Will Work for Tiramisu

Mysty's posts makes me wish for pre-pandemic days when we would go out to eat more often. My DW & I still wear masks when we go to public places - shopping mostly. We've gone out for dinner maybe 3 times since 2020 - fortunately once to Kann's in Portland, Or - which is rated one of the best in the US - Haitian chef, spectacular food, lovely room, wonderful service, stellar bar. DW is recovering from a recent Covid episode, so our guard is still up. So, we have to rely on cooking at home, and that falls on me (in our division of labor). Fortunately, I enjoy it, and am reminded of the quote from WC Fields - "Why, I always cook with wine. Sometimes, I even put some in the food - yes!" Since I was a young sprout, I always helped my mum in the kitchen. On my 13th bday, an older brother gifted me a copy of "Larousse Gastronomique", a fat tome containing seemingly everything there is to know about French food. I've been fortunate to dine at some pretty stellar places all over the US. We lived in Tennessee for a while, and as a growing lad, had a chance to scarf down endless great southern food, much of it cooked by housekeepers who knew what they were doing in a kitchen. So now, we try to cook from cultures all over the world, drawing on a huge library of cookbooks, and my normal tendency to menu plan by looking in the fridge and seeing what needs to get used up. Being in Oregon, we draw on so much bounty - currently seeing the last of the fresh albacore caught off the coast, (we grill it - so good!), clams, mussels, oysters from nearby estuaries. Local wheat milled fresh in town. World class cheeses. Produce and tree fruits of every type. Salmon and steelhead from the rivers, grass raised beef from central Oregon, locally raised pork from hogs fed with tree nuts and grain, wine from endless wonderful wineries, including some of the best Pinot Noir in the world. Blah blah blah. But the prime source: Our garden. I'm just now finishing up most of a long period of harvesting. The freezers are bulging with tomatoes of several varieties, tomatillos, dozens of bags of every sort of pepper, some stemmed, seeded and chopped and frozen, others roasted and skinned. I make "proto pesto" - fresh basil, EVO, pine nuts & garlic - and freeze in small batches, to thaw out on chilly evenings, add butter, parmesan & romano, and enjoy with homemade pasta, gnocchi or in soup. I'm still shucking dry beans for use in the winter (we had a proper French cassoulet last Xmas, instead of a turkey). I did my first boiling water canning this year (pickles of various sorts & jalapeños), and pressure canned a bunch of fresh albacore, bought while cheap at peak of the season. We compete with the chickens & squirrels for several types of raspberries, blue berries and strawberries, as well as corn. The chickens crank out eggs, of course, and we keep bees - my DW just harvested about 60# of honey. We planted 6 types of wine grapes 5 years ago (red & white), I built about 80' of grape arbors, and we are now gearing up to produce our own wine. (MY DW's doing - I've told her I'll have to crank up my wine drinking expertise - already formidable! ) Just took delivery on an Italian crusher/destemmer - DW appears to be getting serious! There are potatoes, carrots, beets & turnips in the ground (can be harvested all winter long - amazing to me), and we have many pounds of garlic & shallots drying in the shed. Salad greens still going at it, until first freeze, as are cukes, zukes & other squash, and artichokes. Four kinds of fruit trees, and almond & olive trees, also kiwi's & figs. Ginger, wasabi, asparagus, and a small patch right out the kitchen door with spices - oregano, basil, thyme, mint, rosemary, dill, etc. So, we try to do our part to sustain home agriculture, and are happy to have everything fresh, and never a chemical used anywhere on the property for 40 years. (We have two small lots in a residential subdivision near edge of the suburbs, with good sun exposure.) Lots to share with the neighbors. And of course, outdoors - a nice natural gas fired Lynx grill with rotisserie, a smoker, and a 55,000 btu side burner, set up for wok cooking, or the occasional paella. On tonight's menu - grilled albacore, blistered shishito peppers, & a dish from my favorite Spanish cookbook -"Timbet" - a Mallorcan casserole of eggplant, peppers, garlic, potatoes & tomatoes confit. Bon appetit!

