Day two aboard the Celebrity Century is in the books and we are into day three. That means we have eaten first dinner, second supper, late evening snack seen a dance extravaganza and had our first breakfast. Yes, this is tough work but I believe I am rising to the challenge of my work and representing the hungry class to the best of my ability.
First dinner was had on the pool deck at the Verandah Café. I had the choice of certified Angus beef, chicken, turkey or veggie burgers. I chose turkey burger and fries.
(photo) Add on a stack of bacon, grilled onions; a slice of tomato and a tiny side of fries (to help me avoid scurvy while at sea) and first supper was ready.
An interesting observation I have come to is that although it is “all you can eat” style food the staff aboard the ship serve basically all food. So at breakfast you can eat that ten pounds of bacon and sausages if you like, you have to tell the server behind the buffet line that no, those six slices of bacon are not enough and yes, you do want them to add another six slices. Having to actually say these words may in fact cut down on the gluttony and wastage of food. Although sadly I have seen some instances where sandwiches are left on tables with one or two bites taken out of them.
However, back to my food experiences. For our second supper we rejoined our assigned table in the Grand Restaurant. We seem to have been blessed with the location of our table; we are at a window overlooking the rear end of the ship.
The number of people dining with us has grown. A couple from New Brunswick and another couple from Las Vegas have joined us; now we have three people who are hard of hearing and two people who speak virtually no English.
The lovely lady sitting next to me speaks perfect English, albeit with a distinct Australian accent. We do have plenty to talk about seeing as she is an English teacher in Tasmania.
The elderly lady from Las Vegas asked us if our options for controlling students have been significantly reduced now that we cannot hit the students. My tablemate and I smiled sweetly at this question. Our Vegas friend pursued this line of questioning, asking how we control kids, how do we get them to do what we want. I shrugged and said, “Well, I usually speak to them and just ask them to do whatever it is I need them to do.”
For dinner I elected to have the cedar planked, blackened Cobia salmon.
. It was an interesting meal. Delicious yes, but not like any other salmon I have ever had. It was a very white salmon.
I noticed the Japanese ladies curiously poking at the little mound of mashed potatoes and gravy on their plates. Not wanting to be one to stereotype people but I couldn’t help but wonder if they would prefer rice to the mashed potatoes. As soon as I said rice their faces lit up. And when the wait staff returned with perfect mounds of rice they were virtually glowing and utterly effusive in their thank yous to me. Somewhere in Japan there are going to be several pictures of me standing there with my arms around two very grateful elderly Japanese ladies.
Purely in the name of journalistic enquiry I tried something at the end of dinner. The wait staff came around asking what people would like for dessert. I asked for the apple pie a la mode and the cherries jubilee with vanilla ice cream. The waiter did not bat an eye and simply said, “Thank you sir.”
Late that evening, after taking in the “Dance around the world” production in the Celebrity Theatre (a fabulous performance), we returned to the Verandah Café for our late evening snack. Seeing as were quite late in the evening, the only thing open was the pizza bar. Excellent veggie pizza.
Today we are sailing into Icy Strait. People can disembark the ship and go into the tiny community to purchase all sorts of stuff to take home.
I am choosing insetad to stay on board and continue my exercise regime. (photo of P90XR)