Our meals as we travelled.

The Menu for our 31 day journey from Singapore to Southampton

On Container Ship CMA CGM Thalassa

26^th Januray to 27^th February 2013

With every hot meal there were freshened bread rolls, sliced salad items and a selection of cheeses. Second servings were always on offer and the variety and quality of food and preparation was of an excellent standard.

Here we enjoyed breakfast, lunch
 and dinner everyday.

Officers' table to starboard.

Day 1:

Dinner. We have sliced roast pork, boiled potatoes, broccoli and coleslaw.

Day 2:

Breakfast. I make our tea. Roy orders scrambled eggs and bacon with sausage. He cooks his own toast. My request is fruit, yoghurt (only the sweet option available) and muesli. I ask for a sharp knife and peel and de-skin an orange. With a banana this makes a very adequate breakfast.

Lunch. We are offered fresh green salad which is brilliant; cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce and capsicum. I eat the stir fried pork and green beans but leave the potatoes and carrots. Roy eats everything. We finish with some fresh bread and cheese; jarlesberg, emmental and brie. There is plenty of food, not super fancy but very tasty.

Dinner. Tonight’s meal is fries and beef fillet. I ask for medium. I start with salad. Roy eats bread, too. We eat our dinner and all say yes to dessert, ice cream. There is so much in one serve. Too much and although Roy finishes his, I leave a good third. I wish I could take it to the cabin.

Day 3:

Breakfast. I cut up fresh orange, using sharp knife to remove peel and skin between segments. With a very tasty muesli and fruit yoghurt this is a good start. Roy orders scrambled eggs and bacon. He doesn't have toast.

Lunch. Bean and noodle soup, green salad, pork chop and fried potatoes, steamed zucchini. I ask Gary if the rice option on the menu is fried rice or steamed plain. He says it is plain. Roy has finished off my meat but left the zucchini.

Dinner. Tonight it is breaded chicken with chips and aubergine. Very tasty. We have bread and cheese as well as fruit to choose from; banana and oranges.

Day 4:

Breakfast. For me it's unchanging, I peel and de-skin my orange, slice banana, top with yoghurt and muesli. It is repetitive but necessary. It will help me appreciate the variety once we get back to land.

Lunch. The beef stew is tasty but there is really too much meat every day. I eat the broccoli but leave most of the potatoes and meat.

Dinner. This time we are served a salmon steak, perfectly cooked, with lemon, fried potatoes, which I leave, and zucchini.

Day 5:

Lunch. is chicken marengo, mashed potato and salad. Watermelon quarters, huge servings, and sweet, for dessert.

Dinner.  The BBQ on deck. Roy has some pork and a sausage, a baked potato and rice. I try the squid and some crispy pork with crackling with sweet macaroni salad. It was an excellent spread and plenty for all.

Sammy, the chef, and Dario, the reefer.

Gary, the ship's steward.

Day 6:

Breakfast. Roy has scrambled eggs and bacon. He does his toast. Meanwhile Gary puts a serrated knife by my bowl. I peel an orange, removing all pith and skin. This is a ritual and I add sliced banana, fruit yoghurt, milk and the muesli. This makes an excellent start to the day.

Lunch. I have some bread and cheese, salad and breaded pork with green beans, leaving the potatoes and carrots. Tonight we will have ice-cream.

Dinner.  It is breaded chicken and fried potatoes. Afterwards we have chocolate ice-cream and I enjoy this.

Day 7:

Lunch. It is beef, potatoes and broccoli.

Dinner. It is Shrimp Buzarre which is small shrimps in a very light curry sauce, served with rice. It is tasty. We have cake for dessert. It has some sultanas in it. I take Roy's serve back to the cabin.

Day 8:

Breakfast. I join Roy and he is having bacon and scrambled eggs again. I just cut up my orange and will avoid bananas for a while

Lunch. It is breaded pork cutlets with green beans. I leave the potatoes and carrots. Eat one piece of bread with brie and salad (always provided with fresh sliced cucumber, quartered tomatoes, chopped lettuce and capsicum). For dessert Gary serves huge chunks of watermelon. This is delicious, sweet and mostly just water.

Dinner. It is beef schnitzel. For afters there are fresh, red, seedless grapes which are delicious. I take our serving down to our cabin for a snack tomorrow.

Corridor leading to dining room.

Officers sat at entry table.

Tea and coffee always available.

