When you order multiple entrees or appetizers

[Fixit2010]

a) Is it normal to order 2 or 3 starters or main courses for one person?

b) Is it healthy for one person to consume 2 or 3 starters or main courses?

 

In my humble opinion the answer is no. It is a fact that the USA's biggest source of wastage is food. Around half the food in the USA is wasted. Go and google it, if you don't believe me.

 

What happened to will power, constraint and reasonable eating?

 

In my humble opinion have one starter and one main. There is no need to stuff yourself silly. I am shocked and horrified that people think they can have two main dishes because they are scared of missing out on one thing. If you don't like a course on the menu, you can ask the chef to make an alternative, but missing once course is not an excuse to have 2 additional meals. Occasionally we even skip one course. We don't want to compensate it with another course. One is enough people.

 

Who ever said "Many just automatically order two shrimp cocktails to get one normal size portion." I disagree, you are ordering 2 normal sized portions to get a double sized portion.

 

Next time you are in the ocean village people cafe, just look at who piles their plates high and who doesn't. I am not pointing the finger or naming anyone but those who just go OTT with food know who they are and are probably the ones trying to defend their right to stuff themselves silly.

[dkjretired]

a) Is it normal to order 2 or 3 starters or main courses for one person?

b) Is it healthy for one person to consume 2 or 3 starters or main courses?

 

In my humble opinion the answer is no. It is a fact that the USA's biggest source of wastage is food. Around half the food in the USA is wasted. Go and google it, if you don't believe me.

 

What happened to will power, constraint and reasonable eating?

 

In my humble opinion have one starter and one main. There is no need to stuff yourself silly. I am shocked and horrified that people think they can have two main dishes because they are scared of missing out on one thing. If you don't like a course on the menu, you can ask the chef to make an alternative, but missing once course is not an excuse to have 2 additional meals. Occasionally we even skip one course. We don't want to compensate it with another course. One is enough people.

 

Who ever said "Many just automatically order two shrimp cocktails to get one normal size portion." I disagree, you are ordering 2 normal sized portions to get a double sized portion.

 

Next time you are in the ocean village people cafe, just look at who piles their plates high and who doesn't. I am not pointing the finger or naming anyone but those who just go OTT with food know who they are and are probably the ones trying to defend their right to stuff themselves silly.

 

The shrimp cocktails on cruise ships are much smaller that those you will get in a typical US restaurant. Also, I mentioned the surf and turf. Even with two entrees the old prime rib and lobster tail was much smaller than that received as one meal in many of the US chain restaurants. Just a fact...

[Denny01]

I think the OP's question has been partly answered, that yes, you can order an additional plate of some menu item. But the question about will others look at you askance? Depends on your tablemates..mine have been known to give me 'askance' looks and eyerolls usually over my dumb jokes.

 

No one is really suggesting they will order 12 lobsters (I think), or just 'stick a fork in it' to just taste it. And no one will get banned over disagreeing and sharing stories of the less fortunate while we talk about enjoying the plenty we have access to. My 'banned' comment was over very nasty, attacking putdown posts, not what some perceive here as lecturing posts.

 

I got lectures off my mother and grandmother over not finishing my overcooked mushy broccoli about the starving Armenians. Personally, I'm glad I never felt guilty over not finishing everything. But this isn't a thread about going to extremes and waste, but about trying an additional order. And yes, many of us thank our luck or circumstance in being able to enjoy such things as cruising and a full belly...and it doesn't stop us from enjoying them, but may remind us to keep it in perspective....now that was a lecture!

 

By the way, I would have warned the old lady who put the extra chicken in her purse for her grandchild - food poising is very prevelant in poorly stored cooked foods. Just a thought.

 

Den

[gmros]

The shrimp cocktails on cruise ships are much smaller that those you will get in a typical US restaurant. Also, I mentioned the surf and turf. Even with two entrees the old prime rib and lobster tail was much smaller than that received as one meal in many of the US chain restaurants. Just a fact...

 

I haven't been on a Celebrity cruise, but on my previous cruises, I noticed the same thing. The portions are smaller.

 

a) Is it normal to order 2 or 3 starters or main courses for one person?

b) Is it healthy for one person to consume 2 or 3 starters or main courses?

 

In my humble opinion the answer is no.

 

At home, one entree is enough for me, no appetizer, sometimes dessert. But then again I'm tiny and I don't do much physical activity. When I go on vacation, I dive or do something as physically demanding every day (if possible). I get exhausted and I find my body requiring more calories than usual to get through the day.

 

So IMHO, there is no one correct answer to your questions. There are a lot of factors that need to be considered to say which is normal or healthy to a person (e.g. physical demands, build, food portions). What may seem not normal or healthy to you, it may be normal and/or healthy to another. Heck I can't even fathom how anyone could handle Michael Phelps's diet :eek:, but that's an extreme example :D.

