capncarp

We'll be hitting Grand Turk in early January 2015; the rays are definitely on my list! Any info will be welcomed heartily!:D

Myself, and however many silly fools I can connive into it, will be on the foredeck (or the Observation Deck) of the Westerdam with bubble paddles making a cloud of bubbles.

If we can't throw streamers or confetti, we can at least put something into the air!:p

Just use your common sense and be polite. You'll be fine. Have a great cruise!

Sorry, but I'm afraid the US has been running short of both those commodities these past few years: our "friends" the Canadians to our North have been greedily buying them up and using them at a horrific rate, leaving many of us 'Mericans on the short side, so we _have_ to be rude and stupid! ;) <just kidding!>

Apple,

I don't know how close/far you are from Indianapolis or Columbus, IN, but here're a couple of Indian groceries you might try, courtesy of the internet:

International Bazaar, 4225 Lafayette Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46254 (317) 299-4628 --or--

Swagat indian grocery, 9520 Haver Way, Indianapolis, IN 46240 (317) 846-1700 --or--

Srt International Bazaar, 1609 Cottage Ave, Columbus, IN 47201 (812) 372-1744

Oh, my gosh. I just got off the Norwegian Gem. The Indian food was to die for. <SNIP> Every day, in a small area designated Asian (on the Gem), they changed it up every day, usually two types of rice, and one or two meats, then whatever curry ? sauces with vegetables or chick peas or whatever amazing tasting spices they use. Sometimes yellow, sometimes red, some spicier than others, but if you mixed it in with the rice, I have no words. I can't remember the names of any of it because I have no reference base.

Apple, I love to see someone discovering a new vista of experience like you with the Indian dishes you encountered! Now you have to study some more to get the inside scoop on how they produce those delightful flavors. Start looking online! Get thee to an Indian grocery store!:)

And Whataboutport is right on the topic of Indian "snacks"--dozens of different ones in numerous shapes, sizes, spicing styles--and we Americans thought we were hot stuff because we developed cheese puffs and tortilla chips! They were frying salty snacks ages before the West thought of it. And thank goodness for that!:D

I checked the HAL website: the Vegetarian menu offers a few Indian-ish items (one of which offered raita as a side-dish), but there didn't seem to be a great provision of them. :(

Anyone who has cruised HAL recently provide any insights here?

These are from the Ports Of Call-Caribbean-Cozumel threads:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2015509&highlight=food

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1993393&highlight=food

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1964307&highlight=food

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1964288&highlight=food

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1956680&highlight=food

Casa Denis is mentioned favorably in several of these postings.

<SNIP> ...and this is basically how that conversion ran on the phone with my doc, while I was at work.

 

her-you are now diabetic. do not eat rice, pasta, potatoes, or sugar, and we will see you in 6 weeks to train you .

 

me- hunh?

See my previous mention about dietiticians.:rolleyes:

so rice-we switched to brown rice, pasta, we haven't had any, potatoes, well I have had 1/2 potato one night, had the second half two days later.

Ditto on the brown rice. Whole grain breads in moderate amounts. For pasta you might try low-carb pasta, or Dreamfields pasta (some debate on its claims of carb-limiting), or shiritake noodles which are made of yam or tofu, which have some carbs but a lot fewer than wheat-based pasta. My wife and I each splurged on Easter with a real baked potato each, but Mr. Potato and Miss Spud come around here a lot less often.

sugar, I switched to agava syrup (read about this on the American Diabetes web site). now, the thing is I am allergic to most artificial anything, so I do steer clear of "fake" desserts. <SNIP>

Stevia powder is a natural sweetener that may not cause a reaction in you. Might be worth a try. Also, check out any Atkins/low-carb lifestyle message boards--we got some great recipes off several sites.

Best of luck and good work--5 pounds lost means you're heading in the right direction!;)

And just one more thing--don't panic, and don't be afraid. As Brillohead said, there is plenty of info, and the ADA website is indeed helpful. Start digging!