Well, that was a cheery interlude - just in time for the fall Equinox! Prior to that we were grumping about the sorry state of office culture, and how These Kids Today Don't Want to Work, are A Bunch of Entitlement Monkeys, and while you're at it - Stay Off My Lawn!! I heartily agree. I started working when I was 10 (paper route), and - despite some education along the way - always had a job going, and maintained a work ethic until I recently retired. (Now do endless hubby projects around the house - can I go back to work, please??) My impression, trying to do things in the real world (building design & construction in my case), is that no one wants to work (well, not many). Those that do aren't born in the US. And don't even get me started on expertise - the idea of lifelong learning seems to be a thing of the past. As Chaucer said 650 years ago "The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne". I'm reminded of a short book by Jane Jacobs "Dark Age Ahead", wherein she puts forward the case that with every step forward in technology, the possibility of humanity losing knowledge of skills will disappear, in a new Dark Age. (Jacobs also and more famously wrote "The Death and Life of Great American Cities", and is notable for organizing people in NYC to stop Robert Moses from punching yet another freeway through her beloved Greenwich Village.) (The "Power Broker" by National Treasure and historian Robert Caro is about the life and (mis)doings of Robert Moses, and gives an idea of the force of Ms Jacobs will & power of her ideas in stopping the Moses juggernaut. A must read.) Computers have been a blessing and a curse - no more memorizing multiplication tables, slide rules, drafting with pencils, the visceral pleasure of conceiving and executing something with your brain and your hands - now a thing of the past. If you see someone shuffling along the deck (of a Silversea ship), mumbling to himself, hair disheveled, worn pocket protector in place - that will be me....

We've worked with The TripInsurance Store - have been happy dealing with them, fortunately haven't had to make a claim! Tons of good information on their website, if you just want to educate yourself about the field of going-abroad trip insurance, including but not limited to get you back home if you end up in hospital. They broker policies from a handful of major carriers - I like the idea that if you need to call at 3am from Timbuktu, someone will answer the phone - and help you get done what is needed. If we were going to do more out of country travel, I'd consider the annual coverage option - sounds like a good idea, particularly if you wanted to do something spur of the moment.

I once saw a shirt that read: "Beer - Its not just a breakfast drink anymore!" My brunch favorite is of course a well mixed Bloody Mary - perfect for washing down all those brunch foods.

You absolutely can ask the Butler to book or change dining arrangements. Generally, I think you can ask them to do just about anything - they can always say no. I think if you ask them to divert the ship and go to Libya instead of Mallorca they probably couldn't deliver for you, but they have some ability to make other things happen. We haven't done much more than review dining arrangements and ask for certain wine/booze things to magically appear in our room. But I know others immediately task them with daily caviar & finger food deliveries. We like to chat them up, with an eye to our supposed obligation to be good will ambassadors for our country. I bet they could get a button sewn on, if asked, or having your Chuck Taylor Allstars shined up to a high gloss!

I just looked at the Food Hacks thread. Looks like the esteemed posters there beat me to the punch regarding getting the chefs to make foods they are familiar with, and probably really good at. Imitation (on my part) is the sincerest form of flattery, I guess! Let me know when they hire a few native born French chefs, and I'll go back to La Dame!!

In my limited experience, I found LaDame to be bout 75% hype and 25% superior food/cooking. A nice room, attentive service, better wine, but I was not wowed by the actual food sur le plat, as compares to something you'd find in any decent French bistro. A fun space, but I had a sort of "Where's the Beef?" feeling. Whereas, many offerings from Atlantide definitely floated my boat, not to mention at La Terrazza. My theory is some of the pan-Asian offerings at the former are closer to home for the actual chefs in the kitchen, and at the latter, as an (formerly) Italian-centric cruise line, they pay attention to doing Italian right. On our next cruise, rather than tell them what I'd like them to make (although I'd love to have a proper Coquilles St Jacque, or Lobster Thermidor), I'd like to ask what countries the chefs are from and ask them to make something that their grandmothers taught them how to make - you might get some really wonderful food lovingly prepared by someone who is familiar with that cuisine, whether south Indian, Malaysian, Philippine, or wherever.

