To Clarify...

My original Current State of Equipment post (the very first one) has caused some questions about how the equipment is running...the equipment in the kitchen is running fine except for oven number 3 seems to have a mind of its own and is real loud (But I posted 2 days later to also say the 3rd oven had been fixed on the 21st of January)...Peter (my boss) told me that the right side braising pan did not work (when I first came) but there was a work order in for it, BUT apparently it was fixed some time back and Peter was not aware of it, so neither was I.

 

These posts are just made as general knowledge and to let the crew know where we stand when we are trying hard to put out quality meals that everyone enjoys, or at least most people enjoy. hahaha!

 

And I have enjoyed Glen L. checking up with us several times to make sure things are running right.  Thanks to Glen we can steam the vegetables again! (that post was on the 29th, the part came in!)  Kevin was fixing the tilt feature on braising pan number 1 when I first started working.

 

Arthur, Kevin, Glen have all been great and have a lot more to do on the ship than serve the galley...but make sure and appreciate them as they have been a great service to us in Food Service! 

Deja Vu Dinner? (this Sunday night)

What is that you may ask?  Its when after a few days you come to Dinner/Supper thinking, 'where have I seen this food recently?' then it hits you like Deja Vu...Oh!  Thats what our dinners have been the last couple of days!  (leftovers, repeats, play-it-again...whatever you call them at home)

Flip Flops... They flip and they flop

Today we had our presale briefing and our captain was giving us the rundown on the rules for sailing. My favorite thing the captain said was about proper footwear during the sail, "Flip flops, they are nothing, they flip and they flop". He has the dryest humor ever and is practically hilarious without even knowing it.

Today was our last day to get off the ship and go into town before we sail to Liberia. SO I went out twice. First I went out with some friends and went shopping and ate a bunch of last minutes snacks that will soon be unavailable. Then I came back to the ship, cleaned up a bit, and went out with some other girls for Mojitos and Sushi. Both were fantastic. When we were leaving the restaurant I heard a bunch of people yelling and realized it was a group of guys from Mercy Ships, one of which was my husband. Tyrone wasn't yelling though, he was busy ducking in his chair. I suppose he didn't want me to suggest he come home early, not that he would have anyway.

CSE

Thanks to Glen for fixing the steam option on #2 oven, he was just waiting on the part to come in!

The Q

Some have expressed problems with the questions, comments, suggestions entry form so I have simplified it even more, you can find it right on the side-bar on the left hand side.

Thanks for letting me know!

Zoo? Brazilians? Black Sand?

Well now I have some pictures up that I can give you a link to and they connect to the following posts in the past:

In this post Stephanie talks about a zoo that is called Loro Parque which I now have extensive pictures on...this trip was given to Mercy Ships crew for a very good discount, we even had a chartered coach bus for transportation there and back, it was in Porto De La Cruz. Which you will also see the birds that flew around during a show that Stephanie was squawking about.  There are many pictures of Mercy Ships crew at the park as well.  People we see and work with everyday on the ship.

The picture album includes spending the day with our 'just returning with new baby' Brazilian friends (originally met on the Caribbean Mercy) Rodrigo, Tatyana, and Estevam (here is an earlier post that alludes to their return). We rode around with them while they purchased items for family living on board. Things like 1400 diapers to last for the year while trying to evaluate the growth of the baby in order to get the right size diapers for the right period of time.

We also stopped by a nice beach...here the sand is black from the volcanoes. Its natural to them, but kind of weird for us.

TENERIFE PICTURES

Tragedy in Santa Cruz Port

Instead of rewriting someone else's work or news, here is a brief post on another blog from the Peet's who are on board the ship also...their link is also on the right hand side of this blog.

This tragedy occurred not to far from the ship.  

Menu Update

Posted for upcoming week end of January to Beginning of February. (on Menu Page)

Land sick no more.

This morning I went up on the sea wall (in the designated area). I brought my ipod and my desire to spend some time with my Jesus. It was more than fantastic. I sat up on the wall with my capris hiked up and enjoyed the sun penetrating into my skin. All I could see was the sun and the waves, the sight was purely majestic. When we lived in Texas I hated that we were so far from the ocean, now each day I wake up to the ocean noises and beauty.

Response #3

About Roast Beef...

From ship to ship and at the IOC we have some similiar cuts of meat and some that range a bit beyond what is normally seen.  So, as you can imagine I have to learn how to work with the food after seeing its various cooking 'personalities' what it will and won't do for me, and what I may have to force upon it by method of rubs, brines, and marinades. 

