capncarp

A landslide for Los Cinco Soles; pure, well-flavored, safe (no coumarin--it states so on the label), and very affordable. Buy a couple to share when you get back home; great for holiday baking season.

So, back to the thread: anyone have an experience recently while cruising with Indian cuisine? Good? Bad? Why/why not? :)

Let me first apologize for not reading 19 pages of responses.

 

IMHO, the reason Indian is chosen is because of Staff. Most of the staff is from Indian and Philippines (1,000+ people on a large cruise ship), including the cooking staff. So, if they are making food for staff, it is easy to scale it up a little more to offer a "vegetarian" dish for the customers. Plus, the cooking staff, being from India, is likely to have Indian food as one of the better (authentic) cuisines they make.

Dear richmke: it's a pity you hadn't gone back and read many of the prior posts; while at first the party who is being discussed had several "me-too" responses, but after that shock at the tone and color of the conversation had ebbed, the overwhelming (and I'm not exaggerating--I counted) wave of responses were neutral, eat-and-let-eat at least, and rather positive and enthusiastic in support for the rest. Myself included. Very few of those who expressed a positive opinion of Indian food seemed to post much in the way of derogatory statements about _other_ styles and cultures of cuisine. Except perhaps the poor, overcooked, dessicated and carbonized hotdogs and hamburgers, which had a VERY few VERY loyal defenders.;)

Do go back and peek at the conversations, for your own edification. And the Ignore button is quite handy for dealing with posters who in your opinion have nothing valuable to contribute.:cool:

One might exercise caution if the pottery is glazed: one never knows if there might be lead in the glaze.

http://www.amazon.com/3M-717834209102DUPE-LeadCheck-Swabs-8-Pack/dp/B008BK15PU

We will be cruising on Carnival Miracle in January and I plan to try the Indian vegetarian selection in the Main Dining Room. I've never had Indian food before but I've found pictures of Carnival's selections. It's served in 6 or 7 small bowls. I'm wondering what is the correct way to eat it. Do you ettleat each selection separately or mix them together? Looking forward to trying something new!

That style is known as a thali. Usually each diner is served on a small platter with either rotis, naan, other bread, or a heap of rice in the center. The little cups, known as kathoris, are each placed on the outside of the platter, each receive a small amount of a different entree, like dals, kormas, or other dishes. One scoops the dal/etc. with a piece of bread, or mixes a little rice with a little of the content of one of the cups. If you are adventurous, you may mix the savory with the rice, form it into a small ball with (washed) hand, and pop it into your mouth by hand. This is not considered rude within the culture, although it's best to practice this a few times at home first.

Go forth and have a culinary and cultural adventure!

Not to steal the thunder of the Made in Roatan Shop, but a little further into Coxen's Hole on the right/ocean side of the street is Yaba Ding Ding, a shop that sells native crafts produced by local women to financially support the women who use the traditional methods to make the native artforms.

Fabric, Lenca pottery, and wooden artifacts may be purchased there; we picked up a Jaguar pot to take home with us.

Check out both places, and support the local industry and arts.:cool:

Best way to deal with this is to take your son to an allergist immediately after an outbreak. Asking here can only give you non definitive possibilities.

What they said, only go to an allergist whether there's an outbreak or not. They can provide a broad-spectrum sensitivity test with dozens of common allergens on an array of pins, plus one control pin that will absolutely make you react to the allergen. I had one of those multiple tests, and only the control one made me itch.

When many new and interesting things are offered, DW and I, and our family and godchildren (etc., etc.) share the dishes around, Chinese restaurant style, so that anyone interested may order another to share with others who liked it a little later in the meal. Those who aren't impressed may order some other item. This way, the food generally doesn't get wasted, one gets to have as much of a particular dish as desired, and the opportunities for new experiences broaden dramatically. And for those who view our less-than-regal dining behavior in the trading of dishes as an abomination against "proper" dining etiquette:eek:, I am sure they will survive the traumatic experience.

We'll be too busy to notice, sharing good food and good company.;)

NCL served Indian Food daily in the Buffet. I "tried" as I wanted to try something different since it was available. Curry just isn't my thing, period in Thai or Jamacian Dishes I just cannot do curry. On the upside there are a TON of other options onboard.

That's as fair an effort as one can hope for. Kudos to you for trying it.

And a double bravo to you for your still-adventurous outlook! Keep on trying the other options!

We docked at Falmouth 2 years ago and there was store in the port area that sold Jamaican Blue Coffee. They gave away samples. He LOVED it!

 

Does anyone know if you can get it in decaf???

:confused:Blue Mountain DECAF?????:(:eek:

The gods of the Holy Coffee Bean will punish you for that!;)

we bought ours in the little supermarket in the strip mall across from the Craft Market in Ocho Rios. It is near the KFC (shudder)--imagine a KFC in the land of Jerk chicken!!! The coffee was very reasonable (IIRC about $10 USD/lb) there in 2005; others on our cruise bought theirs from street corner vendors and paid about $30 USD/lb.

Of course, if you want to screw _him_ over, go to an oriental market and buy Joss money (used to provide for the departed's afterlife in Buddhist belief).

