The Good For Nothing Food Tongs

[cfc525]

In our experience on the Dawn last week, we found more people talking about the awful tongs in the Garden Cafe'. You would try and try again to pick up the food only to get so annoyed, you just move on to something else. Only to find another pair of tongs that also doesn't pick anything up. One morning after several attempts, I finally got a piece of sausage to stay in the tongs. I very carefully eased it over my plate to release it and it falls to the floor. Yes...I did pick it up so that no one would slip and fall on it. Did I try again for another piece of sausage...HECK NOT!! A woman sitting next to us said she caught her thumb in the tongs more than once, and so did I. A man in line behind me said this way they get to use the left over food again the next day on the buffet in a different form. Like maybe using the meat no one could pick up in a hash style food item for breakfast. That's one way of keeping the $ down.

 

When the tongs fail you, look for a serving spoon instead in another pan close by and use that, I did. Good luck!

 

Now here is another thought on this if you don't want to gain any weight on your cruise. Just keep on eating at the Garden Cafe'. Not a whole lot makes it to your plate.

[LOWTYD]

LOL. Funny but true. It's like Candid Camera!:)

Just waiting for Alan Funt to emege with fork for ya!

[WELLDOITAGAIN]

That's funny. On my last cruise, I went to grab a hot dog with the tongs, they were so hot I dropped them.

[iheartbda]

Sly cost cutting measure....if you can't get it on your plate you're not "using up" food.:D

 

I'll fox them...I'm taking my own.:p

[daffodiliaz]

It's not fun getting your thumb stuck in those tongs. The guy behind the counter actually had to pull them off me...and it hurt.

[iheartbda]

It's not fun getting your thumb stuck in those tongs. The guy behind the counter actually had to pull them off me...and it hurt.

Another reason to take your own.:D

[luddite]

I've never seen tongs in any of the dining rooms. Easy problem to avoid.:p

[terrymtex01]

Are we talking the kind of tongs that you grasp in the middle that have a spring on one end and the other end is two flat surfaces that you pick up the food with? That is the only kind I ever remeber seeing on NCL ships, but I don't understand how you get your thumb caught in them? If someone had to actually help get your thumb out of whatever kind of thong it was I can very much understand how that had to be painful.

 

Thank goodness that was the worst thing you have to come back and report. Glad the rest of your cruise was good. Can't wait to see if the buffet on the Dawn was as good as the buffet on the Pearl. I hated the buffet on the Star but loved the buffet on the Pearl.

[SallyUK]

Recently back from the Gem and can say that, as a rule, the tongs worked well.

 

There was however one notable exception. On the salad bar there was sliced avocado. Don't know if you've tried, but picking up avocado with tongs just mushes it up and it becomes a battle of wills between you - the formerly avocado loving consumer and said sliced green pear shaped foodstuff.

 

Still, underneath the sliced avocado there was a mush where other passengers had tried and failed. Looked like in our failure we'd helped prepare the guacamole for the Mexican restaurant ;).

[fridaythe13th]

The tongs on the Spirit were spring loaded so it was very hard to pick up anything. I can't imagine someone with little strength trying to put food on their plate although there were always plenty of staff around to help.

[derf5585]

I'm sorry I thought this thread was about thongs in the buffet

[silkhair1]

I'm sorry I thought this thread was about thongs in the buffet

 

I like that better! More thongs. Could be a good diet aid!!!!

 

 

I like the tong challenge! WOrks up an appetite! LOL

[sjbdtz]

When the tongs fail you, look for a serving spoon instead in another pan close by and use that, I did. Good luck!

 

.

 

 

Please let us all know which ships you plan to be on in the future. Those of us with food allergies & sensitivities would be happy to avoid the cross-contamination you fostered.

[sjbdtz]

Sly cost cutting measure....if you can't get it on your plate you're not "using up" food.:D

 

I'll fox them...I'm taking my own.:p

 

 

 

Food?

[Zeno]

OMG - I had almost forgotten the awful tongs they had at the buffet on my first NCL cruise.

They had tongs out for the nacho chips that absolutely could NOT grasp chips - so -people were sticking their hands into the chips -YUCK, YUCK, YUCK!!!

