1961 Westbound Transatlantic Crossing
24 August Cabin Class Gala Dinner Menu
This is another page of a series of Caronia meal menu transcripts. It is for the Cabin Class Gala Dinner of 24 August 1961, The Gala Dinners were always held on the penultimate evening of arrival on a transatlantic crossing. This presented your last chance to dress up in all your finery, assuming that it would get packed away the very next day pending disembarkation the following day.
Usually on these crossings two suggested menus were presented, one in English and another in French, however on Gala Nights only one is present. Another change is that the menu was printed in an identical style to that of 1st class. This was on both sides of one of the larger cards, instead of one side of the smaller size cards. In many ways this menu would not be out of place in 1st Class.
One curiosity of the fare on offer is the “Gendarmes”. These are in fact Tinned French Herrings. The salted fish are partially desalted and cold smoked, whole ungutted or gibbed with a salt-curing time of 2 to 3 weeks. In all, herrings provide the basis of 3 of the 10 dishes carried on the Hors d'Œuvre trolley, manned by us Commis Waiters.