cruisin'

on friday night, my colleagues and i were treated to a dinner cruise by our employer. there were some 200 other people on board with us, most of which we didn't know.

we were told to arrive sometime after 6,  but that the boat wouldn't be leaving the dock until 7pm. we all arrived with plenty of time to get a good table, find a drink and chat before the night got started. we stayed in the dock far beyond 7pm though, which was rather unfortunate because our view -until we started moving- was the industrial part of the old-port in montreal. to be more specific, we were looking at a parking lot.  once we did leave, the boat seemed to only do a few laps of the old port (rather than going up/down the river properly) before turning back and docking just before 10pm. so, it really was less of a cruise and more of a tour-of-the-port.

we had been told in advance that we'd be getting a 5 course dinner, with an option of chicken or steak for the main. as a vegetarian, neither felt like a good option. luckily, i have had enough experience with meatless-meat meals made very last minute with the wide-eyed look of "ooooh. of course there's a vegetarian meal. let me just go talk to the chef" - followed by 30 minutes of waiting, followed by the exact same meal the meat eaters got only without the meat- that i emailed the organizer and asked if there was a veg option. "yes!" they told me. "not to worry. some delicious grilled vegetable-thing with goat's cheese made special for you".

the first course came out and i had to laugh. it was some sort of duck-pate salad in a tiny little ice cream cone (the size of the ones filled with maple sugar), served with an eye-dropper (honestly) filled with some sort of sauce. clearly, no veg option (isn't duck a vegetable?). the eye droppers made us laugh, but the little suction cup thing that the ice cream cone stood in provided way more entertainment. all night long, in fact. the second course was a coleslaw-type entree served in (i kid you knot) a small tea-cup. so filling. the third was a small salad. then finally, the main.

my friends laughed at me when i told them that since they didn't originally offer a veg option as a main, i would probably be having a lesser quality veg meal. when i saw the duck-ice cream cone with no veg option i said "i am definitely getting a meatless-meat meal". and that's just what i got. all of my colleagues took the steak option, which came with a side of grilled veg and a baked potato. and what did i get? (surprise) a side of grilled veg and a baked potato! *gasp* not only that, but it was designed to even look like steak- 2 small pieces of grilled eggplant stacked on top of each other. (hey, i have news for meat eaters- i don't like meat. stop making my meals to look like meat). so there i was, munching away on the only thing vegetarians eat (right?) - a few sticks of asparagus, some slivers of carrots and peppers, grilled eggplant (which, btw, i freakin' hate!) and a baked potato. so satisfying.

luckily the desert redeemed the meal for me. in fact, i would have liked 2 pieces, which i think should be given standard to vegetarians when our meals are a full-on afterthought. the desert was some sort of delicious chocolate-cake-wafer combo with raspberries on top. so good.

the night was actually a rather good time, thanks to my friends and i tearing up the dance floor and having a good laugh,  but i don't think i'd pay to do it again.
xo