I Don’t Believe It! Gotta Ask RuthC…

[bcd2010]

Received my copy of the latest Mariner Magazine – The Food Issue. On page 10, it says they use 75 pounds of chocolate on a typical cruise. That sounds low, so I did the math using conservative parameters – a 7-day cruise, 1500 pax (for ease of math) and no chocolate for crew, staff, officers, entertainers, etc. – ONLY for the 1500 pax.

 

75 pounds = 1200 ounces divided by 1500 pax = 4/5 ounce each.

 

Really? Lets eliminate chocolate coming on board in other forms – pillow chocolates, chocolate in ready-made ice cream/cookies/pastries and decide that half the passengers don’t eat chocolate. That still comes out to about a candy bar each for the whole week – for all the Volcano Cakes, Triple Chocolate Decadent whatevers, chocolate bread pudding, chocolate mousse, etc. – and the Chocolate Extravaganza (okay, it’s often the Dessert Extravaganza, but still…).

 

What do you think? Especially Ruth – are you actually getting your chocolate fix on only 4/5 ounce per cruise?:);)

[CruiserBruce]

I don't think everybody is as chocolate additced and you, RuthC and I.

 

They may be getting more ready made chocolate than you are recognizing.

[Two@Sea]

I noticed that "75 pounds of chocolate per cruise" figure in the latest Mariner magazine also, and couldn't believe it either! I would never question how many eggs, or veggies, or chickens they estimate... but that chocolate amount just jumped off the page at me! :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

WRONG

this chocolate-holic has to bring her own dark chocolate with her -- the last few cruises there has been less and less candies made from drak chocolate -- and i need my dark chocolate every day -- healthier for you

in fact -- i just finished eating a Dove Dark chocolate

and remember white chocolate doesn't count as it is not chocolate

[BCEagle78]

Gee, I would have expected that they use more than 75 lbs, just in pillow chocolate... maybe they don't count that in the 75 lbs.

[3rdGenCunarder]

WRONG

 

this chocolate-holic has to bring her own dark chocolate with her -- the last few cruises there has been less and less candies made from drak chocolate -- and i need my dark chocolate every day -- healthier for you

 

in fact -- i just finished eating a Dove Dark chocolate

 

and remember white chocolate doesn't count as it is not chocolate

 

LOL! That's an ongoing "discussion" in my house. I love REAL chocolate, DH likes white chocolate. But it's only half chocolate, the cocoa butter half (this statement assumes it's good quality white chocolate, not the totally fake stuff). It's the cocoa solids that have the flavor and antioxidants.

 

So look at it this way, the people who are eating white chocolate are leaving behind the good cocoa solids, which are used to enrich the extra-yummy, extra-dark GOOD chocolate for the chocoholic crowd!

 

And I don't believe the 75 pounds statistic, either. Unless that's just bars of cooking chocolate. Do cakes, mousses, puddings, choc chip cookies come on board as mixes?

[Krazy Kruizers]

LOL! That's an ongoing "discussion" in my house. I love REAL chocolate, DH likes white chocolate. But it's only half chocolate, the cocoa butter half (this statement assumes it's good quality white chocolate, not the totally fake stuff). It's the cocoa solids that have the flavor and antioxidants.

 

So look at it this way, the people who are eating white chocolate are leaving behind the good cocoa solids, which are used to enrich the extra-yummy, extra-dark GOOD chocolate for the chocoholic crowd!

 

And I don't believe the 75 pounds statistic, either. Unless that's just bars of cooking chocolate. Do cakes, mousses, puddings, choc chip cookies come on board as mixes?

 

some do

[crusinbanjo]

Seems to me that they could easily use 75lbs of Chocolate a day, particularly on some of the large ships. Given that they do the thing on the lido with the food displays and all. Got to be 75 lbs of chocolate right there! I'll have to check my Mariner Magazine as well. I noticed it arrived today but have yet to look at it.

[jkrislc]

I'm guessing that might be pure baking chocolate that is further reduced with cream, eggs, milk, etc. Think of it as the base for everything that is chocolate. Even the chocolate suffles don't have that much chocolate in them, so I could see where 75 pounds could be accurate. Even if they are dipping fruit in chocolate, it is usually only half chocolate and the rest is "filler" (e.g., oil).

[RuthC]

I didn't see the article. But this news would explain why the chocolate desserts just aren't as satisfying as they used to be. The flavor isn't there anymore. Cut back on real chocolate, and use fake.

Remember the chocolate cake they used to serve on the first night? Heavenly. The chocolate tulip? Oh, so many decadent chocolate desserts that we don't get anymore. :(

It can make a chocolate goddess cry.

[kazu]

We haven't received our Mariner magazine yet :eek: but I do find that hard to believe. They have to be not counting a lot of stuff. We don't eat much chocolate - but I have seen how it is devoured in the MDR & the Pinnacle so, there has to be something more here;) (Ruth, you can have mine:D)

[SilvertoGold]

I think they mean actual baking chocolate and not anything pre-made that is brought onto the ship.

If you consider that most desserts are frozen, then the 75 pounds makes sense. Not included would be the pilow chocolates, the premade chocolates in the Explorer's Lounge, cocoa, etc.

[RuthC]

(Ruth, you can have mine:D)

I rescued many, many unwanted pillow chocolates on my last cruise.

