Does Tauck have a cruise for epicureans who enjoy their privacy and simply want to indulge and be indulged? I am such a one, so what follows is my ideal offerings, what I would like to see in a river cruise: As to Tauck’s accommodations: Window-facing beds, panoramic windows, excellent food, comfy furnishings and accoutrements, and WiFi are my best friends. Local cuisine, museums, cultural attractions, and yarn shops are all the lagniappe I ask. (I am thrilled that Tauck uses the word “lagniappe” in their description.) I don’t care about the other guests, they’re not why I’m there. I’m looking for ambience, culture, and history. My #1 requirement is a room with a view. For knitting, scenery, and breathing in the EXPERIENCE. Now all I need is the wherewithal to do it. But poor as I am, I already have it (mostly) right here, in my living room - “Here is where the birds sing! Here is where the sky is blue!” Here are my impressions re: Tauck’s food, as featured in one video I saw - The food doesn’t float my boat (other than that roast pig). When I see those fancy-schmancy precise (some might say anal) little plates I get so irritated. What I want, e.g., is: plentiful bowls of soups and stews representing the cuisines of Europe along with their traditional fresh-baked breads, a plate piled high with steamed mussels accompanied by hot salty frites and homemade mayonnaise, a bloody bistro steak, a (perhaps signature?) jambon beurre, a choice of local cheeses and charcuterie, etc. If there were a place to build “Sandwiches of the World” (hopefully 24/7) I would worship at its feet! As I dislike chocolate and excessive sugar - not so with bread and butter, providing the bread is fresh-baked and the butter freshly whipped up - so Tauck’s dessert offerings don’t excite me. Where is a selection of European pastries, e.g., tortes, tarts, pâte à choux selections, a HUGE bowl filled with freshly-whipped cream, perhaps one centerpiece of madeleines piled in front of a Paris-Brest, another of cannolis surrounding a regal tiramisu, and so on, each centerpiece inspired by a different European cuisine? Where is a dessert salad bar offering nuts, fruits (fresh, dried, macerated), various sponges and other “building-block” cakes, a selection of traditional English tea edibles (sweet AND savory), all so that diners can build their own desserts … and the like? Where is an appetizer bar, where is a vegetable bar, where are the breads, etc.? Where are the aperitifs and digestifs? In other words, Tauck needs someone with my approach to eating to jumpstart their gastronomic sensibilities and inspire them to break away from the conventional anal-retentive minimalist fastidiousness of so-called fine dining. Ditch the pretentious formal and faux-elegant atmosphere and loosen your collars and belts, because the finest dining can only happen when diners are casual, relaxed, and comfortable. Toss the ties and tight dresses in favor of snug enjoyment - you’re there to eat well, not to display your flashy tail feathers! It’s more important to be comfortable in your own skin than to show off your social position and acquisitions, a trait that reeks of insecurity. In my opinion, of course.
Does Tauck have a cruise for epicureans who enjoy their privacy and simply want to indulge and be indulged? I am such a one, so what follows is my ideal offerings, what I would like to see in a river cruise:
As to Tauck’s accommodations: Window-facing beds, panoramic windows, excellent food, comfy furnishings and accoutrements, and WiFi are my best friends. Local cuisine, museums, cultural attractions, and yarn shops are all the lagniappe I ask. (I am thrilled that Tauck uses the word “lagniappe” in their description.) I don’t care about the other guests, they’re not why I’m there. I’m looking for ambience, culture, and history. My #1 requirement is a room with a view. For knitting, scenery, and breathing in the EXPERIENCE. Now all I need is the wherewithal to do it. But poor as I am, I already have it (mostly) right here, in my living room - “Here is where the birds sing! Here is where the sky is blue!”
Here are my impressions re: Tauck’s food, as featured in one video I saw - The food doesn’t float my boat (other than that roast pig). When I see those fancy-schmancy precise (some might say anal) little plates I get so irritated. What I want, e.g., is: plentiful bowls of soups and stews representing the cuisines of Europe along with their traditional fresh-baked breads, a plate piled high with steamed mussels accompanied by hot salty frites and homemade mayonnaise, a bloody bistro steak, a (perhaps signature?) jambon beurre, a choice of local cheeses and charcuterie, etc. If there were a place to build “Sandwiches of the World” (hopefully 24/7) I would worship at its feet!
As I dislike chocolate and excessive sugar - not so with bread and butter, providing the bread is fresh-baked and the butter freshly whipped up - so Tauck’s dessert offerings don’t excite me. Where is a selection of European pastries, e.g., tortes, tarts, pâte à choux selections, a HUGE bowl filled with freshly-whipped cream, perhaps one centerpiece of madeleines piled in front of a Paris-Brest, another of cannolis surrounding a regal tiramisu, and so on, each centerpiece inspired by a different European cuisine? Where is a dessert salad bar offering nuts, fruits (fresh, dried, macerated), various sponges and other “building-block” cakes, a selection of traditional English tea edibles (sweet AND savory), all so that diners can build their own desserts … and the like? Where is an appetizer bar, where is a vegetable bar, where are the breads, etc.? Where are the aperitifs and digestifs?
In other words, Tauck needs someone with my approach to eating to jumpstart their gastronomic sensibilities and inspire them to break away from the conventional anal-retentive minimalist fastidiousness of so-called fine dining. Ditch the pretentious formal and faux-elegant atmosphere and loosen your collars and belts, because the finest dining can only happen when diners are casual, relaxed, and comfortable. Toss the ties and tight dresses in favor of snug enjoyment - you’re there to eat well, not to display your flashy tail feathers! It’s more important to be comfortable in your own skin than to show off your social position and acquisitions, a trait that reeks of insecurity.
In my opinion, of course.