 

Needless to say I did NOT have any nacho chips.

[ZoneHPH]

ok here is one for you all. it's bad enough the tongs make it a challenge to load up our plates. but since we also assume that people wash their hands...or get hit with the purell upon entering the buffet...

 

HOW ABOUT THE TONGS THAT FALL INTO THE FOOD. i've seen people fish them out. and use them. personally i would rather have people serving the buffet lines. even if the tongs did work. some people just don't know "tong etiquette".

 

- let tong rest on the plate (if provided)

- lean tong on the edge of the tray, not tossed on top of the food

- do not use one tong or serving spoon from one food item to help yourself in another (though the only exception i would say is the fried stuff.) i dont' want my fruit salad tasting like caesar dressing...:D

[iheartbda]

If someone had to actually help get your thumb out of whatever kind of thong it was I can very much understand how that had to be painful.

 

OOOOH, those thongs can be painful when they get stuck in the wrong place.:eek:

 

Sorry Terry, had to do it. Don't worry, I once went on about used thongs at the buffet.:o:D

[cfc525]

Are we talking the kind of tongs that you grasp in the middle that have a spring on one end and the other end is two flat surfaces that you pick up the food with? That is the only kind I ever remeber seeing on NCL ships, but I don't understand how you get your thumb caught in them? If someone had to actually help get your thumb out of whatever kind of thong it was I can very much understand how that had to be painful.

 

Thank goodness that was the worst thing you have to come back and report. Glad the rest of your cruise was good. Can't wait to see if the buffet on the Dawn was as good as the buffet on the Pearl. I hated the buffet on the Star but loved the buffet on the Pearl.

 

These are not metal tongs with a spring, they are plastic and you can squeeze til the cows come home. They just don't close enough at the end of the tong to pick anything up. As far as getting your thumb caught in them, as you can see it's happened to many people. The design of the tong has cut outs in it, so when you squeeze your thumb ends up sliding into the cut out. Just be aware.

[daffodiliaz]

Are we talking the kind of tongs that you grasp in the middle that have a spring on one end and the other end is two flat surfaces that you pick up the food with?

 

Yes. I don't understand why there is a slot on each side. You have to squeeze so hard then your thumb gets stuck. Why not just have a solid piece of plastic on each side? Someone somewhere trying to save money on plastic? :) Really, what if you cut your thumb? Blood in the food too? YUCK.

[cfc525]

Please let us all know which ships you plan to be on in the future. Those of us with food allergies & sensitivities would be happy to avoid the cross-contamination you fostered.

 

OK, no need to be so mean about it, I wasn't thinking that way at the time. It was just so frustrating! I would never want to hurt anyone in any way, I'm not that kind of person. I did see some people squeezing the tongs toward the bottom of them just to get a better grip on the food. Now the tongs are sitting in the food where those people actually had there hands. Perhaps if enough people complain about this NCL will make a change.

[hat776]

If I remember rightly there was a thread about metal tongs getting very hot (or something !) so I suppose they were replaced by the plastic ones.

I found it very difficult to open them enough to pick up a bread roll.

[crafts15mj]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought the tongs were difficult to use. At first, I thought I was loosing strength in my hand but then I looked at the people in front of me......:eek:

[sparks1093]

They are good for 22 posts on 2 pages, pinching thumbs and dropping food, so they are good for something- just not good at what they are designed for (unless, of course, they were designed for 22 posts on 2 pages, pinching thumbs and dropping food).

[swedish weave]

I like that better! More thongs. Could be a good diet aid!!!!

 

 

I like the tong challenge! WOrks up an appetite! LOL

 

If I see thongs in the buffet, I usually drop my food, and sometimes have to replace the batteries in my pacemaker !!:D:D

 

The tongs are a different story. If you grasp them midway on the handle, they work pretty well. Remember ---This applies to tongs, not thongs!!!

[InTheCruisingYearsOfLife]

... we found more people talking about the awful tongs in the Garden Cafe'.

 

 

Memo to self: When packing for next cruise, remember the vice grips. Bring mace for nekulturny nuckleheads who grab food with bare hands.