Fried Pickles in the pub-sweet gherkins!?!

[ajoneen]

OMG 

Never have I ever had fried pickles that were sweet. Ive only had dills either slices or spears. 
The last evening of my Merv cruise I tried the fried pickles in the pub and received small sweet gherkins in minimal batter. 
Is that the norm? Im thinking/hoping someone just grabbed the wrong jar. I did send them back and got a refund. 

[lcpagejr]

19 minutes ago, ajoneen said:

OMG 

Never have I ever had fried pickles that were sweet. Ive only had dills either slices or spears. 
The last evening of my Merv cruise I tried the fried pickles in the pub and received small sweet gherkins in minimal batter. 
Is that the norm? Im thinking/hoping someone just grabbed the wrong jar. I did send them back and got a refund. 

Don't know if its the norm or not...But I love sweet pickles. No way I would have returned them!!😂

[rebeccac]

MSC does do a lot of slightly odd things.  Our friends ordered a sausage pizza to their cabin and got a pizza with sliced hot dogs on it.  I do agree, however, fried pickles should be dill, but maybe that is just the way they do it.  

[Homosassa]

1 hour ago, rebeccac said:

MSC does do a lot of slightly odd things.  Our friends ordered a sausage pizza to their cabin and got a pizza with sliced hot dogs on it. 

Not odd at all.

 

People forget they are on an Italian cruise line that has embarkation ports around the world.  Passengers are an international mix and expect some consistency of the MSC on board  experience on whatever itinerary they chose.

 

In Italy, meat is not used on pizza. Occasionally some prosciutto may be used.

 

Hot dogs are a form of sausage and was probably the only available sausage available for "sausage" pizza.

[Mark_T]

1 hour ago, Homosassa said:

People forget they are on an Italian cruise line that has embarkation ports around the world.  Passengers are an international mix and expect some consistency of the MSC on board  experience on whatever itinerary they chose.

Very true, and in the same way that I would never expect to get great curries in the USA, I wouldn't order fried pickles outside the USA 🙂 ... and by extension I would never assume that an Italian line is going to appreciate the subtleties when they are receiving requests for things that are not in their normal range.

 

On the other-hand I would trust the curries served onboard to be authentic as those preparing them are often very familiar with the proper preparation and serving of these dishes, just don't expect them to be the same as you might find in the USA.. 

 

It really is just things that are largely not prepared outside of the USA, or those not typically prepared in the same manner as the USA that have a higher risk factor attached to them...

[Homosassa]

14 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

Very true, and in the same way that I would never expect to get great curries in the USA, I wouldn't order fried pickles outside the USA 🙂 ...

 

 

On the other hand, the US is a nation of immigrants which means that one can find authentic ethnic cuisine from any culture in restaurants that are run by those immigrants and served to their fellow immigrants and those who appreciate food from different cultures.

 

By the way, I have indulged in fried pickles at times, and yes, they can be sour dills, half sour, or sweet depending on the restaurant  and the dipping sauce that is served with them.

 

Just because one has been limited to heavily breaded dill slices doesn't mean lighter breading, pickle types and dipping sauces are not served in other locations.

 

I recently enjoy lightly breaded fried new pickle slices served with a green chimichurri sauce - fabulous.

[Mark_T]

6 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

On the other hand, the US is a nation of immigrants which means that one can find authentic ethnic cuisine from any culture in restaurants that are run by those immigrants and served to their fellow immigrants and those who appreciate food from different cultures.

Having lived and worked in Texas for a good few years, and traveled a lot to both east and west coast, I'd have to agree that you can certainly find authentic cuisine, but certainly not without some research as there has been a lot of modification to suit local tastes, pizza being the most obvious example...

 

The UK is not so different either, many items on the Indian menus here would be unfamiliar in India, and the same is true for Chinese food as well.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2023 by Mark_T

[dexddd]

6 hours ago, rebeccac said:

MSC does do a lot of slightly odd things.  Our friends ordered a sausage pizza to their cabin and got a pizza with sliced hot dogs on it.  I do agree, however, fried pickles should be dill, but maybe that is just the way they do it.  

I guess we got lucky when we ordered a sausage pizza, not on menu, and got Jone's Dairy Farm breakfast sausage on pizza.  They do offer a Supreme now with sausage but not brave enough to try.  Just order the pepperoni and life good.

[PTC DAWG]

I like all kinds of fried pickles

[benjaminnicholas]

6 hours ago, Mark_T said:

Very true, and in the same way that I would never expect to get great curries in the USA

 

Ah, but as others have already said, the US is a country of immigrants.  It's our strength.

 

I can take you to many Indian spots in NYC, San Francisco and Chicago that would rival the best curries in India.  Having traveled extensively through India, I can attest.

[8420PR]

11 hours ago, dexddd said:

Just order the pepperoni and life good.

Be careful, there are multiple posts complaining about peperoni pizza on MSC:

 

Peperoni in Italy:

 

Pepperoni in US:

 

The Italian name for pepperoni pizza is "pizza alla diavola".

[8420PR]

11 hours ago, dexddd said:

Just order the pepperoni and life good.

Be careful, there are multiple posts complaining about peperoni pizza on MSC:

 

Peperoni in Italy:

 

Pepperoni in US:

 

The Italian name for pepperoni pizza is "pizza alla diavola".

[dexddd]

4 hours ago, 8420PR said:

Be careful, there are multiple posts complaining about peperoni pizza on MSC:

 

Peperoni in Italy:

 

Pepperoni in US:

 

The Italian name for pepperoni pizza is "pizza alla diavola".

I guess post 11and 12 first I've seen. 

[Homosassa]

I thought about posting about the US invention of  peperoni as a cheaper, fattier substitute for salami, but I am glad 8420PR did so.

 

I am surprised there was peperoni on the ship as MSC usually  has a good quality salami on board.