Food on a European river cruise - questions, expectations and experiences

[notamermaid]

Thanks Eboracum-d,

 

it really is the first time I have heard this. It seems that the pace in England has got faster and people these days do not spend enough time on breakfast. Hopefully I can have a full English in Summer, will skip the black pudding, though!

 

Hello to York, fabulous town, cathedral, castle and railway museum, this girl's holiday heaven. :D

 

notamermaid

[Eboracum_d]

Thanks Eboracum-d,

 

 

 

it really is the first time I have heard this. It seems that the pace in England has got faster and people these days do not spend enough time on breakfast. Hopefully I can have a full English in Summer, will skip the black pudding, though!

 

 

 

Hello to York, fabulous town, cathedral, castle and railway museum, this girl's holiday heaven. :D

 

 

 

notamermaid

 

 

Let us know when you next come to York -- we will meet you for breakfast!

 

 

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[Canal archive]

Deep frying you've obviously never been to Scotland they will try doing it to almost everything although I still say the best is Mars Bars but in very small portions. We go up the other side of the border every year and usually manage to try at least something although I'm not a fan of deep fryer Haggis but I like it done the traditional way. CA

[TravelerThom]

The common theme on the more unusual 'deep fried' foods is usually freezing them first, think of 'Baked Alaska', as long as you deep fry quickly it doesn't go badly wrong :)

The deep fried coke examples I've seen are more like coke flavored dough balls though.

Okay, I can at least envision it now. Thanks!

 

I liked that "badly wrong" - made me think of a Thanksgiving at my nieces where her husband (head of a hospital Emergency Room) was dropping a not fully thawed turkey into a deep fat fryer and it was doing a good imitation of a small volcano. My niece just shook her head and muttered "it's not like he hasn't seen numerous cases in the ER of how this can go wrong".

The rest of the story: he is very smart, very practical and very nice - and everything came out okay.

[SuiteTraveler]

Maggots in cheese sounds "interesting" (meaning takes a little time to wrap my head around that). Anything that is "yuck" before you taste it can be attributed to the culture you were raised in. Americans generally don't think of their common breakfast as the fat laden belly of a pig and something that came out of the back end of a chicken, but that's what it is. I'm willing to try anything as long as it is not likely to cause major stomach issues. I have heard that insects are high on protein, low in fat and have a nutty taste.

 

I grew up on scrapple and liverwurst, but I'm having a hard time understanding HOW one deep fries Coke (or any liquid). Doesn't that just mix Coke into the oil? And if you contain the Coke so that it doesn't actually come in contact with the oil, is that really "frying"? Not being immersed in Texas culture I am probably missing something, but I really would like to understand.

 

Food experiences are broadening to both the mind and the waistline.

 

Thom

 

Thom,

Here's all the info on the deep fried Coke including a photo - it's legendary in Texas, got copied at lots of other state fairs and got its own Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fried_Coke

[SuiteTraveler]

Okay, I can at least envision it now. Thanks!

 

I liked that "badly wrong" - made me think of a Thanksgiving at my nieces where her husband (head of a hospital Emergency Room) was dropping a not fully thawed turkey into a deep fat fryer and it was doing a good imitation of a small volcano. My niece just shook her head and muttered "it's not like he hasn't seen numerous cases in the ER of how this can go wrong".

The rest of the story: he is very smart, very practical and very nice - and everything came out okay.

 

He was lucky as in the US there are about 1000 house fires a year caused by someone frying a turkey not to mention many, many more injuries. What amazes me is that so few have prepared ahead of time to put out the fire in case things go wrong.

 

http://www.syracuse.com/cooking/index.ssf/2014/11/12_greatest_deep-fried_turkey.html

[TravelerThom]

He was lucky as in the US there are about 1000 house fires a year caused by someone frying a turkey not to mention many, many more injuries. What amazes me is that so few have prepared ahead of time to put out the fire in case things go wrong.

http://www.syracuse.com/cooking/index.ssf/2014/11/12_greatest_deep-fried_turkey.html

He was smart enough to do this in the yard well away from the house where he was the only likely casualty (?why was spell-correct suggesting casket?)

[SuiteTraveler]

When we were first married (now nearly 50 years ago) we started the day with a full English even though we were both working. At some. I stage we dropped to just having it at weekends.

 

My work often entailed me having to spend a night or two away in hotels and more often than not I would start the day with a full English. I would be staying near enough to be able to start the working day at 9.30 and usually worked through the day without having lunch.

 

 

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Oh I absolutely loved visiting York! That is an amazing place and you are so lucky to live there! I toured the cathedral and went through the undercroft - you will laugh, but I was a bit scared in there as there were not many in there at the time. I went on a ghost tour one evening that started near the cathedral and went through the Shambles it was so much fun! I stayed in a charming little hotel right near the cathedral. I remember it had an ever so tiny elevator and the nice bellman who lugged my suitcase up the stairs. I walked to Betty's Tea Room and had a lovely afternoon tea and walked over to St. Mary's which was stunning. The entire town was absolutely beautiful and I really wished I had more time there. Definitely next time I visit the UK, I'm going to plan to stay there several days so I can explore even more.

