Cruise Food – or How to Feed 3835 People for $142,857 a Day
by Barbara J. Avery

(Originally published in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel)   

 When travelers talk of their cruise experiences, conversation often turns to food: the quantity, the quality, and overall overeating.  Food on many cruise ships is available 24-hours-a-day.  You can have it delivered to your stateroom, gorge on it at buffets, dine sumptuously on it in elegant dining rooms, grab it and go at a café, or treat yourself to truly special food at an onboard restaurant.  And, don’t forget the midnight buffets that on some cruise ships is more than just a glut of food, it’s gallery of food art.  

What does it take to please the palates of passengers for the duration of a voyage?  In San Juan, Puerto Rico, Royal Caribbean’s “Adventure of the Seas” brings on board about one million dollars’ worth of food to feed up to 3,835 passengers and her crew for an eight day Caribbean cruise.  The “Adventure of the Seas’” grocery list includes nearly 450 gallons of fresh cream, 2.3 tons of bananas, 1,000 pounds of strawberries, 3.6 tons of high gluten flour, 3.15 tons of watermelon, and 2.85 tons of pineapple.  For the Friday night lobster dinner, there are 4,500 lobster tails in the cooler.  

Recently, I had the pleasure of sailing on the “Adventure of the Seas”, once the largest cruise ship in the world. After two days on board, I just had to ask. Could I tour one of the ship’s ten galleys?  My husband and I were at dinner, enjoying another outstanding meal, when I shored up my courage and asked our head waiter about a tour.  Almost behind his hand, in a hushed voice, he told me to be at the Deck Four dining room the next day at 2:00 p.m. Here was my chance to learn how a floating city can consistently provide high quality food, round the clock, to so many people.  

Executive Sous Chef Jason Kenny guided our small gastronomic group through the gleamingly clean Deck Four Galley.  Even the dishwashing station that handles some of the 75,000 plates per day didn’t have a speck on it.  210 people work in the “Adventure of the Seas” galleys, including seven sous chefs, chefs who are second in kitchen command only to the ship’s executive chef.  Every step of the food preparation process is carefully coordinated so that the operation runs smoothly.  The galleys are inspected and must pass stringent health code requirements.  As for the left over food and kitchen waste, it is either donated to charity, ground up and released into the ocean for the fish to eat, or burned for fuel.  

While touring the galley, we had the treat of watching the bakers prepare works of dough art for that night’s midnight buffet.   We saw finished bread cannons and palm trees that would become part of an all bread display that included windmills and castle towers. The bakery operates round the clock to keep up with the demand for baked goods.  Each day requires that baking include breakfast pastries, doughnuts, pizzas, and a variety of rolls and breads that are served with dinner each night.    

All of Royal Caribbean’s ships use standardized menus.  Whether you cruise to Alaska or Aruba , you’ll find the same dishes.  So, if you want to try local and regional cuisine, plan to have a few meals at your ports of call.  Granted, the food on the ship is included in your fare, but spending a little to experience new and wonderful foods is certainly worth it.  

Chef Kenny shared with me some recipes from the ship. Scaling them to feed four people is a little problematic, so here is a Jerked Chicken recipe that resembles what is served on the ship.  Chef Kenny suggests serving it with rice and beans, and mango and papaya salsa.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

Ingredients:

 3 pounds chicken pieces   

1 bunch minced scallions

4 minced garlic cloves

1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh ginger

3 scotch bonnet or jalapeno peppers, minced

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup fresh lime juice

¼ cup tightly packed brown sugar

¼ cup water

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon ground allspice

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Method:

In large glass bowl, mix all ingredients except chicken.  Add the chicken.  Cover and marinate in refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Remove chicken from marinade.  Discard marinade.  Grill or broil chicken  until done and juices run clear. (160-170 degrees.)