I am not quite happy with the beef used for Roast Beef yet, and as you bare with me I will be applying other 'tricks of the trade' so to speak to see what I can get this beef to do for me...its much like getting old circus animals to do new tricks for a new ringmaster.

Also, we are looking into getting some horseradish for a nice sauce, we do not have any horseradish at present.

That being said, a nice meat slicer would accomodate us quite nicely...

EMT

Today I attended my first Emergency Medical Team meeting. I didn't really know what to expect. I still am not really sure what to expect. It's intentions is to be similar to a code team. We respond to all medical emergencies and are involved in the the  fire drills. All of this sounds fine, but as we were in our meeting I realized wow, we live in a hospital. Every time there is an emergency a mess of people will respond. This is good and bad. It is very hard to function in an emergent situation with too many people involved. There may be 4 anethesists, 5 surgeons, and up to 50 nurses. Oh my. So for now, I will pray there are no emergent situations and if there is one, I will do my best to fulfill my duties as a part of the EMT. I will also try to remember the famous first line of many medical schools "First do no harm".

Tears of Laughter

Last night Tyrone and I went out with Tatyana, Rodrigo,(Taty and Rodrigo are married and have baby Estevam, 5 months) and Jan (Pronounced Yawn, is married to Elizabeth and has daughter Isabella, almost 2 years) all of which we know from the Caribbean Mercy. We went out in a rental car to our favorite place to eat, we call it the Meter Place, cause all the food comes out on meter boards. We thought it would be easier to take the car than to walk, but we were very wrong. Rodrigo was driving (aka zipping) around looking for a parking space, while the other boys were telling him to slow down, turn port side or starboard side. It was a mess. The whole evening was full of laughter and tears (of laughter). Those boys are a very funny combo, I have heard that the only thing funnier is to add their Australian friend Jon into the mix.

Tuesday Night (late for AFM'rs) - Wednesday morning Surprise!

Surprise!!!  If you are reading this on Wednesday after breakfast you are too late!

Someone volunteered to make pancakes AND I showed Maria how to make cinnamon rolls (w/a glaze) she will be baking/making them for breakfast, so there is a good chance you missed them both if you are reading this after 8am...Well you know.

Back to the food for a minute...

Michael Ruhlman has an additional blog that spawned from his new culinary book 'Elements of Cooking' and his latest post is of the most under utilized fresh vegetable that most people I know never use at home, and some restaurants still don't use, the SHALLOT.

Here is a link to his post - SHALLOTS

Response #2

So I have this stuff to make custard. Yes, I know it was not as you may have liked it...but I have to learn to use some of the things on board because I am not familiar with them. Like the custard powder I used for custard tonight. I know how to make custard from scratch...but I don't know how to use some of these mixes, powders, or instant things that make life easier in the kitchen. But thats how you learn. Trial and error...it was a success with some, and a few errors for others.

During the meal I did actually reference a few people of British persuasion what they thought and they gave me good feedback: too thick, but don't make it too runny & it was too sweet.

For the Americans and others here was some feedback: Where's the whip cream? No toppings? Why was it hot/warm?

So here was/is my basic plan: Serve it hot (after I get the right consistency and sugar content) for the people that like it that way, and then prepare it 'pudding style' (cold and thick) with additional 'dessert' like additives for the 'other' people.

But please do realize when I do serve it hot it really does start out a thinner consistency then builds to a thicker one while it sits in those heated pots/dishes.  There were literally no measurements to the directions on the product.  Its all guesswork.

I would like to thank Noah Peet for his input and giving me better instructions on how to fix the custard. Thank You Noah!

[something to add? submit your suggestions to 'THE Q' or submit to the 'REALITY CHECK']

Thanks Dr. B

One of our crew members is having a medical issue. She went to a local MD and told me about here experience. We both  were concerned about the treatment plan, so I called the ER that I used to work at. Thanks be to Jesus, Dr. B was working and was willing and able to answer my questions. It is so nice to have people you trust to ask questions.

CSE

It now seems that our third older oven is working again.  Great!

animals, sunshine, and waffles

This weekend was quite eventful. Yesterday we went to this zoo full of animals. They had plenty of shows to watch with dolphins, orcas, birds, sea lions. The bird show was terrible. They let the birds zip around the room. It felt like they were going to fly into my head. The grounds were perfectly manicured and full of trees and wonderful flowers. It was so fun hanging out with Tyrone and some of our friends from the ship. Today I walked around town in the sunshine by myself  and it was wonderful. I found this cute little bakery where I got a waffle and hot chocolate, it was so tasty. Pretty much a great weekend.

