The Getaway

March 13, 2023

What does “getaway” mean to you? Is it a short holiday at a relaxing and fun place? Or is it a quick and hasty departure?

One Getaway

Hola! It’s a beautiful day in Cozumel. We’re having fresh, tasty Mexican food for lunch, but first we have to make it! 

Our tour took us to a waterpark called Playa Mia Grand Beach Park. There we met our chef/instructor and our tour guide. First things first: we must dress for the part.

Now, we will start by making dessert: Sautéed Plantains in Chocolate Sauce. We fried the plantains and finished them off with rum. Then we made a chocolate sauce from scratch. It had a deep and satisfying chocolate flavor. The Chef showed us how to decorate our plates with chocolate sauce and heavy cream. We wrote our names on our plates in chocolate and the plates were placed in a refrigerator while we cooked the next dish.

 

Did I mention that the bar was open? There’s nothing like some delicious rum punch to punch up your cooking.

Next we made some corn meal patties that became the base for a shrimp-y sauce-y topping. I got to use one of those tortilla presses. It’s like a giant notary seal, only more fun to squeeze.

And here is the shrimp, covered with shredded cabbage, crumbly cheese, more red sauce, and sour cream sauce.

Our third masterpiece was fish and vegetables baked in foil. After searing the fish fillets, we placed them on the foil, and then added the sautéed vegetables, some tomato slices, and some tamarind sauce. Again, we wrote our names on our plates with sauce, so that we would get our own packets back. After being baked by the kitchen staff, our plates were served to us with the addition of rice and shredded cabbage.

Our lively group of part-time chefs sat down to a scrumptious meal overlooking the beach and pool. And, of course, the bar was still open.

I thought we would be able to get the recipes by using the QR code that was given to us, but I just found out that the code does not take us to the recipes. Otherwise, the class was exceptionally well organized, fun, and delicious.

After lunch we had about an hour and a half to use the water park facilities. Ken and I just relaxed on the  beach . There were lots of chairs available, and the water was nice. We were very pleased with today’s tour.

Another Getaway

Now, all the bonhomie we felt among our shipmates during our cooking class and lunch evaporated when it came to dinner on the ship. We were seated at a table for eight. Four of our tablemates had little interest in conversation. The other two were very weird and slightly creepy. They monopolized the conversation with boring facts about themselves. Their bragging about their travels was insufferable.They had little stuffed animals in their shirt pockets, goofy hats, weird jewelry, and weird clothes. Talking to them reminded me of talking to nerdy teenagers. (The man said he was a grandfather, and he looked old enough to be one.)

To make matters worse, the service was really slow, so there were lengthy awkward gaps that needed to be filled by conversation. But, by the time our main courses arrived, everyone at the table was looking at his or her cellphone and ignoring the rest of the table, including the Odd Couple. Ken and I don’t look at our cellphones during dinner, so we looked at each other and sent each other lots of signals via body language and raised eyebrows. My body language message was “When can we leave?”

We couldn’t get away fast enough, so we skipped dessert and left. We said we were to full for dessert, but we actually went to get ice cream. Guess who also showed up at the ice cream parlor? 

Then we had to figure out how to ensure that we would never have to share a table with them again. Answer: Try a different dining room. Try a different time.

Today’s color is Jeep Green, just like the water at Playa Mia.