DAN HOTELS OF ISRAEL
A
SUPER
EXPERIENCE
Cruising Kosher
Singapore to Bangkok
GABE LEVENSON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
W
arm the year around
are the equatorial wa-
ters of the South China
Sea, but a kosher cruise
of them was, nonetheless, an ice-
breaker for the 70 observant pas-
sengers who made a two-weeks'
voyage from Singapore to
Bangkok. It was an unprece-
dented "first," opening up to these
travelers an experience which
had formerly been denied them.
The unavailability of fresh
kosher food and the prospect of
landings and departures on the
Sabbath had previously deterred
Orthodox Jews from undertak-
ing such journeys. On this occa-
sion, however, Lotus Tours, a
pioneer in developing kosher land
tours of the Far East, negotiated
with the Orient Line, operator of
the large cruise ship, Marco Polo,
to overcome these two major ob-
stacles.
The problem of Sabbath em-
barcations and disembarcations
was overcome very easily — by
the choice of an itinerary on
which there simply were no ar-
rivals or departures from Friday
to Saturday sunsets.
I had been on several trips for
which hundreds of packages of
frozen kosher food had been
brought aboard the ship, heated
in microwave ovens for each meal
and served, still wrapped and
sealed, to observant passengers.
They were quite good, and better
than the best kosher airline
meals.
But this was an entirely dif-
ferent procedure, and the results
were far superior, of gourmet
standards. Food was cooked
aboard the ship, from start to fin-
ish, under proper halachic con-
trols.
Under the supervision of Hen-
ry Valier-Grossman, a highly-re-
garded English mashgiach, a
per person
in double room
including- breakfast
Starting at
DAN PANORAMA, TEL AVIV — DAN PANORAMA, HAIFA
DAN PEARL, JE,RUSALEM* — DAN CAESAREA
Any combination of Dan Hotels for a minimum of seven nights.
*Opening Winter 1995
Rates valid as of March 1, 1995
(varies by season)
PL US
per person
in double room
including- breakfast
Starting at
KING DAVID, JERUSALEM — DAN TEL AVIV — DAN CARMEL, HAIFA
DAN ACCADIA, HERZLIYA — DAN EILAT*
Any combination of Dan Hotels for a minimum of seven nights.
-
*Opening Winter 1995
Rates valid as of March 1, 1995
(varies by season)
For information and reservations,
please call your travel agent or
Israel Hotel Representatives
(212) 752 6120 or outside New York
State Toll Free: 800-223-7773/4
or FAX: (212) 759-7495
-
ETB
.( /fill(,/.• ,(Av•c/
ELLIS TRAVEL BUREAU, INC.
CORPORATE & PERSONAL TRAVEL
CRUISE DISCOUNTS
GOLF, TENNIS, SKI & TOUR PACKAGES
AL HARRIS
149 Pierce Street, Birmingham, MI 48009
Telephone 810 647 9660
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1
section of the Marco Polo's galley
was set aside for the preparation
of kosher food, and a stove, oven
and dishwasher were scrupu-
lously blow-torched, inch by inch,
to remove impurities.
Instead of the paper dishes and
the plastic utensils ordinarily
used for prepackaged kosher
meals, the ship line provided
newly-unpacked china dishes,
glasses and silverware. Each item
was clearly identified: one tiny
red mark for dairy foods; two, for
meat products.
Matthew Blass, executive chef
of Jet Kosher Caterers, a major
Long Island firm, was engaged to
do the cooking, with the assis-
tance both of Valier-Grossman,
who checked all the meats, fish,
vegetables and fruits — meal by
meal — and of two of the ship's
regular chefs, who were assigned
to work full time with him.
Similarly, one of the ship's
headwaiters and a staff of wait-
ers were assigned, and trained,
for the specific responsibility of
setting the tables with the ap-
propriate utensils, for serving
kosher foods from a menu of sev-
eral choices and for ensuring that
dishes, glasses and silverware
were returned to the dishwash-
ing machine which had been set
aside and supplied with kosher
soap powders.
The first meal aboard ship was
on a Friday evening, following an
afternoon departure from Singa-
pore; and, for everyone involved,
the preparation and service of the
dinner for that premiere were as
anxiety-ridden as the opening
night of a Broadway show.
Blass and Valier-Grossman
had boarded the Marco Polo only
that morning, when the ship had
docked in Singapore at the end of
its previous voyage. They had to
meet and instruct their staff;