Why Does the Chicken Taste Like Heaven at Sea?

I'm going to tell you something that will either make you feel validated or make you think I've completely lost my mind. But here it goes: the food tastes better at sea. Not just a little better. Not "Oh, I guess the salt air makes everything delightful" better. I'm talking about life-changing, "How is this chicken so tender?" better. And I decided that this cruise aboard the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise was finally going to be the one where I figured out why. Listen, I'm not some Food Network fanatic or a culinary snob. Back home in Omaha, I eat gas station sandwiches without shame and consider a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store to be peak cuisine. But the moment I stepped onto the Paradise on a Friday afternoon in November, something shifted. The buffet at the Limetini Buffet looked exactly like what you'd expect—stainless steel chafing dishes, warming lights, the usual cruise ship spread. But then I took a bite of what I'm pretty sure was just regular roasted chicken, and my eyes actually closed involuntarily. My husband Mark laughed at me from across the table. "You're doing it again," he said, shaking his head. He was right. I do this every cruise. I sit there like…