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?

" Yeah ok, cos British fare is such a complicated cuisine." VintageVelvet but we weren't talking about British food were we? No, we were talking about Greek food. And yes it is 'simple' (deliciously)

Anyway do you even know where I am from? no. Why are you being so chippy? Greek food is hardly haute cuisine is it?

Say something to them.

It sounds as if the chef prepares totally normal Greek food

No, it really doesn't.

Just do what everyone else who doesn't have a personal chef does.
I would be out sampling the local restaurants, delis, etc, doing a food shop, rustling up some simple meals myself. But food is what I particularly enjoy on holiday.

Sauces on grilled meat isn't the issue, is it? Greek food, even very basic home cooked Greek food, includes things other than grilled meat. It's like telling someone who's come on holiday to the UK that they shouldn't complain at getting a roast dinner at every meal because that's what we eat here. Grilled meat is part of basic food, and delicious it is, but you might also reasonably expect more interesting vegetable dishes, stews, dips etc. Especially if the food is meant to be for people on holiday - I'd have thought a decent chef would take this as an opportunity to show off Greek specialities to visitors. If the owner has had people in the past who have demanded very plain food, maybe she now plays safe.

And Cady, no idea why you had to post in a snide way about something you've said you know nothing about. What on earth was the point of that?

I totally get it, OP. Perhaps unreasonable, but I'd be wanting loads of nice lamb and moussaka and dips and lovely sauces and olives and stuffed vine leaves and aubergines and all the gorgeous stuff you get in a Greek restaurant.

I'd cry if I got plain chicken and a lump of cheese. How much are they paying the chef? Maybe he's constricted by money? I'd be wanting to show off my skills in that position.

So yeah, could be YABU. But I'd be YABU with ya!

Speak to the lady in charge and tell her you enjoy authentic foods and flavours from the country to go on holiday to and ask her not to water down the taste for an English pallet.
( they do this in asian restaurants in the uk and you have spoken to the waiters abt it before. The chef will spice up the food so it doesn't taste bland)
For some reason, foreign chefs feel that English cuisine is salt, pepper condiments and bread and cheese!!

Sounds great to me! But then, I am almost always permanently dieting these days...!

Go out for a few dinners and lunches on the basis that you are out exploring the area. Don't offend your PIL who have clearly been so generous and kind to invite you, and cheer up a bit you sound miserable!

Speak to the lady in charge and tell her you enjoy authentic foods and flavours from the country to go on holiday to and ask her not to water down the taste for an English pallet.

Argh! Again this suggestion that despite the fact that five other people - including those paying for it - seem happy with the food, OP goes and asks for it to be made to her specification, not theirs. Surely people can see how rude this is?!

I'd be gutted about the food too OP.
I would be wanting lamb kleftiko, stuffed vine leaves, Kalamari, moussaka etc.
Your options are: find a supermarket, go out for more meals, or have a word with the chef.

What sort of food would you like? Can you make a specific request - e.g. lamb or moussaka, meatballs, stuffed vine leaves....e.g. local food that might be a bit more interesting. If you're a foody I'm sure you'll have looked at some classic Greek food recipes, and saw that a lot of it IS pretty simple - grilled fish, grilled meat, salads etc. It's not a cuisine where everything comes in or with a sauce, and it's not particularly spicy. As for puddings, I'm sure they can add some baklava or something sweet if you request it.

The other thing you could do, if you're into cooking, is ask to get into the kitchen as well and make something for everyone - I'm sure that'd be possible.
Whatever, you shouldn't seethe in silence. Be assertively friendly, and ask for what you'd like.

I had my DC in Greece and what you describe sounds like hospital food. Sounds ok on paper but so so plain compared to the traditional food. You have my sympathy

There's no way of telling on MN which threads will attract the bitterest posters in the room, is there?

If you're a food lover who has paid for a chef to cook for you (or someone has paid), then no, of course YANBU to expect a decent menu!

Be upfront, just say there's loads of wonderful Greek food you're keen to try, can the chef please have a bash at cooking it for you?!

Do you have a drink problem?. Almost a parody of Mumsnet.

Hi I feel for you. I went to Greece and I literally lived on Greek salad a I couldn't stomach anything else.I hate Octopus which they love over there. The cats had most of my food!! X

I don't know why you're getting it in the neck, OP! Surely part of going somewhere new on holiday means tasting the local cuisine? Not getting the same couple of dishes, for every meal, for days. I bet a chef doesn't come cheap and it's a damn cheek to not be cooking a varied, local menu.

There's far more bitching on this thread about "first world problems" and "pregnant princesses" that the op's complaints about the food. It's as if some posters can't wait for the opportunity to put the boot in!

9amTrain now you've said gyros my mouth is watering 🤑 but I'm skint 😭😭😭😭

What is for dinner tonight OP? Hope it's something different for you!

'Do you have a drink problem?. Almost a parody of Mumsnet.'

Yeah, that one takes the prize! Anything over 'just a thimbleful of sherry at Xmas' always brings out the 'you have a drink problem' crew.

Best Gyros I ate was in Sissi in Crete, two euros tiny little place called stam stam, mmm I need to go to Greece again, also had a couple of fabulous meals there in a restaurant Neromilos that felt like eating in someone's (beautiful) garden, fresh beetroot salad, warm pitta, delicious olives, mutton lagoto, delicious lemon pastries and home made raki like drinking fire. If I ever disappear DH knows he'll find me on a Greek island tanned and two stone heavier.....

I'd be bored too and maybe ask if she could do some seafood dishes and provide a small alternative for non fish eater. The fish is the best part of Greek food, other than tapenade and kofte

expat your comments are such a dreich misery sometimes.
I love the word dreich.

Given that somebody else has paid for the holiday and everyone else is happy with the food, I would rank this with "the mattress is uncomfortable" in my list of holiday problems.

It's a bit annoying, but it's not gonna ruin the whole holiday and you can easily just deal with it if you stop being so highly-strung.