRT which says you cannot even take them on a train.

 

 

 

 

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[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Thanks J for the example of the sign and a description of the flavour! I am fascinated by this fruit. :) Our world is filled with wonders!

 

Have a great day all!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Thanks J for the example of the sign and a description of the flavour! I am fascinated by this fruit. :) Our world is filled with wonders!

 

Have a great day all!

 

Unless you have smelt one, you are really unprepared for how bad they smell.

 

We were once in the Chinatown Complex in Singapore and the smell of a nearby durian trader pervaded the whole complex. People are shy for obvious reasons of explaining what they smell of. I feel it entirely accurate to describe it as the smell you encounter if you go into a toilet directly after someone who has been extremely and violently ill. It is really terrible.

[Lois R]

Hi, did anyone see my post asking for help with the posting issues? Just wondering if any of you had some helpful advice?

[MissSophia]

Hello......

 

Thanks to those who sent thoughts.....sadly son in law lost his father yesterday so a very sad time for the family.

 

On a lighter note...enjoying all the food chat....haven't got a clue about smelly fruits!

 

What a great story about BA coming good Jeff...must admit to always looking forward to flying with them...wherever in the world one may be it's always good to see that plane on the apron waiting to whisk one home.

 

Have a quiet three day break from the builders now so time to rest up and re-charge the old batteries!

 

Happy Weekend

😊

[Lois R]

Sophia, sending my heartfelt condolences........

[Lois R]

Jeff, I booked the Hotel Bauer in Venice...........looks absolutely lovely:)

[jpalbny]

Sophia, sorry to hear. Never easy but I am sending you and your family comforting and healing thoughts.

[jpalbny]

I have been having issues with posting and I put a post on the "Glitch and Bug Thread" but no moderator has helped.........

This may not make sense but I will try to explain..........for some reason the font AND the size of the font changes when I type......and when I submit it goes back to what I want it to be......AND normally when you click on the icons (which are to the left of this typing box)well, normally when I click on the one I want, it shows up in here.......well now, it does not show up until AFTER I hit "submit reply":eek:.........is there something I clicked on by accident to cause this all happen?:(...............would any of you know how to fix it?

Just very weird......the font should not change automatically:(...........what did I do?

 

Lois, it sounds like the editor interface is acting funny for you.

 

There are a few options for the text editor box that can be accessed through the user control panel. Go there, then edit options, then choose a different option (it's down at the bottom under miscellaneous options). There is a setting for "Message Editor Interface" and there is a basic setting, a standard setting, and an enhanced setting. See which one you have and then try one of the others. If that doesn't work try a different browser.

 

It sounds like you want to use the enhanced editor but it's acting more like the basic editor, from what you describe...i.e., all of the formatting doesn't show up until you actually submit or preview the post. The WYSIWYG is the one you're looking for.

[mysty]

Thanks J! I think my fascination has waned now! :) Not going to explore the durian.

[mysty]

Miss S....so sorry to hear that news. Sending condolences to the family!

[UKCruiseJeff]

S, it is an extremely sad irony of life that one person's relief is often many peoples' grief.

 

I agree obviously .... any person who has had the misfortune of having to make a trip similar to the BA passenger's trip knows what an utter nightmare it is and will understand what BA did in that context. I was once told that I should get to the hospital across the country "as safely and as quickly as I could" and in spite of a hair-raising drive, I was sadly ten minutes too late to say goodbye to my dad. In the BA scenario, everyone involved put that person first, ignoring fare rules and guidances and simply doing "whatever it took" to get that person home and each person made it their mission to smooth the path and make it as comfortable as possible for that person, and showed them immense personal compassion. It is the individuals within a corporation that make the corporation. It is that reaching out to a complete stranger in dire need that I found immensely moving and people only hear of complaints but rarely hear of extraordinary kindness and it is sad when it isn't recognised and celebrated but trivialised.

 

Today was a nice lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[mysty]

Lunch looks awesome J! And I agree with your view that the situation described in BA story was remarkable on so very many levels. It does deserve to be celebrated if only to highlight what is possible when the people in a corporation behave like caring individuals and not like cogs in a massive machine. Corporations excel because of their employees not in spite of them!

 

Also sorry that your efforts to see your dad were not successful. Somehow I think he knew you were on your way. My mother died of cancer one month after our first child was born. It was her first grandchild. We got the call to hurry home and were lucky enough to get a flight that day. My mother was at home in a coma. When we went into her room our daughter was screaming bloody murder. And my mother raised her arms to reach out for her grandchild. Mom knew somehow that we were all there even though there was no reaction other than the raised arms. Mom died the next evening.