Alithecat - Thank you for this most helpful info. While would be fun to do train again, I agree the bus sounds more prudent for a 2pm flight. From long experience, we prefer to have all the info regarding options so we can make informed decisions, rather than completely throw ourselves upon the tender mercies of SS agents. (Although we like the woman we work with who is a "SS Agent".)

Fellow Silver Cetaceans - My DW & I are planning our first cruise post-Covid, a Seward-Vancouver-Seward trip in 2024. I'm investigating options, and am inclined to a D2D, but without transfers to and from our nearest airport that is in the SS Air system, as we live too far away. Air & other transfer, pre-hotel, are by SS. My question is, given being out of cabin by 8am on day of disembark, and usual locate luggage process, can anyone shed light on SS-provided transfer from pier to Anchorage Airport?? It is about 120 miles, a two hour drive. We will have taken the scenic train ride when we first transfer from Anchorage to Seward (pre cruise), btw, so don't want to repeat, plus train leaves Seward 6:30 pm. I see a desirable flight to our destination leaving 2:00 pm, so would like to plan on being at airport by noon. Does anyone have experience with how/when SS-provided transfer to the airport works?? A bus? A limo? Oxcart? Any input greatly appreciated. I am in touch with SS sales person already, but would be useful to have this info to decide on how we want to handle the process, before finalizing with her. Thanks for any assistance.

JP - A suggestion to consider: A short drive to the SE of Paris (toward Melun), one can see two most interesting Chateaus - Fontainebleau & Vaux-le-Vicomte. The former started as a royal hunting lodge and was added to by successive kings. It is a huge sprawling complex in a lovely setting, worth seeing for the private areas that are on display. The latter comes with an interesting story. Nicolas Fouquet was a "court financier" (CFO?) to Louis XIV. He committed the error of building a chateau of such grandeur, using such exquisite design, materials & workmanship, that it arguably outshone the King's own digs (Versailles), resulting in much outrage and his being arrested. I assume there was some speculation as to how he could afford such a thing on his salary. Whatever happened, it is one of the most amazing interiors you'll ever see, and well worth the trip. This area is associated with the Barbizon School of landscape painting, examples of which can be seen in the gallery in the town of Barbizon. Obviously, inquire as to whether the places are open before heading down!

My wife and I have a long time butler, name of Higgins. Of an evening, I'll call out "Oh, Higgins - be a good chap and freshen up my G&T, bring me a hassock, & put another piece of oak on the grate, won't you?" As often as not, my G&T is NOT freshened; I have to do it myself. After consulting with the Lady Pat, it has come to my attention that Higgins is our imaginary butler. Imagine that! "Oh, Higgins! Would you be so kind as to fetch another Magnum of Dom Perignon from the cellar? Higgins?? Where IS that man!"

As a fellow geezer, I have to give props to Mick Jagger, not to mention Keith Richards, for surviving being in the rock and roll biz, and still being alive. I know Mick has looked out for his physical health since they began; I remember reading he would go running (jogging as was called then) before jogging was a thing. Mick with a pot belly would not get the job done. Good for him! Keef, of course, just did so much heroin and such that he was a skinny rail - kind of goes with the territory. Between the Beatles and the Stones, my considered opinion is that the Beatles were and are the greatest pop band of all time, and the Stones were/are the greatest Rock band of all time. Beatles ultimately paid homage to the great songbook of both US but also UK, and were incredibly talented, and helped along by others they worked with, like George Martin (5th Beatle). Arguably, Beatles made significant additions to that songbook. The Stones drew heavily on American black musical traditions, so had a legit claim to a blues basis, but also crafted their own image that was somewhere opposite where the Beatles were. Kind of like a two star system where the stars are rotating about their shared center of gravity. The Beatles were fun/cuddly at first, the Stones were dangerous. Note Brian's death. There were and are a huge number of talented bands that have been in the biz in last 50 - 60 years, but these two have to be acknowledged as the two major elements. The longevity of the Rolling Stones is nothing short of amazing.

