what is it with lobster?

[jimbo23]

as a fairly outnumbered cc boardmember in terms of american /uk .

 

What is it with lobster with you guys?

 

Is it the equivalent of fish and chips ?

 

People seem to really look forward to lobster night in the restaurant

 

Jim

[bcc99]

Hey, Jim...lobster is perceived as something of a luxury item, usually too expensive to be practical and not easy to get it fresh unless you're near a coast. The chance to get it (and maybe a second helping) without having to pay the steep market price is pretty exciting...it's kind of "exotic" or different for us. Cheers! :)

[newmexicoNita]

as a fairly outnumbered cc boardmember in terms of american /uk .

 

What is it with lobster with you guys?

 

Is it the equivalent of fish and chips ?

 

People seem to really look forward to lobster night in the restaurant

 

Jim

Jim, it's just not quite the same: I am a lover of fish and chips, I am also a lover of Lobster, but they are just not the same. As we all know, expecially our friends in the UK, fish and chips are deep fried, served with vinegar hopefully and ever so good and fatning: If I am not mistaken the fish is usually Cod or something similar and served with french fries. it can be a main dinner dish or served as a snack; either way it's wonderful,but certainly not gourmet and rather inexpenisive. On the other hand Lobster is a shell fish, very expensive, very sweet and although served with butter it certainly is not deep fried. To us Lobster is about the most gourmet and expensive meal we eat. All I want on my next cruise is some of both. LOL

 

NMNita

[smeyer418]

Jim

A very good question. As others point out this is generally considered a luxury item. Sort of like escargo is considered by others or beef wellington. Unfortunately what you get as lobster is more likely "lobster" tails. which are really a type of crayfish---but they are good almost as expensive as lobster. Maine lobster that is....

[jimbo23]

Jim, it's just not quite the same: I am a lover of fish and chips, I am also a lover of Lobster, but they are just not the same. As we all know, expecially our friends in the UK, fish and chips are deep fried, served with vinegar hopefully and ever so good and fatning: If I am not mistaken the fish is usually Cod or something similar and served with french fries. it can be a main dinner dish or served as a snack; either way it's wonderful,but certainly not gourmet and rather inexpenisive. On the other hand Lobster is a shell fish, very expensive, very sweet and although served with butter it certainly is not deep fried. To us Lobster is about the most gourmet and expensive meal we eat. All I want on my next cruise is some of both. LOL

 

NMNita

 

I'm with you and shoreguy by the way on the transatlantic .so I'll get the chance to see if you succeed in getting some,

I really meant that fish and chips is seen to be a pretty "british" dish and to see some of the postings on this an other boards lobster seems to be a pretty popular dish with our american cousins.I suppose that most of us over here are never too far away from the sea and take seafood for granted.You don't seem to do the same.

[Hikini]

I look forward to lobster night, simply because as someone already mentioned, it's like getting a high priced item without having to pay for it, so to speak. The lobster on the NCL Sky was better than the lobster we had on the Star, but it could have just been the batch. Both were good, and I'm looking forward to having it on the Spirit in September. Part of the "problem" (for lack of a better word) with the lobster on the Star is they served it over a bed of something (I do not know what it was) and it wasn't tasty at all. Ate the lobster and left the "stuff". But, as you all know, if you want more you can order more.:p

 

Hikini:D

[Wennfred]

What is it with lobster with you guys?

 

Lobster taste very good dipped in butter !!!, also its very expensive here in San Diego as well as other places Im sure, A good Lobster Tail could cost about 45.00, so when they service us Lobster we feast !!!

[Surfgirl]

Lobster is just.... mmmmmm... amazing! I love it, dipped in clarified butter.

 

Of course, my favorite is Maine lobster stuffed with crab meat-- but Lobster Tail is quite yummy as well (which is what is served on the ships). I'm with all of my fellow Americans here... I REALLY look forward to lobster night!

 

The only thing I look forward to more is the chocolate buffet!