I (now switching to me, tyrone) will try to get some of the pictures we took up to an album or mini slideshow as it is hard to upload large pictures of any kind.  So maybe after I resize them, and a little patience...And by the way, the Bird Show was great! I got to see the birds do tricks, fly around scaring people, and squawking...which by the way was what Stephanie was doing in between floor dives, squawking.

Now thats funny.

Response #1

We are currently able to have fresh lettuce (from what I can see for the most part) while here in Tenerife.  From my prior experience in being in Liberia I know that if fresh lettuce or spinach (if you could get that lucky) even if it were available would only come in lump sums at the most to feed 100 people (and thats probably an exaggeration).

I have not seen such bulk spinach here in Tenerife (even at the Makro, spelling?).

Mostly fries/chips will probably be fried at this point, occasionally fish.  But I think potatoes will indeed mostly be boiled or baked.  And that does include scalloped and other styles which are still baked.  One is considered the style and the other is considered the method. Occasionally I am sure they may be fried a certain way like 'homestyle' or wedges.

Reality Check

Alright!  Someone (I don't use the names publicly) has filled out the questionaire on the Reality Check page.

Let me explain a bit how it works.  You fill out a detailed questionaire on the Reality Check page (link at top with the rest) and then submit it.  AFM crew members only please. 

You do not have to enter your name, but a department or nationality helps define recognizing overall food likes and dislikes.  There is also a required question to help identify that you are an actual crew member on the ship (this helps to seperate people from outside the ship from answering it for fun and not being a 'true' participant).

Current State of Equipment

In order for you to keep a more informed look at where we are at in the galley (kitchen) from time to time I will post a CSE (Current State of Equipment). Hopefully this will help you understand and be more empathetic and/or sympathetic to our desire to truly bring you the best food we can based off of budget, manpower, & equipment.

Out of the normal 4 ovens, 2 are working. One was permanently removed not long after the sail to Liberia (originally it worked for a little while). One was being fixed and working on and off, but now currently does not work. And one of the two working ovens (these are the newer ovens with steam option) needs a part for the steamer option, but can still bake. BUT you should also know that one of the two ovens that work is also in the bakery. The ovens are really the backbone of our kitchen for hot food. We have other ways of cooking food but none are as productive, tasty, and/or as healthy as roasting/baking food. (the other options being boiling & frying the other two braising pans are really not big enough to cook meats for our crew unless it was done in batches, same with the fryers)

Out of two braising pans, one works.

About 100% of salad team & the baker are now non-food service volunteers. Thank You volunteers for your commitment to work in the food service during your department ‘down time’!

Hopefully this gives you an understanding of what it takes to produce good food and the extra effort and work that goes behind it!

One man's trash is another man's treasure...

Yesterday I was assigned to clean the boutique. The boutique is a small room on deck 2 (very difficult to find) that is where all the crew can bring their unwanted items. Also some donated stuff goes in there as well. The boutique has many great finds and even more junk. Yesterday I got some coffee mugs, a serving tray, and some facial cleanser. And the best part is that it is FREE.

Peter, Peter, chocolate eater...

I have not figured out yet whether my boss, Peter, is a chocoholic or if he knows that when we get to Liberia he won't see another great piece of chocolate like the ones on Aisle 3 at the El Corte Englais here in Tenerife for at least 10 months...but this is the scene around his office space, all pictures were taken within 3 feet of each other around his desk. I especially like the third one, one of my personal favorites...

Chad - the AFM Intranet Webmaster & Bob - A Hunger Artist

I want to say a big 'Thank You' to Chad for hooking me up with a link on the intranet webpage for the Africa Mercy! So now the ship has better access and availablility to additional news in the galley...that is, of course...if they REALLY want to know whats going on...like weevils & Chicken Hamburgers!

Thanks Chad!

And Also, Bob delGrosso over at A Hunger Artist for a great mention of our humble postings on tyrone and stephanie and here at the AFM menu.

And now, back to the 'meat' of the matter...

First of many!!

Last night Tyrone went out to dinner with his department ( food services) so I had 5 girls come to hang out in my cabin. First we did what girls do best, chat. Then we watched a movie, then chatted some more. The friendships you develop on the ship are so different then in the real world. I have known that for a long time, yet it surprised me when I started developing new friendships with these amazing women. Each has their own story, adventures, and experiences. In regular life I am not sure that our paths would even cross, but here they not only cross they mesh quite nicely.

Where's the BEEF?

