Thursday 11 September 2008

Fruit Carving

Thursday 28 August 2008. We left Villefranche and returned to the Island Star. Whilst I folded myself into a sitting position on the pool deck and was happily making people around me nervous by chortling away at random to my book, Fran and Mum went to watch the afternoon's activities near the stage.

One of the kitchen chefs was carving melons, pineapples and other assorted fruits into flowers, horses, cartoon figures etc.

By controlling how deep he cut into the melon he could introduce different colours, the deep green of the rind, the lighter green of the outer flesh and the red of the inner flesh.

Fascinating to watch and you have to marvel at how they can visualise something so intricate before they start, so they can make the first cuts.

A few of them are shown here. Every afternoon there was some sort of demonstration. Fruit carving, ice carving, towel and napkin folding - a bit like origami with thicker materials, to make swans, monkeys and more...

The bar staff gave demonstrations of cocktail making, juggling bottles and shakers and handing out the results of their mixing!

The poolside bar. There were so many roving waiters there was no need to go up to the bar unless you wanted to sit at it.

That night Fran and Mum went to a ladies-only evening in the Spa. I went up on deck for the Captain's Party and would meet them there once they had pampered themselves.

The Island Star's Captain's Deck Parties were legendary. The entire management team of the ship came out to line the rail of the top balcony deck over the Pool Deck and performed a semi-choreographed dance with more enthusiasm than co-ordination perhaps, but it was very enjoyable.

Fran and Mum turn up, looking happy, but hot!

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