Next Chapter in Its Culinary Story

[pinotlover]

In a realm where logic and some cognitive forces exists, this wouldn’t be a difficult situation. I have eaten at very upscale restaurants where symbols such as chili peppers (🌶️ for example) are displayed on the menu denoting the dish was either spicy or perhaps hot to a degree. People could choose, or not choose, to order a dish based on those parameters.

 

The problem with this simple solution is that many of Oceania’s passengers continually prove they are neither logical nor capable of displaying much cognitive ability. Oceania attempts such a system with its ship land tours to little avail. Look at all the passengers that will continually ignore both the walker symbols and the tour descriptions and take off on tours they are physically unfit for, but expect to be facilitated. They believe they have a right to both take any tour they desire, and to be fully facilitated on that tour despite its impact on other participants.

 

This attitude parlays into food selections. No matter how many 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Oceania were to put beside a dish, the NoNos would first order it , then shriek in horror, then demand it be prepared to their bland taste preferences. Oceania has a recognized history of cowering to the NoNos, just like they do to the passengers that day after day go on tours they aren’t physically capable of.

 

I see little hope in this area.

 

 

[golfguyhhi]

If you want an authentic Indian dinner, tell the Restaurant Manager, the F&B Manager, the Executive chef or the General Manager you want to meet with the senior Indian chef on board to request the dinner.  Discuss what you want, including the kinds of spices, and, if appropriate, the degree of heat.  Then agree on a date in the near future (allow a day or two) when you want the dinner, and where.

I've done this and had dinners prepared and served in the GDR, The Terrace, and in our Owner's Suite.  They have all been wonderful

The Indian chefs very much enjoy preparing their food for people who appreciate their food.

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

In a realm where logic and some cognitive forces exists, this wouldn’t be a difficult situation. I have eaten at very upscale restaurants where symbols such as chili peppers (🌶️ for example) are displayed on the menu denoting the dish was either spicy or perhaps hot to a degree. People could choose, or not choose, to order a dish based on those parameters.

 

The problem with this simple solution is that many of Oceania’s passengers continually prove they are neither logical nor capable of displaying much cognitive ability. Oceania attempts such a system with its ship land tours to little avail. Look at all the passengers that will continually ignore both the walker symbols and the tour descriptions and take off on tours they are physically unfit for, but expect to be facilitated. They believe they have a right to both take any tour they desire, and to be fully facilitated on that tour despite its impact on other participants.

 

This attitude parlays into food selections. No matter how many 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Oceania were to put beside a dish, the NoNos would first order it , then shriek in horror, then demand it be prepared to their bland taste preferences. Oceania has a recognized history of cowering to the NoNos, just like they do to the passengers that day after day go on tours they aren’t physically capable of.

 

I see little hope in this area.

 

 

I saw this happen on our Australian Cruise in January. We had a snorkel tour of the Great Barrier reef that required getting off and on a transfer boat at the ship, that clearly said no scooters or walkers allowed before booking. One passenger showed up on what she called a "portable" electric scooter and demanded they allow her and the scooter on the trip. She pitched a huge fit when she was told she couldn't take the tour, it became a very ugly site and situation for the crew members to handle.

Edited June 22 by terrydtx

[ORV]

27 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

I saw this happen on our Australian Cruise in January. We had a snorkel tour of the Great Barrier reef that required getting off and on a transfer boat at the ship, that clearly said no scooters or walkers allowed before booking. One passenger showed up on what she called a "portable" electric scooter and demanded they allow her and the scooter on the trip. She pitched a huge fit when she was told she couldn't take the tour, it became a very ugly site and situation for the crew members to handle.

But this wasn't on Oceania, right?

[ORV]

42 minutes ago, golfguyhhi said:

If you want an authentic Indian dinner, tell the Restaurant Manager, the F&B Manager, the Executive chef or the General Manager you want to meet with the senior Indian chef on board to request the dinner.  Discuss what you want, including the kinds of spices, and, if appropriate, the degree of heat.  Then agree on a date in the near future (allow a day or two) when you want the dinner, and where.

I've done this and had dinners prepared and served in the GDR, The Terrace, and in our Owner's Suite.  They have all been wonderful

The Indian chefs very much enjoy preparing their food for people who appreciate their food.

Do you maybe think being in the Owner's Suite might have had a bit of pull in making this happen? I've never asked for anything like that but would be curious. I do know they definitely take care of high value guests. 

[terrydtx]

14 minutes ago, ORV said:

But this wasn't on Oceania, right?

No, not Oceania, on Celebrity. But it happens to any cruise line where people ignore warnings about tour's accessibilities. I have been on shore excursions that warn about strenuous walking required and when ignored people end up sitting in the bus or sitting on a bench waiting for the tour to return because they can't do the walking.

Edited June 22 by terrydtx

[clo]

4 hours ago, terrydtx said:

We live in San Antonio Texas, home of Texmex food, and I never had any Mexican food on any cruise ship worth bragging about.  Outside of Texas, New Mexico and even California,  good Mexican food is hard to find in the US.

But Tex-Mex and Mexican food are quite different from one another. Google is your friend.

[scooter6139]

I just did a day tour of the Regatta, and I asked the sales folks about the menu changes. According to them, they are trying to bring more variety from the specialty restaurants around the fleet. For example, our dessert was from the Ember on Vista (Triple Chocolate Brownie w/ salted caramel and vanilla ice cream). The Indian edition, per sales, came from the chefs themselves, as many (if not most) come from that region, and they would love to cook their own recipes).  I know on NCL ships, this is one of the favorite spots for guests and crew in the Garden Cafe.  