Day 9:

Breakfast. I dispense with bananas and just de-pith two oranges with yoghurt and muesli. Roy has his usual scrambled eggs and bacon with the addition of two hash browns. He toasts three slices of bread. The last one he eats with blackberry jam.

Lunch.  I have soup, egg drop with noodles, and salad. I decline the pork ragout.

Dinner. We are served beef tenderloin, medium with French fries. And chocolate ice cream for dessert. Neither Roy nor Ginette indulge. Roy has two glasses of red wine.

Scullery was always spotless.

Help yourself to snacks, at times.

Day 10:

Breakfast. I prepare two oranges, yoghurt and muesli. It is adequate.

Lunch. We are served a delicious mungo bean soup. It is a form of lentil, which as a ex-vegetarian I used to grow as sprouts. In a soup it is excellent. I have fresh bread roll, salad of cucumber, tomato, capsicum and lettuce. I request some mayonnaise and create my own dressing with balsamic vinegar, tomato sauce and mayonnaise. It makes a change. It is a healthy meal without the pork main course. We feel we are consuming too much meat

Dinner. We both go to dinner and Ginette comes too. All the six officers, not on watch, are at table. Tonight it is Cordon Bleu chicken with roasted potatoes. I eat half and Roy finished mine. Gary offers him a second serving but he has plenty. It is always tempting to overeat when it is offered. We have banana cake afters. Even Roy eats half and I take the rest back.

Day 11:

Breakfast. I had my usual, oranges, etc. as did Roy, his usual cooked meal. We are creatures of habit. Gary has added hash browns to Roy's breakfast

Lunch. Roy comes and has a double serving of beef stew. I manage a bowl of soup and a plate of salad with my own made dressing, mayo, balsamic and tomato sauce. We are all given two huge chunks of watermelon which we take back to our cabin

Dinner. There are seedless, red grapes for afters. I eat the salmon and aubergine, Roy leaves the aubergine and eats the fried potatoes. We have a glass of red wine. Roy leaves quickly while I finish my wine.

Day 12:

Breakfast. I take a pear from our fridge to add to a separated orange as a change. Roy orders ham instead of bacon but unfortunately it is the tinned variety.

Lunch. I have soup and a plate of broccoli. Too much meat is plaguing my digestion. I have some cheese and salad on a roll. Roy has chicken marengo with rice. His constitution can manage this. We all eat mandarins and take another to our room, for later.

Dinner. Tonight it is calamari and chips. There are always the same salad items, a good selection. I see Roy has taken some, too. Then there is cake for dessert. This is always welcome, for my sweet tooth. Ginette also welcomes cake.

. . . leading to main galley kitchen.

Day 13:

Breakfast. Roy has his usual bacon, scrambled eggs and toast. I chop up two oranges with yoghurt and a new type of muesli. It is not toasted but has lots of fruit and nuts.

Lunch. Roy has the chicken marengo, but I manage with soup and bread.

Dinner. I accept main of roast lamb and mashed potatoes with spinach. There is heaps of spinach which I am very happy about. The roast leg lamb is quite dark but tender. We accept a red wine. We have ice cream for dessert.

Day 14:

Dinner. At dinner, we have shrimps buzarre with rice and pancakes for dessert. We eat this with lemon and it is a welcome treat.

Day 15:

Breakfast. Roy decides he will just have toast. I eat two yoghurts with one orange. The Alpen muesli is drier.

Lunch. and Roy has the breaded pork. I enjoy the mungo bean soup which has a bit of beef. Gary asks me if I don't eat pork? I reassure him, I do, but the soup is delicious

Day16:

Breakfast. I prepare orange and pear with yoghurt. He just had toast.

Lunch. and I just have soup. Meat main course twice a day is too much. I enjoy the egg drop soup. Instead of main, I ask just for broccoli and I add some salad. This is plenty

Dinner. Beef tenderloin and chips, with icecream to finish.

Day 17:

Breakfast. Roy eats just toast and jam. I prepare an orange and apple, yoghurt, milk and muesli mix.

Lunch. I am happy with soup, kidney beans with bacon. I finish with cooked green beans and salad. Roy has a full main course then eats another serving. Ginette laughs at his apetite as he then eats rounds of bread and cheese.

Dinner. Today it is breaded chicken, rice and steamed cucumber. I have main course. Roy doubles up. There is red wine. We all accept banana cake for dessert.

