Nom nom nom....

It’s another sea day and we're cruising the Atlantic from The Falklands to Uruguay. With nothing special to write about, I’ll talk about the food. One of Oceania’s marketing lines is “the finest cuisine at sea.” Pretty much everyone we’ve talked to that has cruised a lot agrees that their food is a cut above. Of course any cruise ship’s goal is to prepare foods that appeal to many different palates. So there are lots of options at every meal.

At breakfast there’s pretty much something for everyone. I’ve already mentioned the sticky buns that were to die for - honestly, I believe they are the best thing I’ve ever eaten. There are 8-10 kinds of fresh pastries, regular and tropical fruits, breads, hot/cold cereals, meats, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, eggs (boiled, scrambled, fried) and an omelet chef who cooks yours to order. Every single day.

sticky buns

pastries made fresh daily

For lunch and dinner, there is always, always, always a sushi bar (yes, even at breakfast) and all kind of fresh fish (raw and cooked) and lots of people go for that. There is every kind of meat you can possibly imagine. There is always an array of salads or you can “make you own” at one of the salad bars by telling them exactly what you want in yours, then choose from probably half a dozen kinds of dressings. There are always cooked veggies, different types of potato and rice dishes, soups or chowder, cheeses, various meats and bread options. Honestly, if someone can’t find something they like among these options, they probably just aren’t hungry.

 

fresh breads daily

 

and there's always the dessert options

dessert "hamburger"

The above dessert was only made to look like a hamburger. The "bun" is an almond cake, the "cheese" is apricot, the "meat" was a yummy chocolate and the garnish was crushed strawberries.

candy apple tree

skewered meats

 

deli meats and cheeses

cute little "cabbage puppy"

fish, Madam?

"arrangement" made from beets & jicima

There are different eating venues aboard the ship as well. On this particular ship, there is the Terrace Café (described above) where you can eat all 3 meals if you wish. There is also the Grand Dining Room where you select options of pre-set menus (appetizers, soup or salad, main course, sides and dessert) with a bread basket placed in front of you as soon as you’re seated. There’s the Wave on the deck which serves up hot and cold sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, salads and breads. And there are 2 specialty restaurants (steak and Italian).

 

salads

fresh mahi mahi (fish on ice in background)

ice cream - regular and gourmet

And don’t forget the ice cream bar where there are usually 10 different (rotating flavors) of ice cream and sorbets but always with the chocolate/vanilla/strawberry standbys and a variety of available toppings. There is one special gourmet offering that changes daily. It is rich and of course my favorite. It’s called Humphry Slocombe and I've seen flavors not mentioned among these carried in stores. https://humphryslocombe.com/pages/flavors. Believe it or not, it even lays Blue Bell in the shade! Today the lady next to me was carrying on about it, saying that she pays $9 for one dip of this in San Francisco! And there are stations around where you can order pretty much any kind of drink including milkshakes, smoothies, malts, etc. In the lounge at 4 pm each day, a string quartet plays while tea is served along with a variety of small sweets, sandwiches and scones with real clotted tea and jam. And last but not least, room service is available 24/7. It’s no wonder my pants are fitting tighter than they did even a few weeks ago!

The chef also plans menus around our geographical locations. For example, this week we were in the Falkland Islands so there have been lots of British options – fish ‘n chips, mushy peas, lamb stew, bangers and mash, etc. While cruising in Mexico and Chile there were several South American themed meals with burritos made to order, tacos, tamales, huevos rancheros, etc. While good, it’s not our Tex Mex! There is sometimes an Asian theme (regular flatware or chopsticks) or at other times the featured meat is a gigantic turkey, lamb, fresh fish, an entire pig (I will spare you that photo) or other types of meats grilled out on the deck. At every meal (except breakfast) lobster, shrimp and steak are cooked to order.

 

sometimes the chefs cook on deck

meats and cheeses

this chef is a ham

eggplant "monkey" climbing banana tree

 

Believe it or not, we bought peanut butter and crackers (although there were no regular saltines to be found) at the grocery store in Port Stanley. With all the food, sometimes we just feel like a bowl of soup or something really simple. Ronnie has been wishing for a plain ole’ tuna sandwich (sometimes tuna is among the sandwich options but there’s too much “stuff” in it for his taste). The first time he ordered a tuna sandwich in The Wave, he was surprised to get a fresh tuna steak on a bun. One thing is for sure though – we will never be hungry on this ship and it will be nothing short of a miracle if the scales don’t show a significant weight gain in the 6 months we’re away. ☹

 

Southwestern night

  

raw fish and mussels

roasted lamb on English night

and now you're talkin'

Southwest dinner display

Speaking of weight gain, even Ronnie thinks he has gained. Sometimes on a cruise ship, passengers will call out if they spot dolphins, flying fish or a whale. He said he’s afraid that he will stand up and someone will yell “whale!” when they see him. Haha!!