The workers are few!

From time to time the kitchen thins out, and I mean thin like stretching.

We have some important guests coming from the states, a pastors conference, and a few other events that will be happening on board in the coming weeks.  And during this time the galley will need to do its daily job feeding the crew and keep up with visitors, special requests, functions, and a few other meals.

This is not so bad, except that right now we have two rotating cooking teams (and thats normal) with only 2 cooks on each one (thats not normal).

This is what the cooking teams 'look' like right now: 1 Team Leader (cook), 1 Cook (or assistant cook), 2 salad prep, 1 baker, and 1 dishwasher...and yes, we are still feeding 400+ (approximately).  And of course I cook and help out where needed.

As Chief Cook (my title right now, it changes to Galley Manager) its my job to run the kitchen and to work with both cooking teams as they are on a rotation (2 on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off - thats a 2 week schedule) working long days, 10 1/2 to 12 hours and maybe more if there are special events or functions.  These days are long physically and mentally draining  and most of our workers are new to food service(and some are new to working this hard).

The most amazing thing is that these people are volunteers, people who have given their time (crew fees & insurance) to come help the less fortunate.  You know what else?  They will probably never get direct credit for helping out the people we try to serve in these countries and medical situations.  Why not?  Because we are behind the scenes, and thats where some of us are happy to stay...and because we support and build the framework for keeping the body (organizationally and physically) fed!

I don't really know why people would come to do this specifically in food service...dedication, passion, compassion, sympathy, because they can, etc...???  Or maybe their just willing to do it wherever they are placed and can be of help/service to keep the body strong and support in whatever way possible.

Its easier to realize why I do it, this is my background, my passion.  And who wouldn't want to really feel and/or be able to make a difference?

But really its because I'm crazy.  There I said it.  I feel better.

Winner Update

Food Services News

2008 Culinary Challenge Winner (AFM)

*Congratulations to Tatyana, winner of the Culinary Challenge. Tatyana directed the cooking team in preparing Curry Chicken with rice, vegetables, and a cabbage & pasta salad. Thanks to all of the contestants; Tatyana, Mark and Peggy, and the team of Peter and Josh for their hard work and creativity. Thanks are also due to the crew for taking the time to vote (and eat) and to the cooking teams for all of their work in helping the contestants prepare their meals. You all helped to make the Culinary Challenge a smashing success. We hope to hold another one in the future, perhaps with a bit of a twist.

[*Edited from an internal article announcing the winner, and many thanks for all involved...just in case you missed it]

Adventures in Date Night

It is so funny to me when I look at pictures of us when we were in Tenerife (the Spanish island that the ship was at when we first boarded the ship back in Jan.) and now in Liberia. The first picture is of us at this cute little restaurant that we would go to often. We usually ate outside and enjoyed the peaceful downtown setting, sometimes with nice live music. We either walked there or we got a ride from friends. In Tenerife, we both wore sweaters to keep us warm. My hair was straight and nicely done and I have makeup on. We went out often and always had a lovely time.

The second picture was taken at the Bamboo Bar which is on the 4th floor of one of the only buildings in downtown Monrovia that is not just a bombed-out shell of an old high rise. The restaurant provides a great view of the city. While enjoying a meal, which is always some sort of a surprise, the background noise is taxis honking, people screaming at each other, and music blaring Akon from a wheelbarrow selling music CDs.

Getting there is always an adventure. It is about 3-4 miles away from the ship. I called a guy that has a private car and he usually takes us where we need to go for a reasonable price, unlike the rest of the taxis that love to rip off the "white people". Well, our guy had gotten wind of the great money he could earn by ripping us off. He wanted $17 American dollars to take us and pick us up. For goodness sake, it is only 3-4 miles. SO after arguing with him the whole way there he wouldn't back down so I gave him a small amount of money and told him not to come back and that I will never call him again.

After finally getting to the Bamboo bar my hair is not straight or nicely done (due to the humidity and wind rushing through the open windows of the car), I certainly do not have makeup on ( the idea of mascara running down my face, is not very attractive), but I do have a cute new shirt on (thanks to online Anthro).

Going out in Monrovia can be such a hassle, but going out on a date with my husband (even with all the obstacles and "adventures" that Liberia offers) is so worth it.

Liberia Bans Food Exports To Tackle Food Crisis

[Just to give you a little idea of how bad things are getting here because of the food crisis (worldwide rise in prices), here is an article from RTT News, and there are similar ones all over the Internet for Liberia and other countries as well...]