Take a wad of Joss money and wrap a $1 around it. Boy will he be surprised when he peels off the outer bill. If he does it too soon (in front of you) tell him it's for the good of his soul. I think it would be worth the $1 plus materials.;)

Never too cold for someone that swims in Lake Michigan after it was frozen solid for 3 months. [emoji23][emoji23]

That's impressive. But I'd be even more impressed if you told me you swam in it WHILE it was frozen over!:eek:

Don't forget to say hi to Topher (that's shortened from "Chris-topher") and get your free shot of local rum:

http://www.jacksshack.tc/Rum-Tasting-Grand-Turk.php

Just to reinforce the point; The film "The Cove" shows what happens to the unpicked/unselected dolphins that don't get to go to Dolphin Interaction gigs throughout the Caribbean and elsewhere. Pretty gruesome and NOT what you want in your head as your image of what happens to "Flipper's less attractive cousin".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cove_%28film%29

Good luck, hope you find a nice, humane, natural setting to interact with sea creatures. May I suggest Gibb Cay, which is a pristine island a mile east of Grand Turk, with a wade-out off the beach encounter site. DW and I were looking at that for a cruise that included Grand Turk.

We hit Cozumel four days after Thanksgiving 2005; it was sunny and steamy that day. Photos I took on the tender (the mid-town dock was still under repair from a hurricane that sat for more than a day right overhead) have a very hazy cast to them Not sure what climate change may have wought since then, but i'd bet on the warm side

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coumarin

Yes, it is related to coumadin, but internal usage can cause liver damage in animal tests. So it is not only a fake flavor, it is also an adulterant, _and_ harmful, to boot.

The stuff we got at Los Cinco Soles (the five suns) is labelled specifically: "Does not contain coumarin" which is what you want to see on your vanilla label.

Yes, you who have recently come back from a cruise on which Indian food was offered. Time to dish on your experiences!

What ship were you on? What itinerary?

How was the selection, the presentation, the flavor?

What dishes were offered, what accompaniments, and breads? Soups? Raita, chutnies, or pickles? Desserts/sweets/Spiced chai?

What was the apparent response--scarcely touched/pointedly ignored by a disinterested clientele--

OR--mobbed, with people fighting over the last samosa?

(you may write on both the front and back of the screen, if needed.:p)

BTW - our daughter loves the water and animals (not just the usual dogs, cats, but she loves lizards, geckos, bugs, etc). She's been swimming since 6 months.

Sounds like your DD would have a grand time and a wonderful experience. If she can deal with affectionate cats (BTW, love Bookbabe's idea of the catnip in a room full of cats--very much like a sandbar full of inquisitive and squid-seeking 'rays ;)) DD will do just fine--better probably than some adults!

My take, FWIW: give her the opportunity, give her the ground rules (slide, don't step; don't put your arm/hand directly below the center of the ray where the vacuum mouth is; etc.) and let her guide her own experience herself. Kiss a ray for us!

Just three things I would consider grossest

 

Raw Oysters

Liver (but love smooth pate)

Fennel

 

Then no love for bell peppers, artichoke, aubergine or lamb.

 

I have eaten all sorts of things especially when I lived in the Far East where anything and I mean anything with a pulse is fair game!

If you object to the strong anise flavor of uncooked fennel, DW found a lovely recipe for "Braised Fennel and Carrots" for our Godson's wedding reception (DW provided the meal for the dozen or so vegetarian or vegan guests) which has a bit of dill cooked in with the veggies. None of its raw sharp licorice taste remains _after_ it is done cooking; it has a very subtle flavor. Similar to the way garlic's pungency is tempered and mellowed by slow baking in a closed pot. It's definitely worth a try.:cool:

Stand by for dumb question:

Anyone know if any of the lines makes a non-meat-stock vegetarian version of French onion soup? DW (lacto-ovo veg) loves it but will not eat meat-based foods, so she finds most French onion soups barred to her:(.

Living so close to the U.S./Mexico border I have had the pleasure of eating in an around Ensenada, for a long time, but I haven't been there in a couple years. DW and I plan on hitting our favorite places La Guerrerense and Breve Cafe, but i'm sure you guys have some other favorites, so please share. My idea of a shore excursion is eating all the real indigenous foods.

While my chances of exploring the Left Coast is currently slim, I applaud your broadminded sense of gustatorial adventure! May local home cookin' always be found readily, and may Montezuma go un-revenged!:D

For those who wish to actually _read_ the article alluded to (but not linked to or explained by the original poster), here is the article I found on MSN from August 25.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/8-foods-to-avoid-on-a-cruise/ss-BBlTcay?ocid=fbmsn#image=1

Almost all are problems that could happen on dry land or at a local restaurant. The site also has another article raising the boogieman of losing one's health due to a cruise. May we assume that MSN couldn't get cruise lines to advertise on their media, so scare tactics and sour grapes are their rejoinders? :p

Blue Mountain Coffee from Jamaica.

Hot (and I mean _HOT_) sauce from Costa Rica/Honduras/Belize.

Vanilla extract from Mexico.

<SNIP>

It's now one of our family's favorites, and we try new Indian recipes from time to time; some are winners, some are not... but we definitely love the blending of all the spices, and the velvety richness that's just unlike anything else!!:D

May all your culinary experiments be interesting:confused:, at least, if not all wonderful. You can always learn from a mistake, and, sometimes, mistakes can be better than you originally planned. Try keeping detailed notes on the spicing and techniques, and if they worked well :) or not :eek:. I once reverse-engineered a recipe of hummus that my DW makes "by the nose" by starting with a baseline recipe and adding small amounts of various ingredients, mixing them in, having her taste the result and comment, and jotting down the extra tablespoonfuls and teaspoonfuls and eighth-teaspoonfuls it took to bring it to her liking.

And be sure to invite your neighbors, friends, kids' friends and others to share your new food-vistas!