Food at meal times

[Ken Norton]

Start the day right, kippers and poached eggs John, delicious still do at times but have to watch the weight pushing 18 stone 6ft 2 in B.M.I. high and need new knees. Diet coming I do beleive.

[John F Collier]

Haven't had kippers for years Ken, tend to eat healthily for most of the time nowadays, for breakfast it'll be porridge with a handful of
blueberries or scrambled egg on wheat spelt and rye bread, can't be hurting as at 80 I only weigh 9 lb more than I did at 23 when I
got married, don't know about BMI but cholesterol reading is 4.5 , blood pressure is fine and the Doctor said I am good for 80 so I
must be doing something right , cheers

[Ken Norton]

Haven't had kippers for years Ken, tend to eat healthily for most of the time nowadays, for breakfast it'll be porridge with a handful of
blueberries or scrambled egg on wheat spelt and rye bread, can't be hurting as at 80 I only weigh 9 lb more than I did at 23 when I
got married, don't know about BMI but cholesterol reading is 4.5 , blood pressure is fine and the Doctor said I am good for 80 so I
must be doing something right , cheers

Great to see you are keeping in fine fettle John, healthy diet is a must but I do admit to cheating. Wish I could say the same about weight at 2O was about 13 stone wet through so an extra 5 stone being carried,poor old knees ouch. Cheers.

[Captain Kong]

On some ships in the 50s, such as the `Nicholas K,` Kiriakidas of Athens.
we were on our pound and pint,
6oz of fresh offal per person per day perhaps.
8 oz of brackish water per person per day perhaps,
So bad the Captain, the Mate, and Chief Engineer skinned out in Ozzy.
I went home looking like a racing snake,, Mother couldn't recognise me,
When we ordered fresh meat in Cochin India, the man brought 12 goats o the gangway on the hoof, "This is very fresh meat Sahib,"
We had to build pens to keep them in, Galley Boy had to slaughter them when required.
happy days, No Obesity in those days,.
Brian

[robpage]

I don't think you could fault the catering on clan line ships it was absolutely excellent and I believe on ships crewed with people from the Indian subcontinent that the chief cook will more often than not from Goa that meant that he could cook pork and beef without having any religious difficulties. The only thing I couldn't ever get my head around worse you could have as much bacon sausage fish whatever you like for breakfast but I'm quite a lot of the clan ships I sailed on you got one egg a day

[Peter Dukes]

Thanks Vic have made a note of your Lidl tip good wishes Peter Dukes ( Home Boats & Union Co NZ )

[Paul Steel]

I thought Cottage Pie was made with beef, and Shepherds Pie with lamb?

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottage_pie

Over the last month our club has changed the chefs to Indian, can't say we have enjoyed the food, uncooked veg, Cottage pie made with beef
no curry's {I don't like them anyway] but generally very bland food, their prices are the highest in Town, which being a club shouldn't be, it's why the place is empty most days. So we have been going to Chinese restaurants of which there are a large number down here as Cooma is a tourist town, next we intend having Thai which by all accounts has great food, something I haven't had since the 60s in the Spice Islands, mind you none can compare with my wife's cooking .
Cheers Des

[Malcolm Lawrence]

Had great grub on Fyffes, Honduran crew, brit officers, when we were in port the Hondurans got us to go over to some Japanese trawlers in the lifeboat and barter whiskey for fresh prawns, dinner was deep fried plantain chips and curried prawns scrummy.
Also accompanied the Purser in Honduras where we picked up beef for the chefs, two complete steers on the hoof and we had to wait in the cantina whilst they were slaughtered and butchered, I have never tasted fillet steaks like we had that night since.
The food stores on the banana boats was situated in the alleyway near the engine room and was secured with a very heavy duty padlock, we used to get a little peckish on the 12-4 watch and discovered that you could take the door hinge pins out to get at the freezers in the store, one frozen chicken covered in foil and placed on the superheated steam pipes for 2 hours and hay presto, and engine room picnic

[Colin James Young]

Serving on the Clan Ranald we did not have the traditional Indian curry offerings, more your traditional British fayre.
The Cook s were Zulu and usually very good except on the South African Coast, when they were chasing nookie and drunk out f their minds.
A crew change saw us with a chef from a passenger ship which travelled from S.A. to Indonesia etc.
He tried to get our Chief Steward interested in Indonesian food, Nazi Goring and Bhami Goring, Chief Steward was having none of it.
Chef decide to provide an Indonesian meal as a one off for the Steward, who was delighted and we ended u with regular Indonesian fayre, which is very good.
For those that are interested both meals are available from Lidl in their chilled food section. Both are excellent value and delicious.
Vic

I remember sailing with Ropner's in the mid 60's and their Wednesday lunch, for 6 months on the trot was Brown Windsor Soup (commonly known as OXO) followed by Sausage Roll, Cabbage and Mashed Potato of a "sort" and either Raspberry or Strawberry Jelly with Evaporated Milk. Supper was a bread Roll left outside you cabin with Heinz Salad Spread thinly spread. No use if you didn't like it. We once received a "sort of meat" one Wednesday after we had docked in South Africa. Without exception we all complained to the chief Steward about its quality which was consistent with Boot Leather. Not my fault says he, I paid for best Fillet Steak and I can't help what they've sent me just before sailing!!!! We found out that this was the usual regular reply after victualling.

[Pete Laurie]

Most of my career, 1973-82 with P&O, Goanese stewards and Pakistani engine and deck crew. Curry option for every meal and chicken curry and 'puree' most popular Sunday lunch. Recipes similar on all ships, often wondered if the Chief Steward (also Goan) had a recipe book handed down from father to son (P&O employed sub continent crews for around 200 years). Asked the P&O Archivist a few years ago but he had never hear of one, some dishes I have never come across anywhere else (including Indian restaurants in UK) e.g. Viennese Steak, Kofta Ball Curry; seemed to be an Anglo-Goan-Indian mix. When it was good it was very very good but when it was bad it was horrid.