I hate the food on holiday

[pandarific]

Gutted. We’re at a villa in Greece with PIL, I’m pregnant. This villa (organised by PIL) comes with a ‘chef’, who you give money at the start of the week and they cook breakfast lunch and dinner.

It’s run by an English lady, who manages the chef - all we got asked was ‘are there any vegetarians?’ and one person has said they don’t like fish - ‘oh okay, good you said as we have fish three times this week.’

My problem is... The food is cooked fine, but it’s very, very plain and the same thing over and over. I can’t have a bloody drink, I LOVE food anyway so was really, really looking forward to nice food on holiday. Varied, interesting, with nice desserts, stuff I wouldnt have at home - holiday food, iyswim? I could honestly cry.

For lunch yesterday it was spinach and feta pie, plain tomato onion olive pepper and cucumber salad, a loaf of bread and a slab of feta. Fine - bit dull, but fine.

For dinner yesterday it was plain cooked chicken (no sauce of any kind) cooked potatoes and the same salad. A loaf of bread, a slab of feta cheese. An odd orange cake for after which was strangely wet inside and not very nice. ...again a bit dull, but fine.

For breakfast, it’s been eggs, a loaf of bread, Greek yoghurt, jam, cut up fruit. Oh or cornflakes. (Three large packets of cereal, all bloody cornflakes. WTF?)

For lunch today, it was the chicken from yesterday, the spinach pie from yesterday, a slab of feta, a loaf of bread, and salad.

We have just had dinner. I had a word with myself beforehand as I’m beginning to get severely grumpy and struggling to hide my rage, and everyone else, DH included, seems to be delighted with it. I was thinking I shouldn’t pre-judge it, I’m sure she’ll do something different, etc etc. Can you guess where I’m going with this?

Plain grilled chicken or plain grilled pork (), no sauce of any kind, the same salad, a slab of feta, a loaf of bread, the spinach pie again. Nothing for after.

I am fucking gutted. I KNOW I am putting too much importance on this, but I can’t have anything to drink, I’m pretty bloody food focused anyway and now I’m pregnant I’m dying for nice, interesting food to relieve some of the massive fucking boredom of being pregnant, and I was SO looking forward to this. Idk if I was stupid to expect something better, I’ve never been on a holiday like this before, wasn’t . No shops open at the min as it’s a public holiday - I have privately moaned to DH and he’s said we can go to the supermarket .

If I see that fucking salad again I may scream. Please Mumsnet, I know IABU - hand me a grip someone?

And I totally agree with Tatiana. A friend of mine is a private chef. She agrees budgets and menus with her clients. It sounds like you are being ripped off here to be honest.

Years ago I went to with friends on a tour in Egypt (just us in a private group) with food included and for every meal our guide took us to tourist buffets with the same food in chafing dishes. Fine for one or even two meals but we begged for variety, offering to pay extra, and she ignored us and carried on dragging us off to these buffets, where she obviously got commission. The joy when we escaped her and found a proper restaurant with interesting food. Those of us who didn't already have food poisoning from eating tepid food that is.

Oh my god that chicken, egg and lemon soup sounds delicious.

I love all the people saying "well pay for your own holiday then". Why does it make a difference whose paying for it? She was looking forward to some yummy Greek food and it's disappointing she isn't getting it.

If she'd started a gofundme page so we could all contribute to her eating out every night then I'd tell her to get lost too but she just wanted a little moan! Jeez!

Yes, it's Avgolemono, Cady a famous Greek soup, chicken stock, egg, lemon and a little rice, you serve it hot or (my favourite) chilled ~ delicious!

Whoops then! In my defence I am allergic to eggs so not a dish I've ever come across and never been to Greece
Every day's a school day and all that.

Go out and buy some lovely desserts so you can indulge when each meal is over. I'd be bored with the same thing on a loop

‘well maybe I have a different idea of the word 'plain' - it is pretty simple. is that better? Strong flavours, of course. I have also lived in Greece.’

Pretty simple. Yeah ok, cos British fare is such a complicated cuisine.

The ILs probably asked for bland food. My ILs eat very bland food

But the OP says the ILs like taramasalata. That's not a typical choice for people who won't eat 'foreign muck'.

I would be expecting things like calamari, halloumi, gyros, kleftikos, grilled fish, along with the bread, chicken and deconstructed Greek salad. Where's all that?

Maybe they're a bit stuck for fresh meat and fish over the bank holiday and the good stuff will appear in the next few days? Although I would expect an explanation if that's the case and if there's no improvement by the end of today, ask what's going on and where all the nice Greek food is, because food is a huge part of the holiday for me and boring food would be a massive disappointment.

What's the quality of the villa like? Does it look like decent quality and nice food would be an expectation, or is it more basic?

Shame the fish is a no go, it would have been amazing!

I would be FURIOUS and I also wouldn't have coped with it for more than one day. I agree with others that ILs are being conned with the chef but I'm not sure what you can do about that apart from going out for lunch every single day.

I am currently on holiday with a friend and her kid and my kid. She works incredibly hard and is a carer for her disabled husband too. Generally she only eats easy things as too tired for anything else. I know she'd do that here, but there is absolutely no way I am eating frankfurters on holiday. I would be annoyed about it for far longer than is logical. I LOVE the experience of eating different food on holiday - even stuff i buy from the supermarket and cook myself.

