Food on Oceania

[Wishing on a star]

Totally agree with cruisemom!

And, I think my comments were pretty self explanatory and speak for themselves.   

And, re: the post just above,  I don’t usually engage with useless and negative banter.   

Edited January 14, 2020 by Wishing on a star

[Petoonya]

1 hour ago, Wishing on a star said:

Totally agree with cruisemom!

And, I think my comments were pretty self explanatory and speak for themselves.   

And, re: the post just above,  I don’t usually engage with useless and negative banter.   

 

Sorry Wishing. I enjoy your comments and did not mean to sound negative. Really am curious as to what you meant. You sound very knowledgeable and I wanted further explanation. Sorry you took it the way you did and a thousand apologies.

[clo]

1 hour ago, Petoonya said:

🙂  (Seriously you can come anytime but I like my salsa hot, hot hot!)

 

We have a fave Mexican/Margarita place and you automatically get their house salsa which has a little kick and then when your food arrives you get the habanero and the tomatillo.

 

1 hour ago, Petoonya said:

You said "I think I am one of the few who can be objective about what is good".

I thought that sounded rather, what?, arrogant

[ORV]

41 minutes ago, clo said:

We have a fave Mexican/Margarita place and you automatically get their house salsa which has a little kick and then when your food arrives you get the habanero and the tomatillo.

 

I thought that sounded rather, what?, arrogant

Apparently like some others here, (I'm not saying who) feel their opinion, which is all it is, carries more weight than others when it comes to food. No matter who you are or what your training is, when it comes to taste it's all subjective. 

[Paulchili]

14 minutes ago, ORV said:

No matter who you are or what your training is, when it comes to taste it's all subjective. 

Hallelujah 

Even if someone like Jacque Pepin would love that butternut squash soup I already know I would hate it 😀

Edited January 14, 2020 by Paulchili

[Petoonya]

10 minutes ago, ORV said:

when it comes to taste it's all subjective. 

+1

[pinotlover]

We’ve been through this before, taste is not all subjective. What one likes or prefers is totally subjective, but taste itself isn’t always. Taste is driven by the number and sensitivity of the taste nodules on one’s tongue along with their sense of smell. If either or both of those are significantly diminished ( it comes with age and other factors) one’s tasting ability is likewise diminished. For some, their sense of taste is almost gone, they may only be able to differentiate sweet, sour, bitter, etc. That may affect what they like to eat and their preferences, but it does not provide for either an objective or subjective analysis of any food. Now that is true regardless of what about food was taught 30 years ago at CIA!

 

My father once loved an assortment of good dry red wines. In his latter years his preferences migrated to only liking sweeter wines as his ability to distinguish the flavors in the dry wines disappeared and he was only tasting the tannins. The actual taste of the wine hadn’t changed, only his preference. A very objective side of taste.

Edited January 14, 2020 by pinotlover

[Petoonya]

1 hour ago, Paulchili said:

Hallelujah 

Even if someone like Jacque Pepin would love that butternut squash soup I already know I would hate it 😀

Heh-heh!!!! Shows to go ya.

I LOVE that butternut squash soup, lol!

[clo]

11 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

taste is not all subjective.

To me, taste can be (at least) two things. One the anatomical that you mention but also there's the "my taste in clothes." Or food.

 

I guess minutely on-topic we were out to lunch the other day and having a chat with others up at the bar where we eat and play video poker. Something came up about sweetbreads and one guy said he liked them until he found out what they are. 🙂

[jeanine]

I like sweetbreads, and know what they are! Also have enjoyed Rocky Mountain Oysters! The brains at the little French Restaurant in Beverly Hills were excellent!

 

[clo]

2 minutes ago, jeanine said:

Also have enjoyed Rocky Mountain Oysters!

I've cooked those when we had a couple of neighbors who raised some cattle.  Really good.

 

And here's my fave sweetbread recipe:

https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Milk-Fed-Veal-Sweetbreads-in-the-Old-Style/

 

[Paulchili]

10 hours ago, pinotlover said:

We’ve been through this before, taste is not all subjective. What one likes or prefers is totally subjective, but taste itself isn’t always. Taste is driven by the number and sensitivity of the taste nodules on one’s tongue along with their sense of smell. If either or both of those are significantly diminished ( it comes with age and other factors) one’s tasting ability is likewise diminished

Pinot,

You are correct when you define taste as one of the five basic senses - taste, sight, hearing, smell & touch (although most people would call the sensory organs on the tongue taste buds rather than taste nodules).

That said, I think most people here when they discuss one’s taste in food refer more to the colloquial definition of food taste as in one’s likes and preferences.

For example, when one tastes foie gras one might say that it tastes delicious (or disgusting ) rather than it tastes sweet, sour or salty.

[AtA]

On 1/9/2020 at 10:33 PM, agnesd said:

Wow!  Equal to an Assisted Living institution.   Hope not. We are headed for Sirena next week.  Food sounds ominous. 

We were just on Sirena. Food in the MDR was hit or miss but no, it wasn't equal to an Assisted living place.