[Welove2cruise2]

they take it out of the shell for you! I would NEVER order lobster in the shell in a restaurant! We usually buy lobsters and cook them at home. They're SOOO messy! Especially if they're just boiled! But when DH bake-stuffs them -- yuck! Don't want to watch, otherwise I wouldn't eat them!

 

But I love ordering lobster on board because they take it out of the shell for you, so it's much less messy to eat! Even the little lobster tails they serve are so much more "dignified" to eat in the dining room when they de-shell them for you! :D

[BellaOnline]

What's really funny is that the lobster-as-luxury is a relatively new thing. It used to be that lobster was the thing poor people ate who couldn't afford "real food". Who would eat that nasty crawly thing that was pulled off of the ocean floor?

 

My friends tell a story of going camping up in Canada and bringing lobster with them to eat. The people at the next camp looked over and felt sorry for them. My friends were politely asked if they wouldn't rather come over and have burgers instead. My friends declined just as politely and kept on eating their lobster :)

 

So a lot of it depends on what you're used to and what you are raised to see as "different" :)

[smeyer418]

LOL I was going to tell the story that Lobster was feed to prisoners in Maine as it was basically considered junk. Same is true for Salmon, which at one time when servants were able to get a contract would specify that salmon couldn't be served more than 3 times a week. Times change and now beef is relatively cheap(in the US anyway)....

[CruisinMatt]

I prefer "Creme Brulee" night over Lobster! ;) :D

[SRUTKO1226]

We always have lobster on New Year's Day. My kids always look forward to it. In the mountains of landlocked PA I only see live lobsters in restaurants. Frozen tails are very expensive.

 

We saw one pound tails at a Shopper's club for $22 and bought them.

 

Both my children's significant others hate lobster. So I made them what they wanted....chicken.:confused:

[Jim Gallup]

Due to the high cost of real lobster, and the current American habit of stuffing themselves with anything that resembles a lobster, the "Lobster" you find on cruise ships these days is not what you might think it is.

 

They are politely called "Slipper Lobsters". When alive, they resemble something between a crayfish and a frog. They mostly come from warm water (with questionable pollution content) off the coast of Brazil. They are harvested and frozen for years before the cruise line gets them. Then they are quickly cooked by the thousands (forget quality control) and served to frenzied diners who try to eat as many as possible in a very short time. Since the quality is not the best, the cruise lines serve them with plenty of lemons and seasoned butter. What do they taste like? Mostly lemon and seasoned butter - with the stringy consistency of shellfish that was frozen way too long.

[whale-watcher]

They are politely called "Slipper Lobsters". When alive, they resemble something between a crayfish and a frog. They mostly come from warm water (with questionable pollution content) off the coast of Brazil. They are harvested and frozen for years before the cruise line gets them. Then they are quickly cooked by the thousands (forget quality control) and served to frenzied diners who try to eat as many as possible in a very short time.

I had been feeling sorry that we skipped lobster night in the dining room on our past 2 princess cruises because we didn't feel like dressing up for a second time; for some some reason, I am feeling a little better about our decision;) !

[SRUTKO1226]

The lobster in Le Bistro is the real thing.

[newmexicoNita]

I'm with you and shoreguy by the way on the transatlantic .so I'll get the chance to see if you succeed in getting some,

I really meant that fish and chips is seen to be a pretty "british" dish and to see some of the postings on this an other boards lobster seems to be a pretty popular dish with our american cousins.I suppose that most of us over here are never too far away from the sea and take seafood for granted.You don't seem to do the same.

Jim maybe we will all eat together on Lobster night and we will show you why we are so crazy over our Lobster!!! NMNita

lol

[Host CMLA]

I don't care so much for ship's lobster. I usually get excited over the lamb dishes because I can't make that as good at home. Also, I'm originally from just outside of New Orleans. I'm picky about seafood and ship's lobster doesn't taste that great to me. But that leaves more for those of you that do love it! ;)

[sunshine 229]

The lobster in Le Bistro is the real thing.

When you say 'the real thing do you mean real east coast lobster complete with claws?

 

I've had the lobster tails they serve on lobster night and while they were better on some ships than on others they were never the sweet, succulent east coast lobsters we get here. Nothing terribly wrong with them just not the same creature at all. If they serve the real thing in Le Bistro iy might be worth the extra charge right there.