It sounds as if the chef prepares totally normal Greek food!

I love egg and lemon soup. To be fair @CadyHeron it's not the most well known soup amongst non-Greeks.

Op; I don't see how it would be rude to say to to the in-lAws, shall we ask the chef to make moussaka or kleftiko?

I'd be upset by this too. I've been to Greece loads and love the food, I'd be gutted to be served up a boring menu like this every day, chef or no chef. I can cook better than that myself so it wouldn't be a treat at all! I'm afraid I'd be having a word with the chef about things you'd like to try, and if that doesn't work I'd be eating out as much as possible.

My guess is that budget/the local employment market/the fact that chef was hired as a FOAF means that this is the limit of her culinary talents and that if you asked for Moussaka or Kleftiko you might live to regret it.

I know that the Greek economy is tough but even so, in a tourist area a bona fide multi-talented chef can probably demand a higher salary in a restaurant than they can doing the cooking for six in a (I’m guessing) medium budget villa.

Never mind OP, top up at a supermarket, have one romantic meal out with your DP, and keep smiling now you’ve had a therapeutic moan to us. I’m guessing that the other diners are having a glass of wine with their meals which may be some of the reasons why they’re happier with them.

BlondeB83 OP says fish is being served to everyone except the fish-hater. However it seems not to be very nice either.

I think whether they're being ripped off depends on what the PILs paid (obviously) and on what this was sold as. If it was 'our private chef will make gourmet meals to your specifications' then that's clearly not happening. If it was 'with home cooked meals' then that's a bit different - but you would very much hope that would be reflected in the price. I wouldn't expect restaurant quality food from a villa with a cook - there's a reason why restaurants don't usually have just one chef - but I think it's perfectly fair to expect more variety.

Op; I don't see how it would be rude to say to to the in-lAws, shall we ask the chef to make moussaka or kleftiko?

I also think that would be fine (though I'd make sure to phrase it very much as 'because I fancy those things' rather than 'because the food is rubbish'), though there is the risk that they'd say no or not want to ask for specific things. What I don't think would be ok - but what people keep suggesting on this thread - is for OP to go and essentially order moussaka or whatever for the whole group without asking anyone first.

No I think they’re doing cheap unsophisticated food to a budget

Agree, it appears they are cutting costs by keeping things as simple as possible and maximising their time by not making sauces or extras. We stayed all inclusive in greece and had such a huge variety of Greek food - yes there were salads with feta and loads of different types of bread, but so many other things too. Sounds like the chef's just a bit lazy and is getting away with the bare minimum.

We stayed all inclusive in greece and had such a huge variety of Greek food - yes there were salads with feta and loads of different types of bread, but so many other things too

But do you mean you stayed all inclusive at a hotel? Because I think the logistics are different for six, and that it's not fair to expect a lot of different options at each meal. That's not to say they couldn't step up their game a lot here, but I just don't think you can expect the food you'd get in a restaurant from one cook, quite possibly working out of a normal kitchen and producing three meals a day for six people.

My guess is the “chef” is not really a proper chef at all. Sounds like the food anyone could cook and you are being ripped off. Go out for a meal!

Can you have a word with the chef or the owner. Blame your pregnancy, say it makes everything tastes so bland and that you were looking forward to some spices and a properly made iman biadi (?sp).

See the first thing I wondered about was if you are being catered for breakfast, lunch and dinner does that mean you are expecting to spend your whole time every day at the villa? No trips out for sight seeing or anything?

Now that would get to me after a while. I hope you took some good books.

Mediterranean food is often simple so it doesn’t sound to me like what you’ve been served is that unreasonable. But the key thing is that it’s getting to you. There’s a few things you could do. Maybe arrange one evening dinner out with just your DP. Go to the supermarket and stock up on some of your favourites like he suggested and ask the chef for a sauce.

Also focus more on some other things you can do out there that you like - some excursions or your book / films etc.

@pandarific the first comments were so mean, I don’t think you’re being unreasonable at all.

I was on a Greek island for the first two weeks of May and we had a huge range of meals. Even the ones we cooked for ourselves on two hobs and a microwave were more exciting.

Ask your chef for moussaka and Brian and other oven baked dishes. Ask if he knows how to cook them, that should stimulate him to some effort.

Briam! Don’t cook Brian.

The thing is, we don't HAVE 'sauce' on the Med. It's fish and meat 'a la plancha' with herbs and the delicious locally made olive oil. Big salad and bread and cheese/jamon. That is the diet! Pudding is fruit or yoghurt. It's how we eat!

Paella is Spain on a Sunday and tortilla instead of the spinach/feta pie you had.

Maybe pasta sometimes, or croquettas, calamari If not a holiday and no fresh fish to be had.

Sorry, but your expectations are too high, it's a local lady providing three meals a day, over a bank holiday weekend. That is clearly what has been paid for, everyone else is happy, you really need to sort out your moussaka and taramasalta craving and get to the shops. Do a little 'mezze' for everyone with drinks before dinner.

It would be a kind gesture of appreciation.

And, I don't see why you can't have a glass of wine, at this stage.

True. Mediterranean kitchen is not big in sauces.

The closest to sauce is a mix of lemon juice and olive oil to drizzle on grilled fish.