My wife has got menu planning down to a science. Here is the email she sent out to the crew in preparation for next years trip.
Hey sailors – now that the holidays are over, time to start planning the provisioning (grocery shopping, menus, etc) for the trip. To get me started, would each of you please answer the questions below? Once I get an idea of how this group eats, I’ll draft a menu and send it around for input.
1. Please list the foods that you don’t eat – include allergies as well as stuff you just plain don’t like. Remember to include hors d’oeuvres in your list, we have a LOT of happy hours…..
2. Describe what you like to eat for breakfast – are you a light breakfast eater (bagel or yogurt), medium (bowl of cereal), or heavy (the Rancher’s Plate at the iHop every day)
3. Since there are 4 cabins, and we are planning to eat 4 dinners aboard, I thought it would be fun for each cabin to plan/cook one dinner – Give me one or two ideas of what you would like to cook. Remember, simpler is better, as we are limited by space, cooking utensils, and available groceries – chicken, fish, and steaks are usually readily available. We tend to cook most dinners on the grill to keep the heat out of the main cabin.
4. Also, start thinking about what you drink on a weekly basis. As I get more organized, I will send around a list of beverages (alcoholic and non) and you will have to tell me what and how much to order. I don’t need to know now, but start thinking about it. And believe me, whatever you order will probably not be more than one friend who stocked a case of beer per day, for himself.
As we get closer, we’ll organize a Pre-Cruise Party to go over schedule, what to pack/not pack, our planned itinerary (if you have someplace you really want to see, we can probably make it work), etc.
One more important note- please check your passports to make sure they will not expire before June! It takes a while to renew them, and you will need one.