When we last cruised into Santorini, having done a lot of research, we chose to stay on the ship! Yes, it would be fun to see some of the sights, but we agreed we would rather come by ferry and choose a time with less tourists around. You can visit the website "What's In Port" to see how many 6000 pax ships are disgorging the hoi polloi on any given day. It was quite warm when we were there, and the options for getting around looked like they would involve a lot of waiting in line, unless one wanted to climb the steep stairs/ramp that is shared with donkeys who do what donkeys do, if you get my drift. I've read of people slipping and falling into the unpleasantness, which made for a rather embarrassing trip back to the ship.

Regarding seeing Rolling Stones in concert, my first time was Long Beach, California in May 1965. Next was Pittsburgh, PA summer 1966. My family (ma, pa, four boys) was on cross country car trip, my older brothers heard Stones were playing, some how convinced ma & pa to divert to Pittsburgh, give us money and drop us off to see concert. I was 14. Either they were trusting (not really) or my older brothers were very persuasive (definitely!). Last time was 1981 in Seattle King Dome. All concerts were really good, obviously sound was better at last one. I also had the pleasure of seeing the mop top four (Beatles) at Hollywood Bowl, in California, in August 1964. Again, older brothers managed to get the folks to let little me go with a couple of them, and a high school friend of older brother who had a VW bug. Our seats were pretty good (it is a small venue), but other than the first chord or two, hearing was nothing but girls screaming from then on. Sound systems were super primitive then, just one Vox amp for each guitar, no mikes on drums, and a little PA stack on either side, like you'd see in a high school gym. But it was fun, and I'm glad to be able to say I saw both bands. More recently I had the pleasure of seeing the Zombies, in 2018 in Portland, Oregon, who still tour with two original members (keyboard/composer and distinctive vocalist). One of my all time favorite bands, and great musicians. Of course, for just stellar musicianship, hard to beat seeing Herb Alpert with his awesome band, and lovely wife Lani Hall, who is a fabulous vocal stylist; they seem to be still touring - we last saw in 2019 in Eugene, Oregon.

Am planning on upping my sartorial standards for the next cruise:

Listen, I know that we don't need to take note of every news item of the day, such as whether someone got indicted for 37 felonies, but I do want to note the passing of Astrud Gilberto, the woman who - in her early 20's, never having recorded before, was asked by her hubby to sing on a recording of "Girl From Ipanema", being recorded by her hubby Joao Gilberto and Stan Getz (song written by Antonio Jobim & Vinicius de Moraes). She was paid $120, no residuals. The song was covered by many people, but no one did a better version of it - she was born to sing that song. This was in 1963, I was a pre-teen, but I remember hearing that voice, that instrumentation, that lovely samba composition, and being transported. More, I was beckoned by it, I wanted to know more about the big wide world, outside of my young experience, that could produce such intriguing and seductive sounds. She went on to make a career of singing, and moved to the US from her native Brazil. Around the same time, the Beatles burst upon the scene, and some of their songs had a similar effect, of introducing a view into a more European and grown-up world to my young eyes, shortly after the shock of Kennedy's assassination. We all needed a lift. But today, I salute Astrud for her wonderful and truly timeless gift to us all.

As one of those responsible for some of the more fetid rubbish littering the otherwise broad, clean and welcoming CC SS Boardwalk, I'll comply with Lola's request. Way back in the day, I spent a summer as a commercial fisherman off Oregon coast. Occasionally we would catch Ling Cod, which can get quite large, and with faces only a mother could love. I penned the following, establishing my permanent place in the firmament of literary achievement: Two ling cod were all in a huddle, At the bottom of the Pacific puddle. Said the one to the other, "You're a great ling cod lover - But your face is a constant rebuttal!" I can show myself out, thank you.

I thought the song "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" referred to earth??

