Food and Friends

Once on board I searched the ship for our traveling companions. I couldn't find anyone and the ship wasn't that big so I feared something had gone wrong. As I returned to my cabin I got a phone call and found that all was well. Everyone was aboard and meeting for supper in the Grand Dining Room (one of three dining rooms on the ship). Here's a picture of Ed and I at our first meal on board. Check out all the beautiful china and glassware. Our first meal was pretty spectacular. We were treated royally with everything from the waiters placing the napkins in our laps to a server sweeping crumbs off our table between each course.

My husband and I learned quickly from this first meal that since all food is included in the cruise you need to order up and eat up. At this first meal we eyed the fancy book-like menu and ordered what we considered a really nice meal with a salad, steak, potato and a desert. We noticed that the menu was broken down into about 7 or 8 categories including but not exclusive to entrees, appetizers, main courses, side orders, veggies, soups, and desserts. Our traveling companions who were more cruise "savy" than us ordered from each category. As one course was brought out, Ed and I had nothing, as another course was brought out Ed and I had nothing. It wasn't until the 3rd, 5th and 7th or 8th course that we got food.

Oh, so now we get it. Try some of everything and look at it as an opportunity to try foods you might never have eaten before for fear of paying for something at a resteraunt that you didn't like. Thus my experiment with snails and foods I had no idea how to even pronounce.

And the cruise ship was more than obliging. One night as four of us at the table ordered the whole lobster dinner we jokingly said, "I wonder if that will be enough food". The waiter, ever wanting to please with apparently an endless kitchen full of excess food, brought us EACH TWO whole lobster dinners. Ridiculous, I know.

One of the oddest things we found ourselves doing throughout the trip was taking pictures of our food. The display and presentation was so beautiful that we couldn't resist. Here's a tray of assorted cookies that was for one person each - the whole two teerred silver tray. How elegant.

Here's a chocolate coffee flavored dessert in it's own chocolate cup. That's caramel at the bottom and flavored whip creme in the cup.

How about this strawberry delight? Don't you love the little picture make with sweet creams?

And as if that's not enough, if you can't decide on a particular desert you can always get a sampling of all the desserts. I almost forgot to take the picture so this one is half eaten but there's creme-brulee (did I spell that right?) and sorbet and some sort of chocolate volcano cake and a fruit pie and some sort of stacked chocolate covered cookie.

OK, that's all I can do. I'm trying to be on a diet right now and this blog is making me miserable. Gotta go eat a celery stick or something.