The Bistro- Off topic and fun posts!

[KenzSailing]

14 hours ago, BEAV said:

 

I see the Portuguese Tart has arrived! 🤣

 

And, remember, you have to show up every day around 10:00am if you’re going to live up to your name! 😎

 

Ooops, sorry, the kitchen was a little behind today.

[Roland4]

1 hour ago, Jim9310 said:

 

Off to a good start!  Plenty of views and posts on day #1.

 

I hadn't realized that discussing river cruises is considered off-topic.  Certainly they belong somewhere, and those ships also have a Bistro.

If the Avenue name had been used, it might be harder to stay off-topic. 

 

Yes, posts specifically about the river ships/itineraries etc generally get moved pretty quickly to the River Cruises forum by the moderator(s). mentioning them "in passing" within another discussion is generally allowed. 

[rafinmd]

Weekends are for recreation and I love camping.  I also love sunrises and sunsets, even when they are partly obscured by trees.  Today's sunset was taken at a camp in the Poconos of Pennsylvania on 6/26/13.

 

Roy

[Jim9310]

25 minutes ago, Roland4 said:

 

Yes, posts specifically about the river ships/itineraries etc generally get moved pretty quickly to the River Cruises forum by the moderator(s). mentioning them "in passing" within another discussion is generally allowed. 

 

Major cruise lines don't offer river cruises, a small segment of the industry.  A separate forum for them makes sense, although it mixes all brands together.  Within the Crystal community there are people who remain loyal to the brand while moving from segment to segment (including yacht and expedition voyages).  

 

This forum carries the Crystal brand name, so shouldn't it cover all segments within the brand?  If I were a Crystal brand manager,  I would prefer to see all segments covered here.  Some segment-specific topics might require unique threads.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Jim9310

[BEAV]

12 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Weekends are for recreation and I love camping.  I also love sunrises and sunsets, even when they are partly obscured by trees.  Today's sunset was taken at a camp in the Poconos of Pennsylvania on 6/26/13.

 

Roy

Love your posting travel photos, Roy, especially while we’re all landlocked. 
 

Here’s a favorite of mine taken last year sailing to Hawaii. 
 

Missing that exotic connection with the mighty oceans! 

[KenzSailing]

15 hours ago, Jules1 said:

No way. I’m from Chicago-best pizza on the planet.

 

Chicago pizza, while much maligned by the Neapolitan snobs, is delightful and a solid second place.

[Roland4]

40 minutes ago, Jim9310 said:

 

Major cruise lines don't offer river cruises, a small segment of the industry.  A separate forum for them makes sense, although it mixes all brands together.  Within the Crystal community there are people who remain loyal to the brand while moving from segment to segment (including yacht and expedition voyages).  

 

This forum carries the Crystal brand name, so shouldn't it cover all segments within the brand?  If I were a Crystal brand manager,  I would prefer to see all segments covered here.  Some segment-specific topics might require unique threads.

 

Certainly no argument from me and others on the board who made that point when Crystal River first started up. In response to our questions, the moderator(s) said they preferred to keep all river lines under the one header. Their board, their rules, and given that the River Cruises forum is, relatively speaking, not as "busy" as the Ocean forums, it's not a big issue.

[mskatiemae]

19 minutes ago, KenzSailing said:

 

Chicago pizza, while much maligned by the Neapolitan snobs, is delightful and a solid second place.

Yes, Chi-town is "Second City" to the Big Apple. I think of their pizza as different entirely, especially when you are talking about Giordano's original stuffed pizza.

[Jim9310]

18 minutes ago, Roland4 said:

 

Certainly no argument from me and others on the board who made that point when Crystal River first started up. In response to our questions, the moderator(s) said they preferred to keep all river lines under the one header. Their board, their rules, and given that the River Cruises forum is, relatively speaking, not as "busy" as the Ocean forums, it's not a big issue.

 

There are lots of ways of organizing discussion groups, because there are pros and cons involved.  It would be interesting to have some Bistro discussion about what Crystal’s multi-segment cruisers like and don’t like about the current structure.   How important is brand loyalty versus segment variety in shaping distinct cruising communities?

Viking’s situation is similar and their branded forum is named Viking Ocean.  They also have segmented Roll Calls.

[Roland4]

1 hour ago, Jim9310 said:

 

There are lots of ways of organizing discussion groups, because there are pros and cons involved.  It would be interesting to have some Bistro discussion about what Crystal’s multi-segment cruisers like and don’t like about the current structure.   How important is brand loyalty versus segment variety in shaping distinct cruising communities?

 

Viking’s situation is similar and their branded forum is named Viking Ocean.  They also have segmented Roll Calls.