Sthrngary, Heavens, you and the missus are just young sprouts - not like some of us Methuselahs that haunt these boards. In addition to being somewhat long in the tooth, I am a skinflint of awesome proportions. Nonetheless, back in the day when we were contemplating our first serious cruise, I spent a long time looking at many of the lines, and assessing the costs and benefits of a smaller ship with more favorable space to passenger ratio, and all the things you aren't dinged for at every turn, and decided SS was a fair proposition for rubles forked over, versus experience delivered. We've done four SS cruises (and few on other, lesser lines), and will continue with SS on our next. We had an experience once where we were walking off a pier, and had to pass nearby the main entrance gangway to a huge mega-ship. We were accosted by their camera toting crew, who planned on pressuring us to buy photos of ourselves once back on board their ship. Au contraire! I was glad we were on the Silver Muse, and didn't have to deal with in-house paparazzi, or any of the other schemes they have to extract as much coin from you as possible. These cruises aren't cheap, but once you get over the paying part, there is a good chance that most people will have a fun, luxurious experience without having to fret about wearing your "drinks badge" or swiping cards at every turn, and can enjoy the services of the crew who - mostly - do a fine job and are eager to please.

My DW and I were booked to sail from NYC to Barcelona (a TA crossing obviously), in March 2020 with stops at Bermuda, and Spanish Islands off west coast of Africa, on the (then newly launched) RSS Splendor, which looked to be a lovely ship. Certain events occurred, which caused the cruise to be canceled. We got our money back, finally, although had made hotel reservations that were non-refundable. I was interested to try something other than SS, which had been our line of preference. We still want to do a TA, and hope maybe will do in near future, as we are not getting any younger! Generally, we have been driven by the itinerary on most of our cruise selections (we did one BTB on Seabourn in 2019 from Venice to Athens, because they had a great list of ports of call), but we have enjoyed SS a lot, on the four cruises we have done with them. Partly, this is due to our not needing to be "entertained", and happy to enjoy the ship and the amenities thereon, the open ocean, and each other's company. We've checked out a few shows, but are more inclined to watch a movie in our humble Veranda Suite. I confess I do like the sort of European vibe on SS, but then we are huge fans of all things Italian, so I'm biased. We've done all the dining venues (this is pre-SALT), and while the offerings at specialty venues are nice, we are big fans of Atlantide & Terrazza; great service, excellent, wide ranging food. For my limited money and limited time, I'm sticking with SS for any future cruises.

Well, here in Oregon, not only must wild waterfowl walk in single file, they also must use the crosswalk:

Admittedly, Florida - unlike Boston - has not had any molasses floods, that I'm aware of. I'll give them that. Plus, the gators sort of clean up the riff raff who venture too close to the water hazards...😛

Uh, actually, getting banned in Florida is now a pretty low bar. I'll go for the tried and true - Banned in Boston. Now we're talkin'!!

Was planning on a leisurely evening yesterday when friends called at 4pm, and accepted an earlier dinner invite. So, took stock of the larder and the refer, had just boiled some eggs, and I keep some good tuna in oil around, so given the hot weather, Salad Nicoise was just the ticket. Did a pretty faithful rendition per Julia Childs "The Way to Cook". There is a big mound of her French tater salad in the middle, over a bed of lettuce, with tuna, eggs, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, anchovies and parsley, all drizzled with a lemon-dijon vinaigrette. It makes a nice one dish meal, and looks good on the platter. Bon appetit!

IMHO, few things beat sitting out on your veranda, with a good book (or, heaven forfend, e-reader) and getting lost in it, for hours on end. There is a small library, or bring your own. Good time for navel-gazing, also, unless, of course, you can no longer view your navel. In which case, off to the gym with you for a work out, or (my personal favorite) walking laps on the promenade. If all else fails, one could try chatting with your POSSLQ (Person of opposite sex sharing living quarters)(that's a literary reference, so don't jump on me for not suggesting optional person of SAME sex...) I'm endlessly interested in watching the surface of the ocean, spotting birds and whales and refugees, or flotsam and jetsam, to say nothing of watching the endless parade of shipping near and far. Approaching ports is always one of my favorite times, especially from the Panorama lounge with a stiff G&T in hand; plus, the crew always needs supervision and suggestions from pax whilst handing the lines when docking. One could also play solitaire til dawn, with a deck of 51. Together with eating and drinking, napping, sleeping, bath time, dressing for dinner - why, there are hardly enough hours in the day!