Today we have the product known as hamburger.  How do we know it's a hamburger?  Because it says so, that's why!  Below are some pictures of said hamburger product ordered from a facility in Europe.  Notice the main ingredient is mechanically separated chicken at 43%...and the rest?  Oh well, throw in something edible to 'round out' the rest of the patty...

Getting the Ship in top Shape

While we are not in Liberia I am working in the Crew Services department, which means cleaning and cleaning and cleaning. First we cleaned the bathrooms, then we swept the whole deck six, then we vacuumed the carpet by the internet lounge and the other lounge ( the mid ship lounge), then we cleaned the crew galley ( the place where the crew can cook their own food, if they choose)and then we did the stairs. The stairs took forever, there are lots and lots of stairs. I am still having fun with it. I am trying really hard to have a good attitude about it. Although I am really looking forward to working as a nurse in the ICU, OR or in the ward, where ever they need me.  I am starting to get settled in. I have made a couple of new friends and have reconnected with some old friends from the Caribbean Mercy.

The lesser of two weevils...

From time to time each ship has had weevils. Usually the eggs or larvae are in flour/grain products and hatch with prolonged exposure to warm temperatures (which usually qualify us, since most of our developing country 'stops' are in hot places). So if we can't or don't control the products with normal temperatures (open for speculation) the eggs in the products hatch and you have weevils. They can be controlled or killed by taking the temperature up to 140 Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or in the freezer for 3 days will kill existing bugs and eggs that are unhatched although the dead ones are still in your food. They kinda look like a seasoning or cracked pepper until further inspection.

But the good news is THEIR HARMLESS, yes, that is correct harmless. Its just added protein. I guess if you were a vegetarian of some sort it may be a problem.

I have used a few techniques that have cut down the amount of weevils that appear in my pasta (that is what its most prevalent in right now, except maybe besides the cereal but I don't deal with that) but I must warn you, when we get on outreach and its a full-on rush to get the food out, this may fall by the wayside because it can get time intensive.

So when it comes down to not getting fed, or getting fed with weevils...the lesser of the two will be chosen. Bon Appetit!

Some pics for you to enjoy...

Ode to the CHI

Ok, here it goes. I must admit I am a bit obsessed with good hairdryers and flat irons. It stems from having weird hair. Yes, my hair is not curly but it is not straight. So before we left the states I got a new hairdryer and hair straightener ( both Chi Brand) They are wonderful and very strong, so I have found out. We have 2 converters in a container that will be here in March. Our friend let us borrow one, but with in 5 minutes my hair dryer blew it up, literally. It started to smoke. So ever since my hair has been a frizzy mess. Although in a moment of brilliance I thought of a great plan. My friend Kathy who is going to the States for 3 months has an English flat iron that will not need an adapter or converter. So we will swap. I am VERY EXCITED!!!

Stephanie's plight...Tyrone's ramblings

So Stephanie has been working on her social skills today and has been thrilled at the new prospects of girlfriends that are available and have already told me she'll not be pining away in our cabin for me on Saturday...I may be working or I may be off but in any case, I can 'hang' with the boys and/or get some reading done.

Right now we are at the ships 'internet cafe' browsing, emailing, or blogging away while our clothes are on the 'dryer' cycle in the onboard laundry mat. It's free, but you need to sign up for a laundry 'slot' and make sure and be on time and prompt with moving your clothes along from washer to dryer and on out...oh, and make sure you have your own laundry detergent too.

Work was good today and I will be posting more work-related things on the AFM menu which is posted right to the righthand side in the 'currently reading' section. As Stephanie alluded to in her post my reputation proceeds me from the other ships and the land base for Mercy Ships, BUT I am not a Rock Star as she put it...I am trying to stay humble and live up to the hype and expectations which becomes harder and harder (ok, maybe not...but the job is harder with positions that need to be filled and equipment that needs to be replaced that is ALREADY BROKE or gone).



Of course, the British on board hold a strong liking for Mel from England who comes and goes from year to year always to the approval of his eagerly awaiting fan club. This is good, because we both need a break from time to time and the ship needs some skilled, talented, and trained cooks...along with replacing the non-working equipment.

Today I was working with Ernest (a Team Leader because they have two teams that rotate in the kitchen), a good friend that I worked with before on the Anastasis. He's from Ghana.  Here he is at the 'internet cafe'.



Claire from Scotland (another nurse that we both know from the Caribbean Mercy days) is staying on board as a guest for a week, so it will be good to catch up with her as time permits.

Right now Stephanie is working in Crew Services since the actual hospital is not cranked up yet (that's what happens to medical personnel when not in outreach port, they get doled out to the other departments to work) no slackers here! Work for everyone.