 

 

But you will also note there is not a separate Viking River forum. As I said, we asked about this when River started and were told no, I don't know how long you have been around CC, but one of the "rules" is you cannot question the rules or the decisions of the moderators. And at the end of the day, we do not get many posts on the board about Crystal Rivers.

[May B]

Many of us feel frustrated when we can’t keep the Crystal river threads here. As Roland4 says, we do not get to questions the mods’ rules and decisions. 

 

 

[Jim9310]

5 minutes ago, Roland4 said:

 

But you will also note there is not a separate Viking River forum. As I said, we asked about this when River started and were told no, I don't know how long you have been around CC, but one of the "rules" is you cannot question the rules or the decisions of the moderators. And at the end of the day, we do not get many posts on the board about Crystal Rivers.

 

Been around CC for 15 years.   Crystal is the first forum where I encountered moderator issues.  The pandemic and related disruptions are responsible for some of those issues.

I hope this Bistro thread is wide open enough so it will allow discussion of river cruises and even a yacht or an excursion cruise.   The latter two segments are so special that they probably attract a rather distinct demographic.

[May B]

1 minute ago, Jim9310 said:

 

Been around CC for 15 years.   Crystal is the first forum where I encountered moderator issues.  The pandemic and related disruptions are responsible for some of those issues.

I hope this Bistro thread is wide open enough so it will allow discussion of river cruises and even a yacht or an excursion cruise.   The latter two segments are so special that they probably attract a rather distinct demographic.

Crystal’s yacht and expedition discussions are welcome here.

 

I think the river cruise decision might be to appease all the different operators of river cruises who probably were a bit miffed that Crystal swooped in and took away part of their business.

[Shorex]

[Jim9310]

2 minutes ago, May B said:

Crystal’s yacht and expedition discussions are welcome here.

Question:  Do they both feature The Bistro?

[Roland4]

56 minutes ago, Jim9310 said:

Question:  Do they both feature The Bistro?

Yes for the yacht in a slightly different form, and yes, but who knows what it looks like on Endeavor until it enters service. And also yes on the river boats.

[KenzSailing]

19 hours ago, Out2See said:

To my dear Chicago and Detroit friends...you may tout your pizza till the mozzarella melts, but being a native New Yorker...well, need I say more? But as long as I'm here in The Bistro, I'll ask Noel for a iced cappuccino. 

 

Sorry to have missed this post Jim, I've been waiting for someone to trip my little snare.

 

Kenji Lopez-Alt, former New Yorker, chef, food scientist and author of the multi-award winning cookbook "The Food Lab" devoted four and a half pages to this subject which concluded with:

 

"...great New York pizza is most certainly not dependent on using New York City tap water."

 

In other words: "fuhgedaboudit." 

[KenzSailing]

Also, I'm voting against river and expeditions posts on this thread.  This is the "off-topic and fun posts" thread, and river and expedition are definitely cruise topics.  I would really appreciate a place to hang around that is something other that the currently angst-filled world that cruising has become.

 

Of course, as another poster noted, this is where we'll probably talk cruising more than where we end up with the typical cruise thread; off-off-topic, you could say.

 

Edited July 11, 2020 by KenzSailing
Typos

[ChatKat in Ca.]

From our tour of Scotland Last year

[Roland4]

1 hour ago, KenzSailing said:

Also, I'm voting against river and expeditions posts on this thread.  This is the "off-topic and fun posts" thread, and river and expedition are definitely cruise topics.  I would really appreciate a place to hang around that is something other that the currently angst-filled world that cruising has become.

 

Of course, as another poster noted, this is where we'll probably talk cruising more than where we end up with the typical cruise thread; off-off-topic, you could say.

 

 

We have never been able to keep the "on topic" threads on topic, so what hope is there that the "off topic" threads will stay on topic???😁😁

[Jim9310]

6 hours ago, KenzSailing said:

 

Chicago pizza, while much maligned by the Neapolitan snobs, is delightful and a solid second place.

 

While I'm sorry you don't want the exiled Crystal segments to be welcomed home here, I'd rather defend New Haven CT pizza.  [ ‘Apizza’ (pronounced “ah-beetz” by oldtimers who know its original name].

 

Pepe's is a busy establishment, and New Haveners will cheerfully wait in line outside the restaurant for hours in all kinds of weather.  Having to wait to be seated is almost as much of a New Haven tradition as the brick-oven pizza itself. Established in 1925 by Italian immigrants, Pepe's is a major tourist attraction in New Haven.

