Good Friday - At Sea

It’s been a mostly good Good Friday. I took almost no pictures, but attended several interesting talks and demonstrations.

Spencer showed us how to make Pad Thai and Scallion Pancakes. I learned about umami, a “new” taste style, actually a fifth one alongside sweet, sour, salty and bitter discovered by a Chinese scientist in 1909!!! It’s that taste of MSG. I also discovered that gluten is created when you knead or roll out flour dough! The harder you roll or knead, the more gluten you create!!!

I tried to capture an image of the mini-rainbow created by the bow wave as the ship clipped along at 22 knots, but it's very hard to discern. Still I know it's there. 

The second installment of Spencer was all about making a meal of salads. 15 kinds of salad greens?!?!?!?! I am stuck in a rut using the same three, time to branch out! 8-10 cups of greens to 1/4 cup dressing is the perfect ratio. Anchovies are the basis of Caesar salad dressing!!!!! A dish towel makes a perfect nest in which to anchor a mixing bowl so you can use both hands. Never use “Light Olive Oil” as it comes from the final pressing and requires heat and heavy pressure to generate the oil; it’s not really good for you and is definitely not “lite” healthy food. Richard Cobb invented the Cobb Salad at the Brown Derby by “shopping the cooler” one evening and his salad became famous for no carbohydrates; hence its favor with Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth. Seems everyone ignored the avocado and bacon and blue cheese on it. This anecdote echoed the creation of the Caesar salad by a Tijuana restauranteur named Cesar!!!

Barbara had an irritating time with Guest Services. She volunteered to ask about us disembarking as walk-offs so we didn’t have to wait to be called. She returned kind of annoyed as the woman all but called her a fibber at her statement that we had no Disembarkation Packet in our stateroom. The woman promised we could still be inserted into the computer despite the extreme tardiness of our request and our paperwork would be delivered.

A bit later Barbara met Faizal in the deck corridor and received luggage tags for Brown something at 9:30 AM. When I said those were not walk off tags, because walk-off meant we got no tags, we just walked off, she kind of seethed and postponed a repeat meeting until later.

I ignored the 5K Walk The Decks for cancer event, though I admired the ingenuity of the idea!  

I thoroughly enjoyed Bonnie’s talk on The Secret Language of Ships. She began with the hull markings (I was pleased to know Plimsoll Line and recognize stabilizers and the bulbous bow configuration), the 46 flags language would drive me crazy (my respect for brother Fred grows) but I believe a travel mug/container emblazoned with the blue and yellow one that means “Keep clear of me. I am maneuvering with difficulty.” would sell very well for any number of situations.

Barbara and I were amazed that a few years ago, a log got lodged in the Azipod of Zuiderdam and she limped into Ft. Lauderdale after two days of severe swaying and rolling. Very glad we weren’t on that cruise!  A ship has a whistle not a horn, and for a few minutes, I thought I would have an answer to a previous random thought - do foghorns sound the same all over the world? But no. 

I chatted with Dawn from Greensboro, NC. She teaches knitting and, not only had she heard of the brioche stitch that’s been hampering my current project, but she is taking a class in Atlanta next month on it. She couldn’t help me figure out what I was doing wrong, but we bonded for a bit and I’m sending her the pattern name and link.

Also, Susie and her (I think) sister (ardent Spencer fans) are quilters in Citrus County, FL. We commiserated the closing of shops we all will miss. 

I broke down and bought a pair of Swarovski earrings - purplish blue!!  

Shrimp. Shrimp. Shrimp for dinner. I’m in Caribbean heaven!

The magician uses puppies in his routine - no desire to see puppies even fake mangled. Gross!

Barbara and I enjoyed a second Abuelo experience! Still great.

Random thought for this day: Hot cross buns on Good Friday? A new to me tradition, which Barbara explained.