[tigerlilycruiser12]

We are lucky in Ma. I get the best Maine Lobster here all the time. It is wonderful. ;) The ship only gives you the tails. Sometimes they are good, sometimes not. I have never seen a whole lobster served even from le bristo.

[kalamari]

There are two takes on the lobster, the passengers view and the companyy's view. Passenger view: "It's lobster, I don't typically buy it because it's expensive, so therefore even if I don't need to eat more than one I paid for it so I'm going to eat as many as I can" (I've seen this happen). Ship company's view: 1) It's not as pricey as one might think for them to buy, especially the amounts that they buy, and from foreign ports, 2) While it's a nice touch to have the server take it out of the shell, the real reason why they do this is to move people out of the dining room quickly, as many are not familiar with how to take a lobster out of the shell and people need to be shuffled (this is what the darling boy who works on the ship says).

 

I like lobster, and I don't mind cooking it, but when you think about it, it's still cheaper to buy one and cook it at home, if you dont mind cooking it. I guess when I think what I spend on a night out in a retaurant because I was too tired to cook, etc. I could probably have had a lobster at home and enjoyed it as much instead of wasting money on order out chinese, etc! Menina

 

 

 

as a fairly outnumbered cc boardmember in terms of american /uk .

 

What is it with lobster with you guys?

 

Is it the equivalent of fish and chips ?

 

People seem to really look forward to lobster night in the restaurant

 

Jim

[naragonl]

they take it out of the shell for you! I would NEVER order lobster in the shell in a restaurant! We usually buy lobsters and cook them at home. They're SOOO messy! Especially if they're just boiled! But when DH bake-stuffs them -- yuck! Don't want to watch, otherwise I wouldn't eat them!

 

But I love ordering lobster on board because they take it out of the shell for you, so it's much less messy to eat! Even the little lobster tails they serve are so much more "dignified" to eat in the dining room when they de-shell them for you! :D

 

 

Yes boiled lobster can be very messy, that's why if not broiling (can get too dry), I prefer STEAMING. I use very little water in pot and lift the lobsters a bit off the bottom. This way not too much water get's inside (not messy this way) and real good.

 

btw- I love lobster, I can de-shell and eat a whole 1 1/2 in about 5 minutes or less, but then again when lobster is available, I'll probably go thru 2-3 (I've done more but age has caught up to me). :mad:

[Welove2cruise2]

Thanks for the cooking tip naragonl! My DH is the cook in this house (especially lobster); most of the time he makes them baked-stuffed -- YUM! It could be that he does steam them (when he cooks them that way) but I just stay out of the way when he's in the kitchen! I think the biggest problem I have with lobster is that I really don't know how to get it out of the shell properly, and I make a big mess! :D

 

BTW, when we were on the Dawn in November, we went to dinner one night at Cagney's -- now, if you want REAL lobster, that is the place to go! Apparently they have a huge lobster tank somewhere on the ship with BIG whole, live lobsters! We didn't have the lobster that night, but I can't wait to go back on the Dawn because I WILL have it next time! :p

[vijoge]

as a fairly outnumbered cc boardmember in terms of american /uk .

 

What is it with lobster with you guys?

 

Is it the equivalent of fish and chips ?

 

People seem to really look forward to lobster night in the restaurant

 

Jim

 

Beats me. I don't like lobster and I never eat it. My husband loves it, but he buys live lobsters and cooks them at home.

[Happy ks]

I don't particularly understand the facination with lobster onboard cruise ships, but I'm not a big lobster lover, unless it's the whole lobster and it is fresh. The lobster we've had onboard cruise ships is overcooked, dry and rubbery, not at all what lobster is supposed to be. The best lobster I've ever had was fresh, from the coast of Maine, purchased that day and cooked up by my cousin.

 

For me, there are other, more tasty choices for dinner. Stay away from the chicken on cruise ships, too, it always tastes re-heated.

 

I actually prefer the appetizers to the main dishes and will order 2 and skip the entre.