• 1999: Pepe's was named to the James Beard Foundation's list of "America's Classics".
• 2006: Pepe's is acknowledged on the History Channel's American Eats show as the originator of New Haven-style pizza in 1925.
• 2009: Pepe's was named the "Best Pizza on Earth" by The Guardian.
• 2009: Alan Richman, food correspondent for GQ magazine, names the tomato pizza at Pepe's the twelfth best pizza in the country in the May issue
• 2010: Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana was inducted into that Connecticut Hospitality Hall of Fame on December 7, 2010.
• 2013: Zagat said that the white clam pizza at Pepe's was the best pizza in the state, in an article naming the best pizza in each state.
• 2013: The website The Daily Meal named the white clam pizza at Pepe's the best pizza in the country.
• 2014: The Daily Meal named the white clam pizza at Pepe's the best pizza in the country
• 2018: Pepe’s named one of Food & Wine's Best Pizza Places in the U.S.
• 2019: Pepe’s again placed #1 in the latest annual edition of The 101 Best Pizza Places In America.

      See:   https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/101-best-pizzas-america

 

Edited July 11, 2020 by Jim9310

[KenzSailing]

58 minutes ago, Jim9310 said:

 

While I'm sorry you don't want the exiled Crystal segments to be welcomed home here, I'd rather defend New Haven CT pizza.  [ ‘Apizza’ (pronounced “ah-beetz” by oldtimers who know its original name].

 

Pepe's is a busy establishment, and New Haveners will cheerfully wait in line outside the restaurant for hours in all kinds of weather.  Having to wait to be seated is almost as much of a New Haven tradition as the brick-oven pizza itself. Established in 1925 by Italian immigrants, Pepe's is a major tourist attraction in New Haven.

• 1999: Pepe's was named to the James Beard Foundation's list of "America's Classics".
• 2006: Pepe's is acknowledged on the History Channel's American Eats show as the originator of New Haven-style pizza in 1925.
• 2009: Pepe's was named the "Best Pizza on Earth" by The Guardian.
• 2009: Alan Richman, food correspondent for GQ magazine, names the tomato pizza at Pepe's the twelfth best pizza in the country in the May issue
• 2010: Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana was inducted into that Connecticut Hospitality Hall of Fame on December 7, 2010.
• 2013: Zagat said that the white clam pizza at Pepe's was the best pizza in the state, in an article naming the best pizza in each state.
• 2013: The website The Daily Meal named the white clam pizza at Pepe's the best pizza in the country.
• 2014: The Daily Meal named the white clam pizza at Pepe's the best pizza in the country
• 2018: Pepe’s named one of Food & Wine's Best Pizza Places in the U.S.
• 2019: Pepe’s again placed #1 in the latest annual edition of The 101 Best Pizza Places In America.

      See:   https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/101-best-pizzas-america

 

 

Jim,

 

I do agree that the phrase "New Haven white clam pizza" is to be uttered in only hushed and reverential tones.

 

And with that, it's off to make dinner.  Tonight's menu:

 

Crab cake (using the Faidley's of Baltimore recipe.  Accept no substitutes)

Wedge salad w/ home made blue cheese dressing (Maytag blue, straight from the dairy in Newton, IA)

NY (New Yawk) strip steak from the great Pat LaFreida (who's actually in New Jersey) cooked to a medium-rare of 132F

 

 

 

 

Edited July 11, 2020 by KenzSailing
Additional text

[ricki]

1 hour ago, ChatKat in Ca. said:

From our tour of Scotland Last year

It is no wonder you are a master photographer, Kathy! Incredible photo!

 

Ricki

[OzKiwiJJ]

On 7/11/2020 at 9:33 AM, Jules1 said:

No way. I’m from Chicago-best pizza on the planet.

Sorry to disillusion you but the best pizza on the planet is found in Naples, Italy. The second best pizza on the planet is found at my local pizzeria in Sydney which is owned by a guy who grew up and trained in Naples.

[Cruise-y]

On 7/10/2020 at 12:51 PM, ChatKat in Ca. said:

Mix together ¹/₃ cup oats, ¹/₂ cup milk, ¹/₃ cup Greek yogurt and 1 teaspoon chia seeds in a small Mason jar or lidded glass bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight; in the morning, mix it well and add optional toppings like fresh or dried fruit, maple syrup, flaked coconut or nuts. Sitting in the yogurt overnight softens the oats.

 

I add almonds slices, a little honey, mashed banana and whatever fruit. Berries, peaches...

Thank you again so much.  I'm looking forward to trying this. I'm just curious, is this Crystal's recipe or one of your own? Crystal's always seems so creamy, you could hardly tell there were oats in it. It always seemed almost like tapioca, and they were served in those dainty little finger glasses. (I've tried cold oats and they are still pretty oat-y, if you know what I mean.) Of course, my memory could be swayed by the luxurious bits of tropical fruit they put on top and the beautiful sea views while I was eating it.