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?

I mean got out with your DH or DP not OP.

I feel for you, it sounds very dull! Maybe the chef specialises in fish and doesn't know how to cook much else?
I'd have a quiet word with him and say you find the chicken a bit dry and could you have a change from feta etc.
If that fails get DH to go to the local restaurant and bring food home? You can blame it on pregnancy cravings!

expat your comments are such a dreich misery sometimes.

Blame it on the baby..... casually mention that you are totally craving something delicious that you fancy and I'm sure the chef will want to please anyway. It doesn't need to be hugely different to what she's already cooking. They are paying for a service and I'm sure it's not a huge deal.

Can’t you request something? It sounds ok to me actually but a bit repetitive

Some of the posts on this thread are hilarious and absurd. The OP has been variously accused of potentially having a problem with alcohol, being unused to healthy food, and being an unpleasant person who should undergo self-reflection. Don’t take these posts to heart, OP. You have freely admitted that it’s not much of an issue and your plan to stock up on a few extras sounds perfectly reasonable. Enjoy your holiday!

Clearly this thread is divided into people who enjoy food as an experience and people who see it as fuel.

I really sympathise OP. I went to Italy a couple of years ago as a last minute holiday after a really really shit few months. I was looking forward to a week of delicious proper pasta and pizzas, different meats, lots of lovely Italian food and wines. I had specifically booked to go to Italy for that reason as I love Italian food and really really needed cheering up.

It turned out the hotel we ended up at essentially catered for elderly wealthy Germans on coach trips. The food was just a bizarre mash up of an Italian take on German care home food and just generally awful food. The menus were only in very poor German and then translated again into even worse English so didn't make sense. One night the English translation just said 'meat'. Fortunately I knew the German word for rabbit and was able to deduce what type of 'meat' we could expect that evening.

Luckily we were only half board so were able to go out at lunchtimes. I was so upset though as I pretty much only went for the food. Pretty sure we must have been looking at the wrong hotel on trip advisor when we booked .

I'm quite surprised by the many posts saying that OP should just go and ask for what she wants. I think it would be ok to discuss it with the group and do that (though it would have to be done really delicately) but I think it's really rude for one person - and not the paying one - to request something specific for the group without checking. What if someone else hates the special meal OP has requested?

You sound so unpleasant So many bits of your OP It’s probably too late, but a little bit of self reflection before your child arrives would be a good thing. For yourself and your child.

For real? Jesus.

As you have a chef, I’d be requesting specifics, with sauce!! You have plenty of ideas on here, OP, show him! If there’s a communication issue, google pictures. I’d be gutted getting plain boring stuff. The food can make or break a holiday. I can’t understand the people saying you’re moaning. My favourite thing on holiday is the different stuff, some of which may even have tentacles!

pastabest why on earth did you book half board on a holiday primarily about the food?! I would never expect to eat at the same place every single night and have a varied gastronomic experience - which is why I don't ever go catered, or more than B&B at most. Surely if you want to sample lots of different food you expect to go to lots of places to do so?

I would imagine the PIL's are paying an absolute fortune for the holiday to be catered by a private chef and it sounds as if they are trying to just do it as cheaply as possible with that offering. Either that or they play it safe with English guests because they think we all eat plain and repetitive.

It's clear to see who the plain cook posters are, who always do chop & chips because it's Wednesday, so would be quite happy with plain meat salad every day and those who love their food and adore trying new and interesting things.
I'm in the latter camp and would also be really disappointed with that fare day in day out (my DH wouldn't mind). Maybe they misunderstood the fish embargo and assumed nobody wanted it. Allowing nobody fish for the sake of one who doesn't like it would be the same as allowing nobody alcohol because one of you is pregnant.

I guess if your DH is happy, everyone else is happy and you aren't in the sort of company where someone could say 'anyone else finding the food a bit dull?' you'll probably have to suck it up & just buy yourselves nice things and blame pregnancy cravings.

If you like sweet stuff ask the chef for galaktopita and portokalopita.
And baklava.

I love going out to local restaurants, trying out unknown dishes, people watching, etc. I know a private chef is meant to be luxury, but I don't think I´d like it much.

'expat your comments are such a dreich misery sometimes.'

We're all entitled to your opinions, Pom, as long as they don't stray into personal attacks or break Talk Guidelines.

It's an AI holiday, several people are on it, they all seem happy with the food except for the OP.

No moussaka??? I'd be wailing (and I am not pregnant).
Either put a request or go out and buy loads of sauces and nibbles.

It's a first world nightmare but I'd be so excited at having a chef - my expectations would very high in expecting gorgeous food.

And you’re allowed to be a princess when you’re pregnant.

You're really not - people will be more reluctant to tell you that you're being difficult, but just as inclined to think it.

@expatinscotland I wouldn’t dream of dictating, promise.

Also guys, fish is staying on the menu, fish will be had! Just that one person who doesn’t like it they will do (the lady said) ‘a chicken leg or something.’

You're on a free holiday. Go out a few nights and have a meal ffs.Youre not on a compound - use the money you've saved on this and hire a car?

' it's rubbish when you are pregnant on holiday" - wouldn't know as couldn't afford a holiday until our eldest was 5.

Pregnancy isn't a disability, nor is it an excuse to be a precious twat.

* Hands OP grip she asked for *

Result! Greek food without fish is sad.

I don't have any suggestions (pretty hard to demand special food in this situation if you're not the host, although you could milk the pregnancy cravings angle) but just wanted to say that one of my and DH's happiest experiences on Greek holidays was booking on a gastronomic tour of Thessaloniki with a keen young graduate - side business while she sought a proper job in science. It was amazing!!! She took us in all these places down side streets where we'd probably never have gone by ourselves and every place pressed so much food on us we arrived back at the apartment with so many doggie bags/boxes we just ate the remainder for the rest of the trip.

And none of it was bland.

Sorry OP.

I totallly feel your pain... I’m a foodie and this would kill me!!

It would be better if you could drink. I completely understand what you are saying. I look forward to food on holiday and I realise now I've been all inclusive I'm fussy. Now you know you are fussy and sober.

Isn't moussaka just an anglicised dish? Like chicken tikka masala?

I’m totally with you OP, I’d be disappointed too. Greek food definitely falls into two camps the simple (but tasty if done well) grilled fish, meat, lamb, pork with salad and potatoes and the more complicated stuffed peppers and tomatoes, mousaka, souvlaki etc. The latter are my preference all bag with super fresh seafood but they take 3 or 4 times as long too make and because all the ingredients are mixed together if someone doesn’t like cheese or tomato or whatever they can’t just leave it - so much more difficult for a big group. I’d plead pregnancy hormones and wanting to have some ‘date nights’ with DH before the baby arrives to excise yourself and go out for dinner a couple of nights. Also as others have mentioned stocking up with some dips that will go well with the lovely fresh bread, salad and feta you get at lunchtime will make for lovely lunches.
I think people have been pretty unnecessarily unpleasant to you - it’s not as if you’ve complained to PIL or pushed it around, been rude about it and ordered take out!

@pastabest oh noooo, that’s my worst nightmare! Makes a good story though.

DH and I stayed in a terrible hotel a few years back - they seemed to be in possession of a massive crate of mini frankenfurters, which we kept finding in places no frankenfurters should be. Like - on ‘Asian Night’ - sliced up frankenfurters in the coconut rice. On ‘Italian Night’ - sliced up frankenfurters in the lasagna. And the piece de resistance - a ‘salad’ in the salad bar area made up of 80% sliced up frankenfurters, 20% sliced onion and tomato. Delicious!