 

First night my son's chicken (an everyday item that is a Jacques Pepin signature dish) came out undercooked and my pasta sauce tasted overly sweet. Additionally service was hit or miss in the MDR. After my pasta was served, I asked for cheese and pepper flakes and instead of the waiter going to get them immediately, he went to take the next table of 6's order while I sat there watching my food get cold. Another night I had a vegetarian pad thai which was tasty but was supposed to have broccoli in it. There was one sorry tiny piece of broccoli in the whole thing, but it was smothered in onions.

 

My son found the shellfish throughout the ship excellent and liked the Ruben and the hot dog in the grill.

 

I found it harder to find food to eat as I can't eat shellfish and don't eat meat, pork or lamb.

 

Note that they serve the same food in the Terrace at night that is in the MDR. They do if it's not a specialty night also have sushi and grilled hotdogs and hamburgers.

 

The food in Tuscan Grill and in Red Ginger was excellent. I highly recommend the miso sea bass in Red Ginger.

[pinotlover]

8 hours ago, Paulchili said:

Pinot,

You are correct when you define taste as one of the five basic senses - taste, sight, hearing, smell & touch (although most people would call the sensory organs on the tongue taste buds rather than taste nodules).

That said, I think most people here when they discuss one’s taste in food refer more to the colloquial definition of food taste as in one’s likes and preferences.

For example, when one tastes foie gras one might say that it tastes delicious (or disgusting ) rather than it tastes sweet, sour or salty.

Paul;

 

I understand your point. However, my point, for example, is someone may prefer bland(er) foods to more spicy or even flavorful food, meatloaf to lasagna. That is a subjective food choice. However, the fact of whether any herbs or spices are in , or of significant quantities in, a dish, is objective. Did they add tamarind to the Pad Thai or not? Are the sauces flavorful, or not, is objective depending upon one’s ability to taste. The subjective part is the preference and degree of flavors In foods. 

[clo]

3 hours ago, pinotlover said:

lasagna

There have been people who were befuddled when I told them that my (actually Marcella Hazan's) recipe has only some grated Parm in it.

[pinotlover]

Clo;

 

I guess it’s the subjective thing. Many people put Garlic, oregano and other Italian seasoning into their lasagna, along with ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses. It creates a hosts of flavors. Others like it plain!

[clo]

45 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

. Others like it plain!

Oh, there's nothing plain about it. But my point is that there are fights every day about practically any food about what constitutes "authentic" and that then has nothing to do with what one likes.

PS: My/her lasagna takes all day to make with Bob assisting and the Bolognese sauce having been made ahead.

 

[ldubs]

8 hours ago, AtA said:

We were just on Sirena. Food in the MDR was hit or miss but no, it wasn't equal to an Assisted living place.

 

First night my son's chicken (an everyday item that is a Jacques Pepin signature dish) came out undercooked

 

 

Yikes.  That is one thing that should never be undercooked.  😳

[Mura]

Since we no longer seem to be taking about O's food ...

 

I too make my own lasagna, including fresh noodles.  It's a spinach lasagna adapted from an old Gourmet Magazine recipe and people rave over it.  I do too!  But it's not an all-day effort as long as I make the meat sauce and the Bechamel in advance.  There's also a ricotta-spinach "schmeer" in between the layers.  (That came from another pasta recipe, which I can no longer find online -- perhaps for ravioli.)  I make the noodles on the day of cooking and don't let them dry.  They are still wet when I cook them so they are ready in 2-3 minutes.

 

SO good!  But I'll bow out now ... If anyone wants my recipe to compare with theirs, just email me.

 

Mura

[clo]

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

That is one thing that should never be undercooked.

And that's the only subpar thing I had...and it was overcooked.

[clo]

55 minutes ago, Mura said:

They are still wet when I cook them so they are ready in 2-3 minutes.

I've cooked and frozen and then reheated a couple of weeks later with no problem. 

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

I'm gonna go out on limb here.  But sounds like we can all agree that "we like what we like."  

[1985rz1]

Back to topic, please.  Folks are looking at this thread for more than what each person cooks at home.

Edited January 16, 2020 by 1985rz1

[chivatosteve]

13 hours ago, 1985rz1 said:

Back to topic, please.  Folks are looking at this thread for more than what each person cooks at home.

+1

[Debarco]

On 12/25/2019 at 8:21 AM, zltm089 said:

Doing a bit of research about Oceania and it looks like they are one of the best lines for food (main dining, buffet and speciality).

 

Is this really the case? They are in the premium cruise line category and as such charge a premium price. I just want to hear people's views before I consider them for my next cruise as their ships are very small and might not offer the same level of facilities and entertainment over HAL or Celebrity.

 

I'm basically looking for cruise lines which are renowned for food. Which other cruise lines would you recommend? I'm after mostly after mainstream/premium or premium cruise lines. Not interested in luxury or mass markets lines.

 

Many thanks!

Yes, Oceania is more expensive but we found the food considerably better and  speciality restaurants are included in that price as are soda/water at both meals and in your cabin and when you are leaving the ship for an excursion-no need for a beverage package.  Food is generally served at the appropriate temperature, as compared to the larger ships where it is often luke warm.  Also, the food on the buffet is put out in smaller portions and replenished frequently(yes, you may have to wait a few minutes for it to arrive) so it has not been sitting out for an hour; the buffet is served to you so you don't have a fellow passenger's germy hands all over the serving utensils.  Plus it's my understanding that Oceania now includes wi-fi which can be quite expensive on some ships.