FERDINAND aka MARCOS

The word 'decadence' is often associated with cruises. A dear Filipino friend once said 'we learn to perfect the art of doing nothing on a cruise ship, literally nothing'. One gets spoiled easily, which I believe is central to the very idea of cruising anyway. The 24-7 service staff responds to every beckon call with big smiles and as an old advertisement used to say 'I can get used to this very easily'.

At the buffet restaurant one simply points to what one wants on one's plate and a waiter will take over, just in case you cannot navigate your way back to the table over the 'swells' when the ship is at sea. This, of course, becomes habit even when the ship is docked. I refuse to do that, at the risk of slipping my lunch over other's shoulders.

These folks work 10-12 hour shifts, with breaks in between but they seem to be on perennial duty during their 8-month contracts, away from homes and families. The service is genuine, their smiles even more so ... just an amazing bunch of professionals who carry their workload with incredible pride.

We, a party of nine, count our blessing to have Ferdinand (whom we called Fernando the first few days and Marcos afterwards) from Manila at our dinner table from day one. He is truly the most likable professional we have come across. Ferdinand has this innate ability to read your mind when you deliberate on the extensive, somewhat complicated menu. To me, he is the dietitian I want. Without the blink of an eye, he can recommend a 3-course meal (5-course if he senses you are hungry) that will satisfy your intake while shaving off your greed. How about Fish of the Day since you had Lamb and Steak the last two evenings? Oil and Vinegar, Mr Tang, you may not need Blue Cheese Dressing? Just a Double Expresso, no dessert, right? You might wish to indulge in a single scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream, your favorite, with a splash of caramel though since you did 30 Funnel Laps, right? You earned it today, do not forget you are on vacation.

Why can't dietitians be human, like Ferdinand?

Meet my soul mate on Silver Spirit. I wish you could be there to witness his acrobatic act of dinner plate balancing on 3-metre waves.