Dining During the Sailing Days

11/28/11
By Everette Hoarde

Dining has always been an extraordinary experience aboard the Queen Mary.

Throughout her 31 years at sea, first-class passengers were tempted by many gustatory delights. First Class menus were changed daily so that one was never offered the same thing twice during a voyage.  At any given time, appetizers for dinner might range from: honeydew melon to Blue Point oysters on the half shell, to smoked Scottish salmon with capers, caviar, Bordeaux sardines, Bismarck herring, or Italian antipasto.

Next would come a selection of soups ranging from cold cream of asparagus or cucumber, to French onion, or perhaps Potage Busega (Minestrone with slices of tripe), or Consommé Rena (Chicken with Vegetable.)  After this came the fish course: this may consist of boiled fillet of Red Snapper, Key West; poached fresh coddling, Duglery; and cold split Maine Lobster.

But for the hearty eater, the fish course was only the beginning.  It was followed by an egg or meat course offering many choices. One specialty was Wiener Roast Braten (thin sirloin steak sautéed and garnished with onions, German fried potatoes, grated horseradish, and watercress.)  Or one might order barbequed ham, a loin lamb chop, roast roulade of veal, calf’s liver, chicken – or practically anything else weather on the menu or not. Dessert was always monumental with such delights as cherries jubilee and English trifle.

It became a popular habit for some regular passengers to try and order the most exotic dishes just to see if the chef and chief steward could accommodate them.  Only twice in the Queen’s seagoing career were they stumped.  Once in the 50’s, a request came back to the galley for rattlesnake steak.   The chef and the chief scratched their heads at this one, but not to be outdone they produced a sumptuous meal of freshwater eel and had a waiter shaking a baby rattle while it was served.  This was the spirit of the RMS Queen Mary.  The other occasion was when a passenger from the South ordered Dr. Pepper!