Freshly ground black pepper.

[Balloon Man]

I love it when the waiter comes to the table with his grinder and goes around to each person asking if they would like "ground black pepper?" Of course that's only because I like ground black pepper on (nearly) everything and it's the only way to obtain my "fix".

 

Sitting at home having dinner this evening I reached for the small pepper grinder we have on the table and suddenly thought: "Why isn't there one of these on every table on every cruise ship?" Why do we have to wait - sometimes a while - while the waiter goes and finds a grinder, returns, and then asks the same question of each person at the table in turn? It's a waste of their time and a waste of our time (while the food is cooling).

 

We are judged clever enough to help ourselves to salt and (what I call sneezy) pepper on the table, so why not ground black pepper?

 

Is it for the drama; the crowning touch to a superb meal? Or is it that nobody has questioned this waste of resources previously?

[no fuss travel]

Service with a smile. In all good restaurants, you have to wait for the waiter to appear with the black pepper grinder.:)

[orchestrapal]

I actually carry a brass pepper mill in my purse. :D

[jpalbny]

They have actually made this change on Silversea recently!

 

It does make it easier in terms of not having to wait, and being able to put just the right amount on your food to satisfy your own individual taste. But OTOH it's a tradeoff because one does miss having someone provide the service for you... All in all we are happy with the change.

[JimandStan]

[ORV]

The less things other people touch, especially around food, the happier I am.

[RachelG]

As jpalbny pointed out, they do have pepper grinders on the tables on silversea. I am another found pepper addict, so I really appreciate this.

[YoHoHo]

The waiter offering fresh ground pepper is often thought of as a final personal touch. It also means there is no salt shaker sitting alone on the table. Regardless of the reason, I agree with ORV on this. I do not like to handle a such a thing as I am about to eat. In my mind I can ignore the many hands that have handled the menu and the fingers that have rested on the arm rests but I can also always excuse myself for a quick moment to wash hands before eating. However 'working' a pepper grinder just before eating would be on my mind - I'll likely skip it. It does seem a little showy to wait to be served pepper but is useful.

Edited December 5, 2013 by YoHoHo

[dorisis]

I never accept the "Freshly Ground Pepper" . I prefer the 2009 vintage.

[findacruise]

I never accept the "Freshly Ground Pepper" . I prefer the 2009 vintage.

 

Ah, but isn't fresh ground pepper like freshly pressed olive oil? The fresher the better???;)

[dorisis]

Ah, but isn't fresh ground pepper like freshly pressed olive oil? The fresher the better???;)

 

Have you tried the vintage peppers?

[S O B]

Gawd, I love pepper on my food! This thread has really made me laugh--and think about my petty obsession--would I rather have a small black pepper grinder on my table to use as I please...or do I prefer the ceremony of the waiter with the humungous industrial-strength foot-long grinder?

 

I confess; I'm torn between the choices. I never thought about it before but why, really, are we given salt shakers (or sometimes salt grinders) but made to wait for the pepper waiter to appear with his impressive dispenser? These days, with high quality designer salts being offered; why are not salts accorded the same reverence?

 

I'm also aware that Oceania famously chooses chefs that tailor meals to the point that we all consider their food the best on the seas. What, then, makes us feel that our delicate palates need to adjust the spices that these world-acclaimed chefs have chosen for our entertainment? Should salt and pepper even be put on the tables or offered by grinder-equipped wait staffers? Or should we simply accept the spice levels chosen by these culinary superstars who know much more than we do how proper food ought to taste?

 

Should ketchup bottles be provided? Or Louisiana Hot Sauce? Worcestershire? Or my personal favorite condiment, Sriacha sauce?

 

I admit, I enjoy the ceremony with both the pepper waiter and, often, the parmesan grater: it's a nice touch. It's like wearing a sports coat to a Oceania restaurant: not required but it adds a small touch to a very classy dining experience.

[Travelcat2]

As jpalbny pointed out, they do have pepper grinders on the tables on silversea. I am another found pepper addict, so I really appreciate this.

 

I liked the pepper grinders so much in La Terrazza (on Silversea) because you could change the grind of the pepper from coarse to fine that I purchased a set when we got home! It is a very good idea to have pepper grinders at the table, however, they need to be a good quality in order to function properly with as much use as it gets.

[Balloon Man]

Gawd, I love pepper on my food! This thread has really made me laugh--and think about my petty obsession--would I rather have a small black pepper grinder on my table to use as I please...or do I prefer the ceremony of the waiter with the humungous industrial-strength foot-long grinder?

