Food For Armies
I like translation mistakes and this is a good one.
Food For Armies
Pate of campaign is probably an easy mistake to make.
The Worst Of British In Gibraltar
If there was a lot of good things from Britain, there were also some that I consider a bit tacky or down-market.
Quite a few of the shops would be familiar to British visitors and there was also a Morrisons supermarket by the docks.
There also didn’t seem to be too many shops selling the usual junk aimed at tourists. I bought nothing in Gibraltar except for a coffee.
Gluten Free Food On The Oriana
I had been a bit worried about getting gluten-free food on the cruise. But to be fair, the food was generally good to excellent and I certainly didn’t have any problems.
I should say that although, I’m a properly diagnosed coeliac, I think that if I was to eat a couple of slices of regular bread, it wouldn’t do me that much harm. Not that I’m going to try. But I’m definitely not supersensitive!
According to the restaurant manager of the 1,800 or so on the ship, twenty-four were on a gluten-free diet. This number probably gave us all a bit of safety, as if it was typical for a cruise, they would be getting quite a bit of practice in dealing with those needing a gluten-free diet. And as they say, practice makes perfect.
Initially, at dinner, they wanted me to choose my meal the day before. I wasn’t having any of that, as I like to stick to a balanced diet and how would I know, what I would eat at breakfast and lunch, so that I could properly choose the dinner.
I had seen the menu and noted that there were three starters, two soups and six or more main courses. So I felt that there must be something I could eat, perhaps by removing one element if required. The only day I was in trouble, was when most of the main courses had a small problem or I didn’t like them and I was left with just Norfolk turkey. As an Ipswich Town supporter, you don’t eat oversized budgies from our Northern neighbours.
So I swallowed my prejudices and had a very nice turkey and vegetables without the stuffing.
One thing that surprised me about the food at dinner was the variety. As an example, I was surprised to see tuna steak on the menu.
Tuna Steak For Dinner
And very nice it was too!
I should also note these points about the dinner.
1. The staff were very knowledgeable and one told me, that they used flour in the cream soups, so he said stick to the clear ones, of which there was usually one.
2. Many of the main courses were meat and vegetables and you could generally have them plain.
3. I didn’t really look at the vegetarian options, as they weren’t for me.
4. I had gluten free bread every night and it was served separately.
5. I didn’t have puddings, except for ice cream, which was delicious and someone thought it was made on the ship. In one instance the ice cream came with a biscuit and the waiter took it back immediately he put it down and then got me another. And it was another and not just the original with the biscuit removed! We’ve all had that in restaurants, haven’t we?
The real problem about dinner was the company on the first night, who were a couple who didn’t speak to me or each other for that matter! After that experience, I was moved.
Breakfast wasn’t a problem at all, with many things I could eat. There was gluten free toast, which was quite nice and as it was very similar in taste to that in the Hope Street Hotel, I suspect they made it themselves from some sort of standard mix or recipe.
A Typical Breakfast
Towards the end of the cruise, I’d settled down to a breakfast like the one shown, which I ate in the buffet restaurant, with good views of the sea. The toast hadn’t arrived, if you’re wondering, why I have marmalade and no toast.
The bacon wasn’t the usual mass catering rubbish, with a lot of fat, but lean and tasty. I sometimes had an egg, but I find that too many are not good for me, so I usually limit myself to three a week. The beans incidentally were Heinz, as I heard someone ask!
If I have a small problem in the buffet restaurant, it’s that the labelling could be better. For instance, the beans could have been labelled Heinz, which many and not just those on a gluten-free diet would find comforting. With better labelling, staff wouldn’t probably have to answer the same questions over and over again.
I usually had salad for lunch, if I actually needed to eat and they were very acceptable. Again, in some instances the labelling could have been better, as sometimes they mixed up a few vegetables and ham to create special salads.
If there was a problem, it was in the lack of gluten free cakes and biscuits. There were some, but they weren’t to my taste, as they had coconut in them and that’s something I can’t abide. So I would recommend that you take a few of your own. I did! But I didn’t take enough!
Another problem, was that I think I might have put on a kilo or so!
Dressing For Dinner
Three nights on the cruise were black tie.
I wore a new shirt and the result seemed acceptable. Well to me at least. Note the safety pin in the trousers. I never remove them after clothes have done a trip to the dry cleaners, as you never know when you might need them, as I did in this post!
The Maverick
This ship was docked in front of the Oriana in Casablanca.
For whatever reason, I don’t know, it was stuck in the port, so the captain of the Oriana sent some of our food to keep the crew of The Maverick going for another few days.
The Maverick
I would assume that the owners didn’t have the money for port fees or something.
Everybody thought it was right, that the Captain took the action he did. But then it is a law of the sea to help fellow seafarers.
Cod Fish And Raisin Pie
Our excellemt guide in Corunna mentioned that this was a meal she liked.
It sounded good to me, so I just had to look it up. I found a non-gluten-free version here.
This recipe isn’t gluten-free, but I suspect it could easily be made so.
The Oldest Parador In Spain
The parador by the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela is the oldest parador in Spain.
Part of our tour included coffee, tea and cakes in the hotel. Our tour guide even rustled up a delicious gluten-free muffin for myself. It was labelled sin gluten, with a crossed grain symbol, so coeliacs won’t have difficulty with the language. In fact my Italian pronunciation of celiachai worked well enough in Spain, as the words are similar sounding.
Before we had our snack, I had actually retreated into the hotel to get a coffee because of the cold, which cost me the princely sum of €2.50.
Local Food At Santiago de Compostela
There was a cafe by the bus station and they did give us tastes of the local food.
The almond biscuits, which are from that area of Spain were delicious and gluten-free. I’ve never seen them before, but why are they not in gluten-free selections in shops and on-line?
Gluten Free Drinks At Waitrose In Canary Wharf
I was surprised that there was no gluten-free beer at Waitrose in Canary Wharf, but there was a new variety of Aspall’s cyder, I’d not seen before called Lady Jennifer
Have The Sale Of Eggs Benedict Declined With The Change Of Pope?
I often have Eggs Benedict for brunch on Sunday, as I did today. Hence my question!
Wikipedia gives a couple of explanations for the name of the dish. I like this one.
In the early eighteenth century Pope Benedict XIII was so fond of a particular egg dish, that he requested it very often. It is also believed that Benedict XIII had an illness which contributed to his desire for the egg dish.
I seem to be a bit addicted to eggs and always have been.
The Anonymous Widower 