(RTTNews) -  In the latest attempt by Africa's poorest countries to fight a food crisis sparked by a worldwide rise in prices, Liberia banned all food exports Monday, to prevent profiteers from taking advantage of its relatively cheap rice prices by selling the grain to neighboring countries with higher prices.

Rice is a staple food in many countries in West Africa, where the high cost has hit the poor people hard as they have to resort to importing. In Liberia, which is recovering from war, the price increase has put yet another obstacle in the way of economic recovery, as rice is already in short supply in Liberia.

The ban on export applies to commercial foodstuffs also, Commerce Minister Frances Johnson Morris said. Liberia also dropped all import duties on farming tools to promote production.

The government said it is launching a campaign to urge Liberians to eat alternative food products such as yams, cassava, and plantains to reduce consumption of rice.

Although Liberia heavily depends on imported rice, dealers from neighboring countries have been buying up sacks of rice on Liberia's market to resell in countries like Guinea, where it is more expensive. RTTNews

 

Here is what others have to say:

Associated Press

AllAfrica.com

Apple Corer used for Pineapple?

I want to give credit where credit is due. One of my Team Leaders (cooking teams) Ernest, from Ghana, showed me how he likes to use an apple corer (is corer a word? guess so, spell check didn't catch it).

The handled apple corer which only 'drills' out the core (but doesn't slice) has many application so it has been deemed a multi-tasker and thus gets respect among my kitchen tools. But one of those 'fancy' handled corers that helps pre-slice the actual fruit? Seemed like a waste of time and space considering my knife skills. And even some of you may feel you can slice pineapple rings faster than using a fancy apple corer...but it still doesn't take away from the fact it was a pretty ingenious idea!

From slices to tidbits...turn this one into Cooks Illustrated tips and techniques!

Culinary Challenge pt 2 (extended w/pics)

If you are trying to catch up with exactly whats going on you can click here Culinary Challenge pt 1 , Culinary Challenge pt 2 is a poll so you can vote for the contestants after they prepared their 'Big Meal' for the crew...

Tatyana (without sidekick this time) came in and made sure the cooking team knew what she wanted so when I showed up the team didn't really need me that much (and she took the advice of the judges and toasted and cooked her Almonds into the rice) Tatyana was also able to get her pasta and cabbage dish done in addition the the regular meal she planned.

Mark and Peggy got their yogurt done ahead of time for the sauce (which made Peggy happy because Mark [ahem] had a little accident with the yogurt in pt1) and they managed to make the Pita bread for the humus...so I mostly helped get some salads ready while the cooking team helped them execute the rest of the meal.

Our cooking team (which was the same one for both contestants) helped get their meat prepped ahead of time which saved a lot of extra time and work when creating the dinners on Saturday and Sunday.

Here are some pictures from Saturday & Sunday & please remember to cast your vote!

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Culinary Challenge Part 2!

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[Check out the comments and see what others are saying]

Men's Club

A-Ward is full of men. Sometimes that can be a little overwhelming but not this time. these guys are considerate and funny and they all are friends. They all have been here a long time and have grown very close to each other and the nurses. We have had to create boundaries with one of them to eliminate the marriage proposals and Liberian catcalls, but now they are set and followed by all.

They all have their own story, some of whom want to share it and some don't. One day they started talking about the war. They got very upset and started yelling at one man saying he was a Sergeant in the rebel army, it was very intense.

In the wee hours of the morning, you will hear praying. "The Reverand" prays for everyone on the ward and all of the nurses. What a blessing!!!!

The Mama's

This week I have the pleasure of working night shift. And I will try my hardest not to turn into dragon lady. It is not natural to stay up all night and sleep during the day... therefore I get a bit cranky. Sorry-o Tyrone.

On my night shifts I have 10 patients, alot of them under the age of 3. I have 2 kids that had their palate repaired and are just miserable. Their poor mama's. These babies are totally inconsolable and refuse to be put down. My friends Jennifer (in Tyler) would have to sleep in  a rocking chair when her baby was sick. These mamas have their babies strapped to their backs in a lapa (a piece of fabric tied around the waste to hold the baby to the mam's back). When the baby finally falls asleep the mama will lay down on her stomach with the baby still strapped to her back. When the baby wakes up, which they are bound to do (very frequently and very loudly) the mama gets up and bounces them back to sleep.