[Thought2go]

6 hours ago, terrydtx said:

We live in San Antonio Texas, home of Texmex food, and I never had any Mexican food on any cruise ship worth bragging about.  Outside of Texas, New Mexico and even California,  good Mexican food is hard to find in the US.

Edited 6 hours ago by terrydtx

💯- we finally got a restaurant that brought back tastes I remember from SoCal -Now to go back and see if they have maintained that level.

[Kay S]

5 hours ago, pinotlover said:

 

. Oceania has a recognized history of cowering to the NoNos, just like they do to the passengers that day after day go on tours they aren’t physically capable of.

 

I see little hope in this area.

 

 

Recognized by whom?  Would it surprise you to know that there are people who do follow the rules and who do like to eat flavorful food?  I suspect your wine glass is perpetually half empty.

[Thought2go]

3 hours ago, golfguyhhi said:

 

If you want an authentic Indian dinner, tell the Restaurant Manager, the F&B Manager, the Executive chef or the General Manager you want to meet with the senior Indian chef on board to request the dinner.  Discuss what you want, including the kinds of spices, and, if appropriate, the degree of heat.  Then agree on a date in the near future (allow a day or two) when you want the dinner, and where.

I've done this and had dinners prepared and served in the GDR, The Terrace, and in our Owner's Suite.  They have all been wonderful

The Indian chefs very much enjoy preparing their food for people who appreciate their food.

 

From others posts on this issue, wouldn’t it be best if this solution was broached prior to embarkation or arriving at a port? That would allow the chef to obtain the necessary ingredients and sneak them aboard without the corporate overlords restrictions?

[terrydtx]

2 hours ago, clo said:

But Tex-Mex and Mexican food are quite different from one another. Google is your friend.

I love both and as I said hard to find good ones outside of Calif, New Mexico and Texas.  Like finding good Cajun/Creole Food outside of Louisianna is just as difficult.

[Thought2go]

1 hour ago, scooter6139 said:

 

I just did a day tour of the Regatta, and I asked the sales folks about the menu changes. According to them, they are trying to bring more variety from the specialty restaurants around the fleet. For example, our dessert was from the Ember on Vista (Triple Chocolate Brownie w/ salted caramel and vanilla ice cream). The Indian edition, per sales, came from the chefs themselves, as many (if not most) come from that region, and they would love to cook their own recipes).  I know on NCL ships, this is one of the favorite spots for guests and crew in the Garden Cafe. 

 

I’m sure they will do the best they can with the ingredients they have available. But in the long run we are going to have to understand that the taste nuances will probably fall short unless we are sailing in the countries of origin for those recipes. I tried for years to replicate the Tajines that I not only ate out but prepared myself in Morocco. Utter failure. Even if I shipped all the ingredients, they would be diminished  by the time it took from farm to table. You cannot replicate what the soils, grasses, and water add to vegetables, oils, fish, chicken, lamb, etc.  

Edited June 22 by Thought2go

[clo]

1 hour ago, scooter6139 said:

Ember

I didn't know that Ember is one of the specialty restaurants.

[AMHuntFerry]

I attributed some decent Indian food on our early-June Regatta cruise to the English chef, but now I'm wondering if they are working with better recipes/ingredients. I am hoping that this is a fleet wide change for the better.

[goletans]

13 minutes ago, clo said:

I didn't know that Ember is one of the specialty restaurants.

It is

[jonthomas]

2 hours ago, Kay S said:

Recognized by whom?  Would it surprise you to know that there are people who do follow the rules and who do like to eat flavorful food?  I suspect your wine glass is perpetually half empty.

 

I dont drink wine....to me flavourful food is not sushi , not indian, and not japanese, just give me a nice vegetable soup or a beef with barley soup, none of those cremes, none of those water soups with barely anything floating in it, hey, Henry marmite soup in the dining room comes to mind...what is that and more to the point who would like that....tongue in cheek....

[Kay S]

37 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

just give me a nice vegetable soup or a beef with barley soup,

Nothing wrong with a good beef barley soup.

[terrydtx]

14 minutes ago, Kay S said:

Nothing wrong with a good beef barley soup.

 Maybe at Golden Coral, but not what I would expect for fine dining on any Oceania ship. 

[iowananny]

My husband's favorite lunch soup in the Grand Dining Room is the lentil soup.  He's tried his best to try to replicate it without complete success.  There is nothing wrong with a good soup with lunch or dinner.

[Thought2go]

1 hour ago, jonthomas said:

Henry marmite soup in the dining room comes to mind...what is that and more to the point who would like that.

Preparation intensive, It’s highly nutritious. Loaded with vitamins and minerals. Probably soothing to the quezzies too.

[Thought2go]

48 minutes ago, Kay S said:

Nothing wrong with a good beef barley soup

After a day touring a wet Alaska or the polar regions-and fresh baguettes slathered with butter. Yum. I’ll take seconds please.

[clo]

46 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

 Maybe at Golden Coral, but not what I would expect for fine dining on any Oceania ship. 

How about this? Just read the list of ingredients.

 

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/rich-beef-barley-soup-recipe-2041687

[clo]

40 minutes ago, iowananny said:

My husband's favorite lunch soup in the Grand Dining Room is the lentil soup.  He's tried his best to try to replicate it without complete success.  There is nothing wrong with a good soup with lunch or dinner.

How about this?

 

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/the-best-lentil-soup-7192365

[jonthomas]

24 minutes ago, clo said:

How about this? Just read the list of ingredients.

 

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/rich-beef-barley-soup-recipe-2041687

Yum!!!