Jade Restaurant still there?

[Lil' Lori]

Dave-if it was an extension of the windjammer I didn't realize it. When you say extension, do you mean, part of the actual buffet?? On one side of the windjammer buffet, they did have Indian/Asia type food, you served yourself, but it was not a "sushi bar". The sushi bar we ate at was away from the actual buffet, and the chefs were dressed in oriental fashion, for a lack of better description. I'm confused, is the "Jade" the Indian/Asia food side of the buffet, where you help yourself, thats what I thought the "Jade" was. If the sushi bar had an actual name I don't remember it, I was there to just hang out with my cousin while he chowed down. Lil' Lori

[Dave]

I think we are starting to blend the ships.

I don't know about the Monarch. I was assuming it was set up like the Freedom, Mariner, Liberty, where Jade had two sections of the center buffet area in the Windjammer (the first two you came to after entering). It was Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, etc., but it was all buffet service. I think they had sushi but it was not at a bar. They put out sushi on the buffet along with a couple of sauces, but no separate bar for specialty orders, and it didn't cost extra.

[Lil' Lori]

The sushi bar we went to was small and intimate, while sitting at a bar. It did cost extra, and if I remember correctly, they gave us a sushi menu to order off of. I have only tried a california roll, and gagged it down. Now, I can grubb down some shellfish, and scallops, but that is it. I took care of a patient a year or so ago. He unknowingly ate bad raw oysters, and died within a few days. It was a very acute reaction, he progressed very rapidly. He came down with this weird thing, + test results or something, I can't quite remember. Well, you only get it from eating bad raw oysters. I have only eaten raw oysters once, I was on a date, I had a few drinks in me, so I had the liquid courage affecting me. I didn't care for them, but I sucked it up Get it?? Lil' Lori

[Dave]

I like sushi and sashimi, but then it is really a different thing than raw shellfish. I acquired a taste for it when stationed in Japan in the 1970's. However I can understand your view of it. I don't eat raw shellfish. I don't like oysters anyway, but do like clams and mussels and they have to be cooked or I won't eat them.

[johnboy]

Thanks, Lil Lori! I'm glad to hear that I'll be able to get some sushi on the Monarch. From what you describe, sounds like its pretty authentic "Japanese". Was the $20 the cover charge or was it the cost of the individual dishs that were ordered (ala carte menu)?

I just packed my chopsticks, Dave - I'm all excited again!

By the way, in what branch of service did you serve? I was stationed in Japan (just outside of Tokyo) while in the air force, but a "few" years before you. That's when I got hooked on sushi.

[Dave]

in what branch of service did you serve?

I was in the Marine Corps. I was stationed at MCAS Iwakuni, although most of my tour was spent at NAS Cubi Point and Kadena AB. However my time on the main island allowed me to experience much of Japanese culture. I had a good Japanese friend who took me to some of the "real" places to eat, where round eyes were not normal.

[Lil' Lori]

Johnboy-yeah I would say it had a Japanese flair about it. The $20 was the cost of the individual dishes he ordered. By reading Dave's post, I think it was Sashimi my cousin had, that sounds pretty familiar, he had 2 of them and some soup. The soup was a brown broth, with a few things in it. I tasted the soup and didn't care for it. By the way, I was in the Air Force too, from '86-92. I was stationed in West Germany, and Denver where I did aerospace stuff, then I cross trained to become a medic and got sent to Travis AFB. You probably went to Japan via Travis?? I put my medic training to good use, I am now an ICU RN in Phoenix. Those were the days. Lil' Lori

[johnboy]

The soup sounds like Miso soup and the "few things" in it were probably tofu cubes and dried seaweed. Yummm, delicious!

I flew over to Japan on commercial air (Pan Am)via San Fran, and 30 months later, came back on MATS through Travis. Spent a couple of days there while processing out and getting my discharge. Don't remember much about the base except that it was big!

That was a long time ago - was in the AF from '58 to '62. The flight over was on a C-97 (civilian version of the B-29 bomber) and flew back on a C-121 Super Connie. My flight from SF to Newark was the red-eye on a Boeing 707 - it was the first time I flew on a jet!

Gosh, I sound old!

[Valeries220]

I have never noticed the Jade part of Windjammer until this last cruise on the last day. So they have Asian food there? I wish I would have known that there was different food being served there. I just thought it was part of the Windjammer & it was just a seating area. Never noticed any food there. Oh well.

I also just found out on the last cruise that the waiters also worked in the Windjammer. We finally saw our guy on the last day. Boy they really work so hard.

[spoheat]

The jade is a good place for anyone who doesnt care for traditional breakfast food. I always rely on it for shrimp scrambled eggs and sauteed vegetables in the morning. (more normal American breakfast items and fruit are all available there at breakfast--I don't think I have a lot of competition for pea pods in the eggs at 8 a.m.)