Up the gangway part 4

 

I remember dumping stores straight into the ocean on both ships. 20 kilo of T-bone steak, other meat, several boxes of frozen fish and nearly 50 kilo of frozen vegetables. One time we had enough eggs to last over 6 months. Most of them went over the side. It had to be done because some people just didn't know their job. The bloke in the office at Melbourne and some Chief Stewards were the main culprits.

Laws had been introduced in regards to dumping at sea on the Australian coast. I was made aware of this through word of mouth and a role the union played. We were still learning and I remember being told to cut the polypropylene straps. Everybody cared about the Dolphins!

The Chief Cook earned the same money as a Chief Steward and belonged to different unions until 1988. Nearly all the Chief Stewards I knew had never worked in a Galley before they upgraded. The Cook wrote the menu and the Chief Steward did the rest. They had to work together and most of the times they did. A lot of changes took place when the aggregate wage was introduced before my time.

The Chief Steward was employed by the company and labelled a company man. I do recall some that picked the job up from the engagement centre. They were responsible for doing a stock take and calculate how much provisions were used each month. They were given ratings and rewards if they save money. It was a lot of bullshit!

There were about 11 Chief Cooks that I had sailed to Japan with. All of them had culinary talents and most had worked in Restaurants ashore. There was no excuse for a bad meal and I don't recall any. The worst thing you could have done was serve a hot meal on a cold plate. Food was never rehashed which can lead to food poisoning. If milk was boiled you had to toss it and if a casserole didn't look right you did the same. When in doubt throw it out!

Cast Iron pans and trays were used for frying eggs and baking potatoes. They required a bit of maintenance but were good to use. Stainless Steel was rare whilst aluminium pots and trays were popular. In 1988 I wrote to the Union requesting a ban on aluminium cookware. I was the minute secretary.

Attempts were made to improve the menu and some cooks had different ideas. The board of Trade was a label given to certain cooks by blokes that didn't know what The Board of Trade meant. By reading about the history they would learn the union fought hard to get it in 1948.

The Cafeteria system had not been introduced when I was on the Pioneer or Progress. I was not a fan of watching a bloke help himself at the Bain Marie. I'd rather serve him.

A Chief Cook on the Progress introduced Steak and Fish available for lunch and tea. He'd also add a Roast or a Casserole which went down well. There was less food wastage and it was kept simple.

On the Pioneer the Officers mess and saloon was above the Galley which meant the food had to be put on a dumb waiter. On the Progress they ate on the same deck but away from the crew.

The number of eggs used for breakfast was less in later years. In the early days omelettes were only served on Sunday and you cooked many. When they went on daily it became easier because you never had a mad rush.

Blokes were beginning to care about their health and Muesli and fruit was getting popular. In the end I never cracked an egg unless an order was made. If nobody ordered an omelette then I never had a dish to wash.

The 2nd Cook was responsible for the breakfast. Bacon eggs and Chips were available every morning. Sausages, Baked Beans, Fish Fingers, Minute Steak, Tomato Royal, Mushrooms and Black Pudding were alternated. Hot Cakes were popular but they weren't served daily in those days. Pan Fried Vegetables was another name for Bubble and Squeak which was a taboo. Several versions of a story were often discussed that I could not print. It was good idea to never rehash food so nobody gets Diarrhoea. I don't recall anybody suffering from food poisoning. Maybe some indigestion or hang overs!

The first time I ever used frozen chips was on the Pioneer. Prior to that I had to cut the chips and blanch them in a different temperature before serving. We cooked them in Frytoll which I had to melt on the stove so that I could pour it into the fryer. Keeping up with the times, it was on the progress we started to use vegetable oil. I remember an engineer taking the credit for banning Frytol because it caused cancer. He seemed to be intelligent so I didn't dispute his claim.

Instant mashed was available and was good for Shepherd's pie. It was necessary on long sea voyages if the potatoes didn't last. Using the product occasionally gave a reason to keep ordering it. Although I wasn't sure about the shelf life!

Prawns au Natural was a favourite monthly meal that you just pass out on a tray. Tenderloin was available to make Fillet Mignon or Beef Wellington. Every Cook made Lancashire Hot Pot, Cottage Pie, Spaghetti Bolognaise. and Beef Stroganoff. Not everyone used the Tripe but I can recall serving Fricassee of Tripe to maybe one bloke. The Meat Pies, Sausage Rolls, Pasties and Lasagne were made in the galley, and we crumbed the Weiner Schnitzel ourselves. Some cooks went to the trouble of making Veal Cordon Bleu.

