24 My version of Mongolian BBQ, not very colorful but absolutely delicious and guaranteed to clear your sinuses.
27 They have about 12 chefs with hot plates ready to stir-fry whatever you’ve chosen to bring to them.
32 Diana in Hula class. The man on the left in the blue shirt and tie is our cruise director, Gene Young. The lady in red is the group leader and the girl next to her is one of the main dancers.
38 The Polynesian Dance group. The man with the British sports car cap on backwards is the guitarist.
89 This is part of the dance demonstration they performed at the Hawaiian culture and traditions presentation.
Sept 25 to 27 – At Sea. 25th: The Pacific has calmed down quite a bit, there are very few whitecaps and the ship only moves occasionally. I’m settling in to my routine, ham, onion, cheese omelet with toast breakfast, sushi appetizer, rice bowl with stir-fry lunch and then whatever for dinner. Last night they had a very nice menu that is usually reserved for formal nights, filet mignon and lobster tail surf and turf, etc. Tonight is formal so it will be interesting to see what they have available. I usually get a cheese plate for desert but last night they had one of the chocolate desserts that are truly worth eating, chocolate lava cake, an almost flourless rich, creamy, dark, mousse like concoction. Yum! So I’m off to a bad start at dinner.
I made a good recovery at dinner tonight. Mostly all protein, escargot, a salad, beef Wellington and cheese for dessert, Old Amsterdam at that. It’s my favorite cheese of all time.
Our entertainment was the Amsterdam cast in a show that featured mostly 60s & 70s music. The current cast is changed from previous iterations. They have 5 singers, three ladies and two men and only 4 dancers, two of each. Used to be 4 singers and 6 dancers to they’re down one crewmember in the cast department too. This is not a complaint because the current cast is really good. One of the singers is a black lady and she sang Midnight Train to George and flat tore it up. Great voice, right on the notes first shot and a wonderful, controlled, expressive presentation. All the singers were good but that song was perfect for her voice and no one in the audience missed it. The only real change I would have made to the presentation is that I would have given the black singer Otis Redding’s Try a Little Tenderness. She would have stomped that tune into submission as well. In all fairness, the guy who did sing it did a good job; I just think she would have been exceptional because she has the pipes.
Usually, of the 6 dancers they used to have, one was outstanding, two were excellent and the other three were ok. In this four dancer configuration they were all excellent. Could be they took the money that they paid the six and used it to hire 4 at a higher salary. Hard to say on the basis of one performance but I was very favorably impressed.
Being a formal night, I broke out the white dinner jacket, tux pants and my ‘abalone’ tie and cummerbund. The good news is that I’m able to wear the white jacket I bought 33 years ago and had to replace several years later because it was too small. I must be doing something right for a change. It’s also the second of the three 25 hour days they owe us on the way to Hilo
26th: Today was a regular day until lunch. They are having a Mongolian BBQ on the Lido deck by the mid-ships pool. This is my favorite lunch. You get to browse the veggies and meats for those you want and then proceed to the stir-fry chefs to pick your spices, sauces and herbs for the stir-fry. One reason I like it is that I can get my lunch as spicy as I like it. For the sauce I like garlic and ginger sautéed in sesame oil, with hoisin, sambal, soy and a dash of sweet chili oil. I’m getting hungry just remembering it. For veggies I usually pick green beans, snow peas, onions, peas, sprouts, broccoli and bok choi. For meats I take everything but the beef. That includes pork, chicken, squid, shrimp, mussels and clams. They usually offer several types of noodles; I almost always select the Thai rice noodles they use in Pad Thai. After loading up my plate with all this stuff I head to the chefs and get them to fry it up and put it on a plate with some white rice. Really great!!
Right after the BBQ they continued the hula lessons being taught by the Polynesian dance group aboard. Diana’s been taking the classes so I stayed around to get some video and pictures. The cruise director, who is half Samoan, joined in and every one was having a great time. The group consists of three ladies, all of whom dance but one is the teacher and group leader, the other two do most of the dancing and one man who plays the ukulele or guitar depending on the song. Later in the day they presented a program on Hawaiian culture and traditions that was very interesting.
Our entertainer was Tomono Kawamura. Oddly enough, she was also our entertainer last year on Sept. 27th. She is a fantastic pianist. This tiny bundle of energy coaxes the most expressive statements both delicate and bold from her piano I’ve ever heard on a ship. I remembered her as soon as she walked on the stage. She played Mozart, Liszt, Chopin and a song she wrote when she was 12. It was a very well received performance.
I forgot to mention that we saw the battleship Iowa in the LA Harbor. It’s berthed right next to the World Cruise Center. I’ll have to get down to see it one day. I love touring old naval vessels. Plus we got our final hour back tonight and are now on Hawaii Time.
No comments:
Post a Comment