Check and doublecheck, Donswife--DW keeps telling me that "beans are superfoods" that combine fiber, protein and other benefits with low/no fat and reasonable carb burden. And yes, lentils are excellent in Indian spices, and are easier to cook than most other beans, not requiring overnight soaking. You can also sprout them!:)

Just to be mischevious, I emailed McDonald's corporate offices to ask why the items available to customers in the Mumbai and other Indian McDonalds restaurants (McPaneer Royale, McAloo Tikka Royale, and others) could not be made available, even as a limted-tim offer, to American customers.:) Many are vegetarian and would appeal to a growing US marketshare. :D I got a wishywashy reply that politely told me to go pound sand.:(

Let me state that not all Americans are rude Aholes. Let me also state that not all Texans are rude Aholes.

But we have our share that's for sure.

Train, as a fellow 'Merican, I concur. However many of ours revel in the knowledge that they are _exceptional examples_, and far outpace many foreign models in their ability to enrage, disgust, revolt, and depress their fellow countrymen as well as furriners.:o And they _like_ it that way.

Like it just fine.:rolleyes:

Sorry to hear your diagnosis, but you are lucky that they caught it instead of just going on with the condition. My husband is also recently diagnosed. It appears as though different diabetics will react differently to any one food. My husband no longer eats fruit, nor will he drink.

<SNIP>

Please don't be discouraged about the diagnosis. My Ralph now has more energy and positive spirit than he did before he started the diabetic diet. It can affect your mood if uncontrolled, you know. He's lost weight and I suspect he will outlast me. If you control your diabetes well, you could very well end up in a healthier state than most around you.

Goldengrain: if your hubby gets a real craving for fruit, berries give the best "bang-for-your-carb/buck" than almost any other type of fruit. Our best to him and to you!

Sorry, while it may seem plebian and commercial-quality to those with finer-honed tastebuds than I, but I have a fond spot in my heart for Red Stripe.:o

http://www.food.com/recipe/punjabi-dal-makhani-301613

And if your curiosity grows, try a couple of these in your search for more dal recipes (Madhur Jaffrey is regarded as the Grande Dame of Indian cookbook authors):

http://thecookscottage.*******.com/curry/2005/11/top_ten_best_in.html

May your search and its findings bring you much joy and good food!:)

As an unpleasant side comment, I have found a strong correlation of the smell of cilantro to the stench of the now-invasive stink bugs that are pestering North America. Not that I hate cilantro, but the resemblance _is_ unsettling.:eek:

DW and I were both diagnosed as type 2 within a year of each other. We have discovered several things.

1. Dietiticans know _some_ things but not everything. YMMV.
   
2. Fiber from whole grains, brown rice, flax seed, etc. _DOES_ have a measurable effect, in our experience, on how the body metabolizes a food's carbs. The harder the body has to work to digest it, the fewer effective carbs it has. White rice, white flour, white sugar all have a dramatic detrimental effect on our blood sugar levels.
   
3. Nuts and seeds are your friends; I have had very good results from a modest intake of almonds and similar nuts.
   
4. If you like sweet things, wallow in fresh fruit--my wife makes a sugar-free strawberry/blueberry shortcake (yes, the cakes and the whipped cream are sugar-free, too!) with sugar-free pudding that made the sugar-eaters at the barbecue where she served it green with jealousy!
   
5. Find out what _your_ body does with various foods and learn how to deal with them. Keep your test strips and meter handy.
   
6. And for God's sake, don't mourn the "loss" of your favorite foods--unless it's cotton candy, there are ways of getting around the more harmful aspects of most recipes. Stop looking back and start exploring the possibilities before you. And enjoy what you can have!:)
   

It's been nearly a month since the last new post--do any recently-returned cruisers have any updates on the Indian cuisine, or _any_ "exotic" cuisines as offered on your recent cruises? Has this conversation inspired anyone to try something different? If so, how was it? Was it an inspiration to go venturing down a new gustatorial path, or did it make you decide to swear off any such thing for the rest of your life? Inquiring minds want to know!

Lobster Dave's in Ocho Rios great local place on the beach near the Margaritaville.

Don't you have to go into the Island Village compound, down to the beach and then left, stepping across the creek to get to Lobster Dave's? I have heard his cooking is quite commendable. The decor is supposed to be a bit "casual" :rolleyes: to say the least from what I saw, but if you're there for the food, it shouldn't matter.