[SuiteTraveler]

He was smart enough to do this in the yard well away from the house where he was the only likely casualty (?why was spell-correct suggesting casket?)

 

I just noticed VA, MD & FL - do you really live in 3 states?

[Eboracum_d]

Oh I absolutely loved visiting York! That is an amazing place and you are so lucky to live there! I toured the cathedral and went through the undercroft - you will laugh, but I was a bit scared in there as there were not many in there at the time. I went on a ghost tour one evening that started near the cathedral and went through the Shambles it was so much fun! I stayed in a charming little hotel right near the cathedral. I remember it had an ever so tiny elevator and the nice bellman who lugged my suitcase up the stairs. I walked to Betty's Tea Room and had a lovely afternoon tea and walked over to St. Mary's which was stunning. The entire town was absolutely beautiful and I really wished I had more time there. Definitely next time I visit the UK, I'm going to plan to stay there several days so I can explore even more.

 

 

Perhaps I should organise a C C Meet and Greet in York!

 

A good tip for those of you coming to the UK from the States is to use our Rail system particularly buying one of our Rail Rover Tickets which allows a number of journeys spread over several days. The North East Rover would allow you to take in Cathedrals at Peterborough, York, Durham and Newcastle as well as the Border Town of Berwick upon Tweed which some people believe is still at war with Russia.

 

If you are a Railway uff that ticket would allow you to go along the Settle- Carlisle line as well visit the Railway Museum in York.

 

 

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[SuiteTraveler]

Perhaps I should organise a C C Meet and Greet in York!

 

That would be fun! I've met so many nice people from the UK on these boards!

[notamermaid]

Suitetraveler,

 

Yep, let's meet up in York. Not at Betty's please as everyone goes there. I had a splendid Indian meal in York and took a ride in a horse-drawn carriage. Fabulous! Go and see the railway museum, even if you are not into trains, it is so amazing. And Settle-Carlisle, ohhh, the memories. Ribblehead viaduct is such a feat of engineering in the middle of nowhere. A small museum tells of the efforts and human sacrifies of those that built the railway. http://www.settle-carlisle.co.uk/your-journey/stations/ribblehead/

 

Eboracum-d,

 

I agree, a rover pass (and an overseas visitor pass) is a good idea.

 

I seem to remember reading that you have been on a river cruise. Who did you go with and where? Did you have local food specialities on the menu?

 

notamermaid

[Eboracum_d]

I am on this forum more because of a forthcoming River Cruise ( the Danube with Avalon) next year.

 

In the past I have been on a Rhine Cruise with Viking and a Tulip Field cruise with the River Cruise Company last year. The Viking ship was modern, whilst the River Cruise ship was 100 years old but had been modernised.

 

The Tulip cruise was disappointing - more like a series of coach tours than a cruise.

 

We have happier memories of the Rhine Cruise.

 

Most of our cruising, though has been on the High Seas.

 

 

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[steamboats]

In Texas there is a family owned chain called Hoffbrau Steaks. It's been around since 1978. Then there is another Texas chain called Hoffbrau and Beer Garden which serves typical Texas ranch food and German food.

 

Hofbräu is the brewery. So anyone who sells their beer can call his restaurant anything with Hofbräu. But Hofbräuhaus is the most famous Bavarian restaurant in Munich (and that name is protected by law). That´s now a franchise restaurant in the US but the state of Bavaria is selling the franchise.

 

steamboats

[TravelerThom]

I just noticed VA, MD & FL - do you really live in 3 states?

Unfortunately yes. I am domiciled in MD where taxes are quite high (there are worse). I spend the winter in FL (when not cruising), and I spend a third of the year in VA where I was born, raised and still consider home. I can provide one word: inertia (or if you prefer stupidity). I really need to sell real estate. BUT one thing worse than lots of taxes is no income and no ability to travel. Could I do better, of course, bit I muddle along pretty well...

[steamboats]

Speaking of chains, Wienerwald was briefly a chain here in the U.S., after a huge sucess in Europe, but was pretty much gone by 1982.

 

Wienerwald was founded in 1995 by Friedrich Jahn in Munich. That business crew pretty fast but in 1982 they had to file for bankruptcy. All restaurants had to be closed (including 880 in the US). They returned but mainly in Germany and Austria. In 2003 Jahn had to file for bankruptcy again. The chain was back in 2005. Another bankruptcy in 2007. The two daughters bought the name back and started as a franchise. Currently there are still 24 restaurants in Germany, 9 of them in Munich.

 

steamboats

[laverendrye]

Wienerwald was founded in 1995 by Friedrich Jahn in Munich. That business crew pretty fast but in 1982 they had to file for bankruptcy. All restaurants had to be closed (including 880 in the US). They returned but mainly in Germany and Austria. In 2003 Jahn had to file for bankruptcy again. The chain was back in 2005. Another bankruptcy in 2007. The two daughters bought the name back and started as a franchise. Currently there are still 24 restaurants in Germany, 9 of them in Munich.