[AMAC86]

By the way, I would have warned the old lady who put the extra chicken in her purse for her grandchild - food poising is very prevelant in poorly stored cooked foods. Just a thought.

That thought crossed my mind as well, but the point still came across.

 

I fully intend on eating everything that I order, or everything that I put on my plate. Occasionally I will leave something on my plate that is not prepared properly or doesn't taste very good (on the Carnival cruise I went on last time, they would have an item each night that was somewhat more exotic--like alligator or escargot, etc. which may not appeal to everyone but would be interesting to taste). I'm not sure if that falls into the category of food waste that warrants a harsh scolding or not.

[Laurab23]

My husband will not try new food in a restaurant so on a cruise ship this it his chance to order things he may/may not like.So he orders something he knows he likes and something he wants to try.I don't feel it is wasteful,it is broadening his horizens and taste buds.

We have never had anyone make an issue of it and lots of times our tablemates will get into the spirit of things and order things they have never tried before.

 

Laura

[Hart10]

In Blu can you order two? May sound stange as this is a resturant where the food is healther, however, DH wants to know.

 

Thanks :rolleyes:

[k9x8]

In Blu can you order two? May sound stange as this is a resturant where the food is healther, however, DH wants to know.

 

Thanks :rolleyes:

 

We had a standing order for double shrimp cocktails every night = 8 shrimp. We never ordered two entrees, but did order extra appetizers and salads and soups. The portions are not large, and it was great fun to sample new dishes. In fact, if memory serves, our waiter suggested trying "both" when we couldn't make up our minds.

 

Even with extras, we never left Blu in a wheelbarrow.

[clipper110A]

I think the OP's question has been partly answered, that yes, you can order an additional plate of some menu item. But the question about will others look at you askance? Depends on your tablemates..mine have been known to give me 'askance' looks and eyerolls usually over my dumb jokes.

 

No one is really suggesting they will order 12 lobsters (I think), or just 'stick a fork in it' to just taste it. And no one will get banned over disagreeing and sharing stories of the less fortunate while we talk about enjoying the plenty we have access to. My 'banned' comment was over very nasty, attacking putdown posts, not what some perceive here as lecturing posts.

 

I got lectures off my mother and grandmother over not finishing my overcooked mushy broccoli about the starving Armenians. Personally, I'm glad I never felt guilty over not finishing everything. But this isn't a thread about going to extremes and waste, but about trying an additional order. And yes, many of us thank our luck or circumstance in being able to enjoy such things as cruising and a full belly...and it doesn't stop us from enjoying them, but may remind us to keep it in perspective....now that was a lecture!

 

By the way, I would have warned the old lady who put the extra chicken in her purse for her grandchild - food poising is very prevelant in poorly stored cooked foods. Just a thought.

 

Den

What old lady? Her story has been removed from this blog, how ironic in so many ways...American Airliness 777's have chillers so cold plate was as cold as SAS cold meals when delivered late in a very short domestic flight stage length. Grandson picking up immediately at LAX, so not that worried about telling a Dachau survivor about food poisoning. Thanks for your concern though.

 

To OP, X crew is wonderful, they want to make you happy...when and if we order extra food from X crew who include people from places like India, Romania, Haiti and Indoonesia we do our best to eat all of it...I hope this does not offend anyone.

 

Happy Passover...Happy Easter.

[fleckle]

......I got lectures off my mother and grandmother over not finishing my overcooked mushy broccoli about the starving Armenians. Personally, I'm glad I never felt guilty over not finishing everything.......

My mother was never specific about favoring any particular nationality. So in our household we were merely told to finish all the food on our plates because children in Europe were starving. Sometimes it was children in Asia who were starving.

 

That was back in the days before awareness turned to starvation in Africa.

 

Even as a very young child I saw the fallacy of that argument, realizing that those starving children would not be getting the food on my plate either way, so I did not understand how it could make the slightest difference to them whether I finished it or not.

 

As for food on the cruise ship, I can't see how it is any of my business what someone else orders or eats, unless perhaps that someone else is my own child.

 

Besides, I would be afraid that you would punch me in the nose (quite justifiably) if you ordered two shrimp cocktails and I tried to tell you that you can only have one. :eek:

[ontariocruisers6882]

We just did our first cruise this year and it was definitely not viewed as strange to order two of any course. We sat with many experienced cruisers and they were sure to tell us about this option on the first night and encouraged us to order two of the same course if we couldn't decide or felt extra hungry. Our waiter encouraged it as well. It never held us up or anyone else at our table/in our area. There's always a break of a few minutes between each course so plenty of time for you to finish two of the (smaller than at home) portions. So, don't be self-conscious!