I was able to poke fun of Stephanie a little as I was exempt from a lot of orientation and safety meetings she had to attend as I went thru most of the routines for the new ship (Africa Mercy, the one we are on now) back in May when they flew me to England to ride/work the ship down to Liberia...it was a long month apart for Stephanie and I being fairly newlyweds.

Well, the laundry is done, and its getting late.

Tyrone the Rock Star

Ever since we have arrived on the Ship everyone on board as greeted Tyrone with such excitment. They are tired of meat the tastes like rubber. He is making ribs and mac n' cheese today for dinner, hopefully he won't disappoint them.

AFM menu - Introduction

Welcome to the AFM menu. If you would like to view the menu right away click 'menu' on top underneath the anchor.

This blog is maintained by the Chief Cook/Executive Chef. The Africa Mercy is in West Africa. Our organization is Mercy Ships and we need volunteers of all work experiences, but this blog will directly be related to Food Service. Hopefully it will be filled with the current menu for the AFM and other relative food and personal experience posts while working in the Galley (Kitchen).

tyronebcookin...cook, chef, culinary sponge, traveler, volunteer, missionary.

The Taj Mahal

So we made it to the Ship with all of our luggage, Praise the Lord. Tyrone is still not feeling well (He has had a cold for about 4 days) and now his ears are giving him trouble due to the multiple take offs and landings. When we landed in Tenerife the feeling of relief swept over my body. We are finally here. We will have the same cabin (Lord willing) for one year. I finally feel like I can settle in. We have been planning on coming to the ship since February, so we have been in transition period since then. When I walked into our new cabin I got goose bumps. partially due to the freezing air conditioning, but mostly due to the beauty of our new home. We both lived on the Caribbean Mercy and were used to living in a junky, old, shoe box, but this is clean, new, spacious and organized. We both have our own night stands and closets!!!!!!! Praise the Lord. And in the closet there are 4 shelves. All my stuff neatly fits on to the appropriate shelf. Plus we have a desk with plenty of shelves and our bed has massive storage underneath. I am so thankful for the beautimus living space. Please pray for us and the ability for us to adjust to the time change and our new environment, plus I would really like some girl friends.

You smell the way I want you to smell.

During our time in  Huntsville, we have been able to hang out with my niece (Katie,9) Nephews (Noah, 7, and VJ,18 months). They all are so individual and delightful... most of the time. Katie is so smart and inquisitive, and Noah would say BOSSY. We play games together, currently, the favorite is Trouble in the bubble. The other day we painted her nails and it only took 1 hour, due to the multiple retouches. Noah is FUNNY. He says things like "You're my favorite Auntie because you smell the way I want you to smell."  (He has a thing for perfume, I think). He loves movies and he loves to re-in-act them even more. As soon as the movie is over he runs into his room and replays the whole movie while admiring his shadow. VJ has newly discovered the world of walking and mischief. He got a rocking horse for Christmas and he loves to give it "loves" and make nay sounds.

Christmas Meal & Stollen

As most of you know I (tyrone) have a disdain for the 'normal' holiday meals (Ham, Turkey) so I was pretty pleased at this years Christmas meal that was a collaboration between my mother, my brother-in-laws mother, and me.

My mom brought scalloped potatoes (tasty as to be expected) and a chocolate cake (because we do a 'Happy Birthday Jesus Cake!' from time to time as part of Christmas Dinner), Ursula (bro-in-law's mom) brought cranberry & apples (sauce/relish) dish and my personal favorite for coffee or tea, Stollen (at my request of course). I cooked the protein/meat which was a pecan-crusted chicken with a creamy honey mustard sauce, the vegetable was baby carrots with cream of cilantro sauce, and wheat rolls with butter/Gorgonzola/olive tapenade center (baked inside).

ALL the food was delicious and excellent but I want to talk about the Stollen for a minute...for all the tea, chai, coffee drinkers out there that eat biscotti, scones, or any baked bread item in between you should really try Stollen. Click the underlined link above for the Wikipedia definition, history, and recipes.



I guess I could have asked Ursula for the recipe but what's the fun in that? If I could make it for myself, would I? I don't know. Some things are more prized or special when other people make them their way for you, and you come to expect it that way...sometimes it's disappointing to try other recipes and not taste like when they make them.

At this point, If I ate someone else's Stollen I'm not sure I would like it, or if it would 'measure up' to Ursula's...because she is (by the way) German so I would suspect the Stollen would be as original and genuine as you can get (with of course any historic family influence it has had along the way).