Day 18:

Breakfast. and I slice and dissect the unusual red oranges. They are very juicy but not blood red inside as Roy suspected. I cut two and serve with yoghurt and milk with Alpen muesli. It is so tasty and just what I need

Lunch. I am happy with just soup followed by broccoli and salad. Roy manages to stop at one serving of beef ragout, mashed potatoes, broccoli and bread.

Dinner. Tonight it is salmon and chips. Roy eats my chips. The dessert fruit is cantaloupe which is delicious. It is a treat to get these surprises.

Day 19:

Breakfast. He has bacon and scrambled eggs which he has refused for a week. He eats but will not have it again; too fatty. I cut up orange and the crisp apple on offer. It takes time but is extremely tasty.

Lunch. and I have vegetable soup, then just a few pieces of chicken and steamed cucumber

Dinner. We have calamari and chips. I eat only half the calamari and give the rest with chips to Roy. Tonight there is also raisin cake for dessert.

I am invited into the galley.

Day 20:

Lunch. I have chicken soup and then broccoli and coleslaw. Roy eats breaded pork loin, potatoes and broccoli.

Dinner. We have roast lamb with spinach and potatoes. It is delicious. We also have red wine. I have chocolate icecream. It takes a while to finish as it is a large serving.

Day 21:

Breakfast. I take a while de-skinning two oranges and chopping half a pear.

Lunch. Roy has beef with mushrooms and I take soup. I also have the main meal but give Roy the beef, keeping one scoop of mashed spuds and mushrooms with sauce for myself. With coleslaw this is tasty. We take some pears up to our room.

Dinner. Deep fried shrimps in a light batter with fried rice. Roy pours us a red wine each.

Day 22:

Breakfast. We are served cantaloupe for dessert. Roy saves his for later.

Lunch. I find the fish soup very tasty though Roy says it smells awful. He has pork stir-fry, with rice. I take a main course meal too, eating just the green beans and a little pork and rice. Roy finished this second helping. I follow with a piece of roll with Jarlesberg cheese and coleslaw. We take a pear and mandarins with us as we leave.

Dinner. We have tuna steak, with fried potatoes. Roy eats a portion of my tuna and potatoes.

Day 23 & 24 In Hamburg, Germany.

Day 25:

Breakfast. I have our usual. I prefer these older oranges and there are bananas again.

Lunch. and it is beef ragout with mashed potato and broccoli. Roy opts for rice. I normally have soup but today I want the main course and top up with salad. We have red capsicum which I love.

Dinner. We have a bottle of Maylynn Merlot. Tonight we have pink salmon, fried aubergine and potatoes. Roy finishes my potatoes. We have cake for afters and then Gary brings me a second piece. We take it back to our room.

Day 26: Bremerhaven

Dinner. Tonight is calamari and rice.

Day 27:

Breakfast. I sit and prepare my usual oranges, banana, yoghurt, milk and muesli. It is a relaxing ritual and a great start.

Lunch. So I wake Roy for lunch and we head down for soup for me and a beef stew.

Dinner. We have main course and icecream. Roy had some too. Then a second scoop.

Food production was all done right here.

Day 28:

Breakfast. Roy has bacon and eggs whereas I have my usual.

Lunch. We eat with relish, breaded beef, broccoli and mashed potatoes.

Dinner. shrimps burazze and I request with polenta. It is delicious.

Day 29:

Breakfast. Roy has bacon and eggs, while I prepare a porridge asking Gary for some raisins. It is easy in the microwave adding hot milk, and jam.

Lunch. tuna steak, cooked cucumber

Dinner. Pork cutlet, aubergine and potatoes followed by banana cake. Gary says he has arranged one more bottle of red wine.

Day 30:

Breakfast. and I have my orange, banana, plain yoghurt, juice and muesli. Roy just had toast. Gary has left out a piece of cake for me. He knows how much I enjoy this.

Lunch. It is pork stir fry, mashed potatoes and broccoli. Yum, we are hungry. Gary offers me more cake but I declined. I ate the last piece after breakfast.

Dinner. beef steak with chips, and salad. Icecream to follow.

Day 31:

Breakfast. I have my usual orange, banana, yoghurt and muesli. Roy has toast today.

We leave CMA CGM Thalassa after breakfast and she sails

away; next stop Beirut. 

Gary was always helpful and accommodating.