[k9x8]

Following the "starving children" to the logical conclusion:

How selfish are we to indulge in the decadence of a totally unnecessary, frivolous, expensive vacation. That wasted money could feed and medicate thousands of children!

 

OP, order whatever you like. If other diners give you a reproachful look, it's their problem, not yours. You are there to enjoy!

[BKFlowerMound]

After reading this thread and guessing how nasty some of the deleted posts must have been, I feel like I have to give my bona fides before posting on this issue:

 

- 6'2"

- 175 lbs

- BMI, 22 (15th percentile for my age and height)

 

I'm a little younger than Denny, so my Mother busted out the starving children in India and Africa. My suggestion that she mail the peas to them earned me a well-deserved slap. I don't waste food. I've also never gained weight on a cruise.

 

To the OP, it is not unusual at all to order more than one of each course. Skinny me generally orders every course. Several years ago, the soup and salad courses were separate. To me, they still are and I order both. If the dessert looks like it would be better with ice cream, I'll order that as well. My equally slender wife and I will split a second entree or appetizer if we want it. Often, we've had waiters who take it upon themselves to bring extra. In my opinion, that's nobodies' business but my own.

 

It appears that some supercilious folks might look askance at asking for more but an X ship isn't the orphanage in Oliver Twist, and you aren't punished for getting what you want.

[Texed]

I order multiple waffles each morning. Is that O.K.? :cool:

[scottp]

After reading this thread and guessing how nasty some of the deleted posts must have been, I feel like I have to give my bona fides before posting on this issue:

 

- 6'2"

- 175 lbs

- BMI, 22 (15th percentile for my age and height)

 

I'm a little younger than Denny, so my Mother busted out the starving children in India and Africa. My suggestion that she mail the peas to them earned me a well-deserved slap. I don't waste food. I've also never gained weight on a cruise.

 

To the OP, it is not unusual at all to order more than one of each course. Skinny me generally orders every course. Several years ago, the soup and salad courses were separate. To me, they still are and I order both. If the dessert looks like it would be better with ice cream, I'll order that as well. My equally slender wife and I will split a second entree or appetizer if we want it. Often, we've had waiters who take it upon themselves to bring extra. In my opinion, that's nobodies' business but my own.

 

It appears that some supercilious folks might look askance at asking for more but an X ship isn't the orphanage in Oliver Twist, and you aren't punished for getting what you want.

 

Agree 100% !!

 

I too am not overweight. And I eat like a maniac when on a cruise!! I also, walk a lot on the cruise and take the stairs instead of the elevator. To each his own. ENJOY!!!

[navyrotorhead]

No, don't get a table for 2. Your other table mates would love for you to order 12 lobsters and then try to sneak some for themselves!

 

I don't really think it slows up the serving that much. Personally, I sometimes order 2 appetizers or such, or an extra entree for my wife and I to try something different.

 

Funny, when I first joined CC, I mentioned how nice it was on a cruise to be able to order an extra appetizer or meal to just try it. I used the word 'sample it'. Boy did I get the nasty posts from a couple of others accusing me of wasting food and driving the cost of a cruise up by over-ordering. One lady told me I should be ashamed not cleaning my plate every meal (and I guess every plate). The Host had to remove their posts after they got very nasty and one of them started a new thread about how selfish I was for wasting food. That one was removed and I didn't see him post again so I think he was banned at least for a while.

 

At first I was shocked at their reaction then realized that some people on these annonymous threads love to go crazy over the darndest things. I tried to lighten it up by pointing out one of the reasons I wasn't overweight (at least then!) was maybe because I didn't clean every plate put in front of me.....that didn't work out too well when they thought I was calling them fat (I guess I was).

 

Lesson learned. Roll with it on his forum. Enjoy your extra dish, and enjoy those 12 lobsters.

 

Den

April 2011 on Infinity's Eastbound Panama Canal cruise, I DID order 4 tails and never got a blink from our outstanding head waiter. I didn't leave even a tiny morsel but my jeans STILL dont fit as well:D

[mrsdoc3]

I, too, hate to waste food. But I ordered lamb chops on Solstice a few weeks ago because I had never had them and I wanted to try them. And since there were plenty of other courses to fill me up, or I could even order a different entree, I was pretty sure I wouldn't go hungry. BTW, I wasn't thrilled with them, and I did not order another entree.