 

steamboats

 

I remember Wienerwald from the 1970s when I was living in Germany. I always thought that the chicken had a fishy taste, presumably because they had been fed on fish meal. My best memory of roast chicken in Germany was the legendary Hühner-Hugo in the Düsseldorf Altstadt back in the 1960s--it was beyond delicious. Sadly that establishment has been closed now for many years.

[SuiteTraveler]

Unfortunately yes. I am domiciled in MD where taxes are quite high (there are worse). I spend the winter in FL (when not cruising), and I spend a third of the year in VA where I was born, raised and still consider home. I can provide one word: inertia (or if you prefer stupidity). I really need to sell real estate. BUT one thing worse than lots of taxes is no income and no ability to travel. Could I do better, of course, bit I muddle along pretty well...

 

I looked at your profile and I notice you have been to Fanning Island - how was it?

[TravelerThom]

I looked at your profile and I notice you have been to Fanning Island - how was it?

Wow- I haven't updated that profile in years. We went to Kiribati on NCL-A at a give away price ($600 for 10 nights). Fanning was a pleasant day (actually visiting the local school on our own was a highlight), but compared to islands I have been n the Marshalls (with population of six [6]) and the Yasawas in Fiji, Fanning was pretty built up!:eek:

 

ADD: I have been in a number of ports where ship time and local time didn't match; Fanning is the only port I have been in where the time matched but the day didn't!

Edited April 26, 2017 by TravelerThom

[SuiteTraveler]

Wow- I haven't updated that profile in years. We went to Kiribati on NCL-A at a give away price ($600 for 10 nights). Fanning was a pleasant day (actually visiting the local school on our own was a highlight), but compared to islands I have been n the Marshalls (with population of six [6]) and the Yasawas in Fiji, Fanning was pretty built up!:eek:

 

ADD: I have been in a number of ports where ship time and local time didn't match; Fanning is the only port I have been in where the time matched but the day didn't!

 

Wow! $600 for 10 nights - it's almost like for FREE! I hope to get the chance to go to Fanning Island someday.

[TravelerThom]

Wow! $600 for 10 nights - it's almost like for FREE! I hope to get the chance to go to Fanning Island someday.

NCL-America had to have US crew, many of whom were under the misconception that THEY were taking a lazy cruise. Servoce got horrid reviews and the 3 ships NCL hoped to fill were half empty. We were going to Hawaii anyway, so I checked NCL-A prices. Their 7 night cruises started at $1000, 8 night cruises started at $900 and 10 nights (the one to Fanning) started at $600 (am I detecting a pattern in pricing?). Over the years we have stayed on 6 of the Hawaiian islands, had never been to Fanning and like sea days, so a no brainer. After a week in Kona we boarded expecting horrible service, but it was somewhat better than that. Within 6 months NCL-S was down from 3 ships to 1.

 

Most current stops (there are not many) in Fanning are on repositioning cruises.

 

But all of this is fat from food on an European river boat...

[notamermaid]

Hello Eboracum_d,

 

I am on this forum more because of a forthcoming River Cruise ( the Danube with Avalon) next year.

 

In the past I have been on a Rhine Cruise with Viking and a Tulip Field cruise with the River Cruise Company last year. The Viking ship was modern, whilst the River Cruise ship was 100 years old but had been modernised.

 

The Tulip cruise was disappointing - more like a series of coach tours than a cruise.

 

We have happier memories of the Rhine Cruise.

 

Most of our cruising, though has been on the High Seas.

 

 

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The tulip cruises do seem a bit short in distance, I like the fact that Avalon has extended the itineraries towards Belgium, I find this one nice: http://www.avalonwaterways.com/river-cruise/tulip-time-cruise/waa/

 

Must apologize, I called York Minster a cathedral yesterday. Had forgotten.

 

 

Have a great cruise on the Danube, I recommend trying Kaiserschmarrn, a very sweet indulgence.

 

notamermaid

[laverendrye]

"Must apologize, I called York Minster a cathedral yesterday. Had forgotten."

 

 

 

No need to apologize. York Minister is in fact a cathedral, officially "The Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of St. Peter in York" and is the seat of the Archbishop of York. It's a bit confusing as not all minsters are cathedrals and most cathedrals are not minsters, but York Minster is certainly the common name of that cathedral.

[notamermaid]

Thank you laverendrye,

 

how confusing, even the official webpage is called yorkminster. One understand the British! ;p But seriously, Strasbourg and Freiburg are also minsters and I address them with their common minster name in German, Münster. And then there is the fact that Cologne we call a "Dom" and the Anglo-American world calls it a "cathedral". Oh dear, confused now I am. :D

 

 

notamermaid

[Eboracum_d]

The term "Minster" originally applied to a Church served by a community of Priests with a collective responsibility to hold services.

 

In later times the word was simply used to mean an Important church. Several Minster Churches, including York's are also Cathedrals.

 

 

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