It was a 32-day cruise, and I came home with 153 of them. Gave them a good temporary shelter, too. ;)

[bcd2010]

...this news would explain why the chocolate desserts just aren't as satisfying as they used to be...

 

That's what I was thinking - there's nothing like having a chocolate dessert put in front of you that looks luscious, rich, etc. then biting into it and wondering if you've lost your sense of taste. On my last cruise (after an absence of several years) I found myself eating a lot of desserts - as if I was in search of the flavors.

 

Wonder how that rich dark chocolate look is achieved? Presentation is nice, and they do a great job with plating their desserts (and meals in general), but taste matters more.

 

I looked at some of the menus ironin put on their blog and notice that of the 4 desserts per night (not counting the ice cream desserts) no more than 2 - and sometimes 0 - desserts had chocolate in them, and usually not as the main focus of the dish.

 

Of all things to conserve...

 

I rescued many, many unwanted pillow chocolates on my last cruise.

It was a 32-day cruise, and I came home with 153 of them. Gave them a good temporary shelter, too.

 

How do you "rescue" them (I'm imagining you "dumpster diving" - that can't be!).

 

Temporary - hahaha!

[RuthC]

I looked at some of the menus ironin put on their blog and notice that of the 4 desserts per night (not counting the ice cream desserts) no more than 2 - and sometimes 0 - desserts had chocolate in them, and usually not as the main focus of the dish.

My last cruise had a scrumptious lemon dessert many (most?) nights. Delicious. Full of tart/sweet flavor. I looked past the chocolate offerings and went straight for the lemon.

[COLLEYBERRY]

My last cruise had a scrumptious lemon dessert many (most?) nights. Delicious. Full of tart/sweet flavor. I looked past the chocolate offerings and went straight for the lemon.

 

 

Are you sure you're okay Ruth ???:D....Hey...you wouldn't be trying to divert people away from chocolate choices would you ??:D

[jcrandle]

I rescued many, many unwanted pillow chocolates on my last cruise.

 

It was a 32-day cruise, and I came home with 153 of them. Gave them a good temporary shelter, too. ;)

 

Ah, at the home for battered chocolates, no doubt;)

[iancal]

Makes sense to us. On Hal, and on some other lines, we are tasting more 'sweet' than we are that wonderful cocao in chocolate desserts. I suspect that this is a sign of a cutback in food budgets accross the cruise lines.

[kazu]

My last cruise had a scrumptious lemon dessert many (most?) nights. Delicious. Full of tart/sweet flavor. I looked past the chocolate offerings and went straight for the lemon.

 

Sure Ruth and then you went to everyone's cabins and stole all the chocolate off the pillows right? :D:D or you just got the cabin steward to give you 5 every night?:)

[Boytjie]

I don't think everybody is as chocolate additced and you, RuthC and I.

 

I am not addicted to it, I just like it a lot! :D

 

And I like my chocolates the way I am... bitter. ;)

[Boytjie]

I rescued many, many unwanted pillow chocolates on my last cruise.

 

It was a 32-day cruise, and I came home with 153 of them. Gave them a good temporary shelter, too. ;)

 

Rescued or kidnapped? :eek:

[RuthC]

Sure Ruth and then you went to everyone's cabins and stole all the chocolate off the pillows right? :D:D or you just got the cabin steward to give you 5 every night?:)

Oh, no. Steal? Me? I wouldn't steal chocolates (or anything else). Liberate? Sure, I might do that. But I didn't have to. :D

Since I pay a single supplement I asked the cabin steward if I could have two chocolates at night. He agreed that was fair.

Four people I knew didn't want theirs, so gave me handsful a few times over the course of their cruise when I offered to find them (the chocolates) a good home. It wouldn't have been nice to abandon them in unattended nightstands when the ship was going into drydock.

<hic>

[DeepWaterMariner]

I'm guessing that might be pure baking chocolate that is further reduced with cream, eggs, milk, etc. Think of it as the base for everything that is chocolate. Even the chocolate suffles don't have that much chocolate in them, so I could see where 75 pounds could be accurate. Even if they are dipping fruit in chocolate, it is usually only half chocolate and the rest is "filler" (e.g., oil).

 

I think you are correct. A little chocolate goes a long way in recipes like chocolate mousse where most of the volume is eggs, butter, sugar, and cream or egg whites. BTW, those aren't fillers, its the stuff that makes chocolate sweet, smooth, and rich.

[kazu]

Oh, no. Steal? Me? I wouldn't steal chocolates (or anything else). Liberate? Sure, I might do that. But I didn't have to. :D

 

Since I pay a single supplement I asked the cabin steward if I could have two chocolates at night. He agreed that was fair.

 

Four people I knew didn't want theirs, so gave me handsful a few times over the course of their cruise when I offered to find them (the chocolates) a good home. It wouldn't have been nice to abandon them in unattended nightstands when the ship was going into drydock.

<hic>

 

I was kidding ( I hope you knew that) - but I knew you finangled a way to get more than one chocolate on your pillow a night. if you are ever on our cruise - you are more than welcome to most of our chocolates too:D:D

 

We just like a couple and the rest are given away:)

 

Heaven forbid chocolate ever be abandoned. ;)

[mamaofami]

I need to figure out something for my upcoming cruise. DH used to save his pillow chocolates for me, but now he eats them.