 

We travelled with our four children (18, 16, 14, & 12), and it was interesting the arrangements of courses that ensued every night. My 18 year old son has a tremendous appetite (that I don't usually feed to satiation at home), has a low BMI (and didn't gain a pound on our cruise), and ate an appetizer, two entrees, and a dessert every night. The chicken breast was one of the items he ordered every night -- it was delicious! My 16 year old daughter is pencil-thin. She would order an appetizer but in most cases, wasn't thrilled with it so wouldn't finish it. Several nights, she didn't like the entree she had ordered. The waiter offered repeatedly to bring her something else, but she declined. My 12 year old daughter would order the fresh fruit appetizer every night and an entree, and would generally polish off every bite (except for the night she ordered steak, and it was tough and fatty). My husband frequently wanted to try multiples but didn't want the waiter to think he was a pig (he is somewhat overweight), so he would convince the children to order a course (for him) that they were not originally going to order. They did for a few nights, but then they told him he could order two of something.

 

By the last evening, I was so tired of eating (I can't believe that I would ever say that. Although I am not and have never been anywhere near overweight, I have always loved to eat.). I went to dinner even though I wasn't the least bit hungry, and all I ordered was bowl of French onion soup. And I didn't even finish that. The waiter offered repeatedly to bring me more food, but I stood my ground.

 

Incidentally, when multiples of the same course were ordered, they were brought at the same time.

 

The moral of the story -- order as much or as little as you want to eat.

[Denny01]

By the way, the OP isn't asking us if we would order extras, they asked if it's OK for Them to do so. We sometimes forget that posters aren't asking us if 'we' would, but if it's OK, and if there is any issues if They do it.

 

So yes, I try not to overeat, we use the stairs and walk in the mornings. But I have at least a couple of wines a day, eat more snacks, and have a full dinner pretty much each day on a cruise, which is all different than I do at home....and is one of the reasons I go on a cruise or vacation. Not to overeat, but to do something different.

 

To the OP, enjoy ordering what you wish and how much you wish.

 

"Life is like a box of chocolates"....and I plan to sample many of those goodies, and perish the thought, I may just bite into one and leave it at that.

 

One quick story about using guilt of wasting food. When I was in college (don't ask how far back That was!), a German exchange student traveling around the US was with us at a beach party. Someone threw some uneaten hotdogs into the fire at the end of the party. He announced that they'd never do that in Germany - such as waste and so on.....I reminded him that we'd bought the food he ate, tje beer he drank, the gas in the car that brought him, and he was 'rooming' with a group of us - all free. He hadn't pitched in for anything, except an attempted dose of guilt. And trust me, we weren't well off, just a bunch of working stiffs putting ourselves through college. Funny, he didn't catch on that he was buming off his and then lecturing us.

 

Den

[Leo Jay]

We did a galley tour and here is one of the staff members displaying his fine art in carving.:

 

 

How wasteful! Those melons could have been eaten by starving cruisers!

:p

[srlafleur]

It's a rare cruise, indeed, that my DH doesn't make his own "surf & turf" by ordering both lobster and whatever meat is offered. No one has ever blinked an eye about it.

I think I'm more likely to get a "look" by ordering one of the delicious chilled soups for my dessert instead of a "real" dessert - something that I do a least a couple of times on most of our cruises.

[TLCOhio]

How wasteful! Those melons could have been eaten by starving cruisers! :p

 

Funny!! Cute comment. These carving are quite a "work of art". Here's one of my carving pictures from the Solstice that has gotten a wide range of comments. Very good art, but a few thought it was a little "freaky" to see a human face made out of melon!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 71,463 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

From the Oceanview Buffet, here is one visual sample of a carved melon in the fruit area.:

 

[Wolfie469]

...in the MDR, do the staff and/or other passengers give you a strange look? I would hate to have to choose between lobster and chateaubriand!

 

Is this practice pretty commonplace on Celebrity? On our Carnival cruise last August, I didn't notice a single person at our 8 person table do this. I don't want to be the only one!

 

When you ask the waiter for what you want, he'll quickly say "No problem."

[Andy]

I order multiple waffles each morning. Is that O.K.? :cool:

 

Hi Ed,

 

For You - It's allowed. Your friends on the Celebrity forum have granted you a "Waffle Waiver"... :)

[Texed]

Hi Ed,

For You - It's allowed. Your friends on the Celebrity forum have granted you a "Waffle Waiver"... :)

 

Thanks Andy. Ya'll are the best. ;)

[artmc]

In February we sailed on Celebrity (first, but not the last time). No one at our table ordered seconds, though I never had the impression we couldn't if we wanted to. On one of the last nights, everyone at the table was saying how the various desserts sounded appealing, so we ordered one of everything and shared. There was also one day when the MDR was serving key-lime pie at lunch. For reasons I can't remember, we didn't eat in the MDR that day. However, at supper we asked the maitre'd if it was possible to get key lime pie for dessert. They surprised us by bringing a piece to each of my wife and me, and to the other four people at our table.

 

Someone mentioned dining on Carnival. On four cruises on that line I noticed that many people ordered more than one appetizer, entree, dessert, or all of the above.