Oxtail Jardinere was a classic maritime dish known as Steering gear. Sea Pie another maritime classic meal that was often made without seafood. Quiche Lorraine was a tart that made the real men in the crew want more. Colonial Goose exposed the humour of any kiwis on the ship. Scotch Eggs, Chop Suey, Chicken Cacciatore, or Maryland were some of the other dishes that made it on the menu.

Stew's were usually on the breakfast menu and Irish Stew was a regular. It was made with lamb, vegetables, potato and parsley. 106 was the name given to Carrington Stew, because that was the number of the bus you caught to get there. Ironically the same number was used in both Manchester England and Newcastle Australia. It was made using beef, vegetables and tomatoes. Boston Stew was made with Beans and some blokes got me to add bacon. Hungarian Goulash was often an evening meal served with Mashed Potato.

Some cooks were known for their Curries. Mustard, and Chilli came in powder and were sometimes added for variation. Garlic and Ginger improved the flavour and in those days it was fresh. The secret of a good curry using powder was, “you had to cook the curry early and not burn it.” I remember serving Curried Sausages, Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Prawns, and Tasmanian Scallops. It was always served with boiled rice. Fried Rice and Risotto were regarded as a meal or entrée.

Chilli Con Carne was another spicy dish that excited some blokes. Omelette's were known to be served for tea. Spanish, Mexican and Chinese were the types and inspired by cultural events of the date.

Fricassee of Rabbit and Roast Duck weren't common but they'd get served. Macaroni Au Grattin was a regular easy dish that was baked. Asparagus Mornay was another dish that was good for an entree.

Buffet Turkey was supplied to roast. Also Legs of lamb, Beef with ribs, Pork with Crackling and Veal rump were also supplied for a lunch. Pickled Pork, Corned Brisket, Silverside, Ox Tongue, and Mutton were boiled to accompany the meal. Baked Ham was usually served with a chook on a Sunday. Having the menu this way allowed for plenty of cold meat for tea.

A tray full of Devon, Salami, and other processed meat was provided for the evening meal. The tray always looked good with the Silver-side or meat cooked at lunchtime.

We had a good selection of fish to fry, bake or grill. Kippers were baked only for breakfast but remarks always followed that you don't want to read about. I believe the Smoked Cod we served was not from South Africa. The Barramundi came from Thailand and Orange Roughy came from the deep ocean. Lemon Sole was always served whole and it filled the plate. I had filleted it somewhere but never went to the trouble on a ship. Tasmanian Scallops were crumbed, battered or Curried. Pink Salmon or King George Whiting was too expensive for the ANL budget.

In those days Tinned Soup was one of the few products that we carried. It came in handy when we were loading stores but most of the time Soup du jour was freshly made. I introduced Mock Budgerigar but the chief steward typed up Cream of Budgerigar which has a completely different meaning. I would never harm a Budgy!

Sweets were on the menu each day and some of the old blokes knew how to bake. Bread and Butter Pudding was a regular and Fruit Salad was appreciated when everything was fresh. An effort was put in to Apple Pies, Choux Pastry, Vanilla Slices, and Doughnuts. Wine could be used in the Trifle. I remember one bloke made Creamed Rice and just melted ice cream over it. There was plenty of Ice Cream!

MSG was in the store room and it did get used by some blokes. It was only a conversation in those days and disguised as 621 in the boosters. Nutmeg was a spice I was told to go easy on as it's been known to cause heart Palpitations. Later years I was told it was an ingredient used in Ecstasy.

Nobody went to trouble when making Sauce Robert. Just add a bottle of Mustard sauce to the gravy and serve it with Schnitzel. White sauce was made with warm milk and a cool roux but I had to remember to never boil the milk. By adding capers or onions you can give it another name and pretend to be Escoffier. I don't recall anyone going to the trouble of making Hollandaise or Bearnaise Sauce. Sweet and Sour Sauce was made from the juice of a tin of pineapple, brown sugar and vinegar. Satay sauce was with peanut butter and Chilli.

Garlic and Ginger came on the ship fresh so I had to crush it. The mincer helped and I kept jars to refrigerate it so it can keep. I had to go through the tomatoes and spuds to make them last.

It was my job to make the salad for the crew. The officers ate Salad that was prepared by the Pantryman. Coleslaw, Pasta, and potato salad were common. Vegetarians were not catered for and allergies to peanuts were only starting to be discussed. I did make a Waldorf salad but at first without grapes and walnuts. I had to add them eventually thanks to Fawlty towers.                                    Arnott's Assorted Creams were the top of the range when it came to Biscuits. Tim Tams and Mint Slice were on other ships but not on a P boat.