[mysty]

Another interesting article entitled "The German art of joylessness". The author is talking about her fellow countrymen/women, however, I found many similarities in the world around me.

 

https://www.1843magazine.com/dispatches/the-daily/the-german-art-of-joylessness

 

" Maybe this peculiar ability to allow banal little things to sap the joy out of life is the downside of the perfectionism and attention to detail that is usually regarded – both by foreigners and by many Germans – as the basis of the country’s success. Demanding grumpiness can be a good thing: it accounts for high standards in heating and insulation, because German tenants would rather spend months suing the landlord to fix the boiler than resignedly put on another jumper. It is reassuring if the engineer who designs the parts for high-speed trains does not let up until she is 150% satisfied. But when it comes to the journeys on those trains – or indeed any other part of everyday life – it might be better for the national psyche if we spent more time counting our blessings and less time finding ever more intricate things to complain about."

[MissSophia]

Thank you all most kindly for your thoughts...even though we are 'in laws' we have become very close over the years.

Jeff and Mysty.....very sad stories about your respective parents....it's sometimes so strange how our lives pan out.

 

Jeff...that is my kind of lunch...please note this for when l come to visit!!

 

Spins...you mentioned a silver box arriving? Are you cruising soon? May is my next one after the 'Spirit Stretch'......should be interesting!

 

😊

[rosepark]

Miss Sophia, I am sorry to hear of your family's loss.

Rp

[Tothesunset]

Another interesting article entitled "The German art of joylessness". The author is talking about her fellow countrymen/women, however, I found many similarities in the world around me.

 

https://www.1843magazine.com/dispatches/the-daily/the-german-art-of-joylessness

 

" Maybe this peculiar ability to allow banal little things to sap the joy out of life is the downside of the perfectionism and attention to detail that is usually regarded – both by foreigners and by many Germans – as the basis of the country’s success. Demanding grumpiness can be a good thing: it accounts for high standards in heating and insulation, because German tenants would rather spend months suing the landlord to fix the boiler than resignedly put on another jumper. It is reassuring if the engineer who designs the parts for high-speed trains does not let up until she is 150% satisfied. But when it comes to the journeys on those trains – or indeed any other part of everyday life – it might be better for the national psyche if we spent more time counting our blessings and less time finding ever more intricate things to complain about."

Mmmm. Having lived in Germany for 11 years we still fail to recognise these lazy stereotypes. Makes for a magazine article though, i suppose.

[mysty]

TTS....it was not the stereotypes I was drawn to because I don't like or even believe in the concept of stereotypes. What attracted me to the article was the reference to the "peculiar ability to allow banal little things to sap the joy out of life" and "if we spent more time counting our blessings and less time finding ever more intricate things to complain about." NOT in relation to any particular nationality but to the world at large.

[UKCruiseJeff]

 

 

 

 

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[Camillus112]

Jeff, your bread looks almost as a wannabe croissant... I'm sure it tastes delicious!

 

Miss.S. So sorry for your loss. It is indeed a privilege when you have familiarly loving relationships with your in-laws. I agree with Mysty's view of stereotypes...the in-laws from hell don't happen in our family.

[Lois R]

Hello friends, I went to the movies today.........saw THE POST..........it was FABULOUS.......if you want to see a VERY well made, well acted movie.........you cannot go wrong with Streep and Hanks.........funny how things seem to come back around.........

[Camillus112]

Hi Lois, I haven't been to the movies lately, and - when I have - it's been with grandkids, so thoughtful movies have been out of my radar. However, in Netflix, we saw Mudbound (which has gotten awards) and it is a very good movie. In Netflix we finished (up to the season they've published) a Turkish series named the Magnificent Century (in Turkish with English Subtitles). It is sort of a soap opera but very well made and with historical insight. What are you all recommending for Netflix or Amazon????

[Lois R]

Hi Cam, I don't watch anything on either one of those choices......I still use regular Cable and have plenty of choices with them.

[Camillus112]

Lois, you would be surprised if I tell you that, in regular cable or TV, my favorite program is "Say Yes to the Dress". I absolutely love wedding gowns...If I would take a job in retirement it would be assisting brides-to-be in choosing their wedding gowns. My DH finds this odd for a person that worked in economics and dabbled in short drama plays, but, hey, the more and diverse the better!!