Not exactly being someone else, but throughout my adult life I have been approached by strangers who swear I look exactly like "George", "Dr. Brown", or "Cousin Ralph", or someone they know. If I remember correctly, it happened on our cruise in 2005, too. I tell people no, I'm not that person, but when God made the perfect man--short, fat, balding, bearded--he didn't _break_ the mold, he _mass-produced_ us!:p

Why Indian food?

Look at the numbers: this thread has over 230 responses and 58,616 views.

That makes it the 4th most viewed thread in Cruise Foodies. Many people are are passionate; THOUSANDS are interested!

I get the impression from some who are afraid of exotic foods because the dishes may contain "chilled monkey brains" and "sheep's eyeballs", or some hidden ingredient that will prove to be abhorrent to the "victim"s sensibilities. While certain of these types of ingredients may be prevalent in in-country fare in places in the Far East (Scorpions on a stick, anyone?), Indian food has virtually no chance for that in everyday restaurant fare. Most ingredients are fairly common and known to most Western consumers--chickpeas, lentils, limes, mangoes, coriander, etc. What may be encountered are spices and combinations of flavors that are not normal to Western palates. Here's where a little online research will help the jittery, unsure first-timer. Also, one can always ask the server or the preparer to give a little info about any or all prospective dishes--they should be glad to help you to choose something you would likely enjoy. That's IMHO why a first excursion into a new cuisine is usually best at a buffet to get a broad idea of the flavor ranges and styles.

And to counter those whose objection is that many of the dishes look "disgusting" I might put forth that refried beans, chili, sloppy joes, scrambled eggs, and many other forms of Western-cuisine food may not be intrinsically beautiful, and may even appear repulsive if not presented with care, but they have their fans. People who turn their nose up at dal will chow down on a plateful of baked beans or chili beans with wild tex-mex spice.

Me? I'm more interested in how it tastes and if it's good enough, I'll just close my eyes.:cool:

North Brunswick, NJ. Mostly Indian food.

Sounds like North Brunswick is a place to find some good home-style Indian cookin'!:)

As a "virgin" cruiser, I'll at least try to avoid the worst mistakes, like not getting back from a shore excursion, but you can definitely expect to see me wandering around with a goofy grin for a week!

Remember, krazy_dave, once you've "launched", you'll never want to go back up on the ways, but the launching is always the most exciting! And we'll be here to help you try to cope with your insatiable urge for your NEXT cruise.

I make a flatbread with thinly sliced Roma tomatoes, Feta cheese, carmalized onions, and balsamic glaze that is to die for. I also like a traditional Italian pie (ie thin crust, light sauce and cheese) with prosciutto.

Sold! I'll take 2 slices of each!:) Mmmmmmm....prociutto....

As a side note, my DW makes, for her Easter soul food, a family recipe pie called pizza rustica, which while is not what the western hemisphere might consider a "pizza" but it has an actual pie crust and contains prociutto, italian sausage, and REAL (_sharp_) provolone.

Our cruise had several "moments" before we even got on the ship-- our first attempt to book a cruise was rescinded when a little cloudburst called Katrina dampened New Orleans. Our second one happened about a month later when our replacement cruise was affected by another weather hiccup called Rita. Then, after my wife got the last cabin on the Dawn out of NYC, we left early enough but got stuck on the interstate for an hour and a half--getting to the dock just 20 minutes before sailing! Whew! Finally, when we were on a stingray encounter excursion, the boat's tail swung out from the shallow part of the sandbar over the deeper part--my wife wasn't anticipating the extra depth and caught a half-a-lungful of water, nearly drowned! :eek:

The cruise overall was worth it, though!

In November 2005, we went to Los Cinco Soles (the Five Suns) to pick up our complimentary bottle of Kahlua with the coupon we got in one of the promotional packs. It's located about 4-5 blocks north/left of the square on the waterfront as you come off the pier. We picked up Christmas tree ornaments there and a manger/creche/figure set. Also, pick up vanilla extract (make sure it says "does not contain coumarin") which is incredibly cheap, or was when we went there.