 

I confess; I'm torn between the choices. I never thought about it before but why, really, are we given salt shakers (or sometimes salt grinders) but made to wait for the pepper waiter to appear with his impressive dispenser? These days, with high quality designer salts being offered; why are not salts accorded the same reverence?

 

I'm also aware that Oceania famously chooses chefs that tailor meals to the point that we all consider their food the best on the seas. What, then, makes us feel that our delicate palates need to adjust the spices that these world-acclaimed chefs have chosen for our entertainment? Should salt and pepper even be put on the tables or offered by grinder-equipped wait staffers? Or should we simply accept the spice levels chosen by these culinary superstars who know much more than we do how proper food ought to taste?

 

Should ketchup bottles be provided? Or Louisiana Hot Sauce? Worcestershire? Or my personal favorite condiment, Sriacha sauce?

 

I admit, I enjoy the ceremony with both the pepper waiter and, often, the parmesan grater: it's a nice touch. It's like wearing a sports coat to a Oceania restaurant: not required but it adds a small touch to a very classy dining experience.

 

Agree it's not an experience to be sneezed at, but would you also like the waiter to add your salt? Your mayo? Your mustard? Some things need a personal input. Perhaps if they handed the grater to us so we could grind to our heart's content ...?

 

Not sure that Jim n Stan's art deco (?) posting added to the discussion, though one can rarely argue with their contributions. However it seems that Silversea has seen the light (first cruise with that line in 2015) - but not because of their pepper policy.

[S O B]

agree it's not an experience to be sneezed at...

 

lol!

[CintiPam]

Sometimes cruisecritic threads really can lighten the day. Escaping from reality has never felt so good!:)

[JimandStan]

Not sure that Jim n Stan's art deco (?) posting added to the discussion, though one can rarely argue with their contributions.

 

That's what you get for not being intellectually curious, and Googleng Rubirosa :eek:

Doing so could have set you off on a whole new course of discussion...

[ShopperfiendTO]

They have small pepper mills on the tables at Jacques.

 

It was weird... the server asked if we wanted fresh pepper, and when we said yes, he went and got the foot-plus tall one.

 

For the next course, the other waiter just grabbed the mill on our table and ground it (we didn't notice it until then).

 

Anyway, they seemed to be only at Jacques.

Edited December 6, 2013 by ShopperfiendTO
clarification

[Ka Honu]

... We are judged clever enough to help ourselves to salt and (what I call sneezy) pepper on the table, so why not ground black pepper?

 

Is it for the drama; the crowning touch to a superb meal? Or is it that nobody has questioned this waste of resources previously?

 

I guess they think it's classy and that tabletop pepper mills are high maintenance, low return items which might be perceived as desirable keepsakes.

 

The part I don't understand is how they expect you to know you want pepper on your food before you've tasted it.

[orchestrapal]

I guess they think it's classy and that tabletop pepper mills are high maintenance, low return items which might be perceived as desirable keepsakes.

 

The part I don't understand is how they expect you to know you want pepper on your food before you've tasted it.

 

Some of us like pepper on all savory dishes. I even like it on some not-so savory dishes.;)

[cbb]

stanandjim,

i am assuming you are referring not to pepper mills but to the gentleman known for his great charm and bedroom prowess of the 1950s...lover of most of the beautiful women of the era....that Rubirosa? I've seen pix of him in his Palm Beach glory days. Cruisecritic...where you go from pepper to Mr Ever Ready in one thread.

[JimandStan]

stanandjim,

i am assuming you are referring not to pepper mills but to the gentleman known for his great charm and bedroom prowess of the 1950s...lover of most of the beautiful women of the era....that Rubirosa? I've seen pix of him in his Palm Beach glory days. Cruisecritic...where you go from pepper to Mr Ever Ready in one thread.

 

Bring Me the Rubirosa!

 

Even today, louche members of café society rather naughtily refer to an outsized Pepper Mill as a "Rubirosa."

 

I'm not going to explain exactly why, Dear Reader, but if you're curious , it's easy enough to find out by doing only a modest amount of Internet research ;)

[Ka Honu]

In the world of oversized pepper mills, is a "Rubirosa" larger or smaller than a "Dillinger?"

[Balloon Man]

Back to the subject of mini-mills. I think the answer is to take my own. Do you think Oceania would object?

[orchestrapal]

Back to the subject of mini-mills. I think the answer is to take my own. Do you think Oceania would object?

 

They never have, I use mine all the time!