These babies also hate to eat. Their mama's force feed them the Pediasure  and cereal while they scream. I am always afraid the food will go down the wrong pipe and they will aspirate, but it is impossible to get them to eat otherwise, and these mama's are VERY insistent that the force feeding should happen through out the night. Of course this causes the rest of the babies to join in on the screaming and it becomes the cool thing to do.

At 5 am the mama's wake up their peacefully sleeping child to bathe them, not sure why 5am is the chosen hour, but it is very popular. All of the babies and children are bathed and lots of screaming fills the ward.

The parenting is very different here. Sometimes we are shocked by what the parents do and often we have to tell them "You can not beat your child here."  But most of the mama's we have on the ward now are from Sierra Leone and are very attentive and loving to their children. I am not saying the Liberian Mama's don't love their kids they just show it differently.

Cooking Frozen Green Peas

Whether they be the pea that comes in the small paperboard block from the grocery store or the one from a food purveyor, have you ever noticed that after several minutes to a half hour of steaming, boiling, or (HMMmm) sauteing (?) they might be edible but they still have the wrinkles and you still get the occasionally tough gnarly pea?

Yep, I thought so...

Seriously, if you want to cook a great frozen pea add plenty of salt to the water and boil it for 1 1/2 to 2 Hours. They don't really start taking on good flavor from the salt or plumping up from the water properly cooking them until after the first hour.

Not true you say? Well I guess you may just have a better frozen pea than me...but I need to make what I have work. Just ask the English what it takes to cook peas for a good 'mushy pea' side dish. Then you will better understand the time it takes to make a good or semi-good product into a delicious dish.

And its not like boiling peas takes up a lot of your other time in the kitchen when you really don't need to watch them much, unless you like to watch them swirl around and around in the water. I like to do that occasionally, kind of like a de-stressing or relaxing exercise of the mind. Not unlike daydreaming. (but you can call it work!)

The DON

As a bit of a 'leftover' from things gone past we still have over a hundred or so bottles of sherry that we cook with. And not that salted down cooking sherry, noooo, the good stuff. The stuff from Jerez Spain where Sherry comes from!

History of Sherry (by Wikipedia, edited even further by me)

Sherry is a fortified wine, made in and around the town of Jerez, Spain, and hence in Spanish it is called "Vino de Jerez". According to Spanish law, [1] Sherry must come from the triangular area of the province of Cádiz between Jerez, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María.

Sherry differs from other wines because of how it is treated after fermentation. After fermentation is complete, it is fortified with brandy. Because the fortification takes place after fermentation, all natural sherries are dry; any sweetness is applied later. In contrast, port wine is fortified halfway through fermentation, stopping fermentation so not all the sugars are allowed to turn into alcohol and so leaving a sweet wine.

So I guess it would appear that we have 'the good stuff' as good as THAT can be at room temperature!



AND as stated in Beer Batter and Fish & Chips it makes a pretty darned good substitute for the beer in beer batter!

Beer Batter and Fish & Chips

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We like to think we know how to do Fish & Chips right...and I think we do! (we do it for 400+ in one meal) We have gotten many compliments from the UK crowd (and surrounding area experts) that it was great, and the mushy peas weren't to shabby either. We did, however, run out early this last time...apologies everyone.

You would probably be surprised to know that we use a fairly easy Beer Batter recipe which I will gladly disclose to you ~ Beer Batter ~ Credit to Allrecipes.com. This recipe basically has 5 ingredients that most people have in their home at the basic level.

Possible exceptions you can make to the recipe that we have tried with great success, and some are kind of 'Duh!' moments...

Add hot sauce, cayenne, and/or other spices

We actually successfully replaced the beer with Don 1 Sherry when we were hard pressed and running out of time to acquire beer...worked wonderfully! The hard sherry taste cooked out and left us with beautifully battered and tasty fried fish (no one knew the difference)

Add a splash or two of white vinegar to the batter, can't really explain it to you but it adds kind of a clean, clear, crisp taste to the finished product (best way I can describe it)

Use quality ingredients for batter & beer or beer substitute (and of course if at all possible, *TASTE to make sure!)

Don't forget to do some onion rings for yourself!

Some people have even been beer battering fries/chips for a while now, thats right, beer battered potato fries/chips!!!

Thin the batter down (or not) to do a mock tempura fried vegetables or meats

Beer batter actually does taste nasty before using it to batter and fry something (most of the time) - just in case you were wondering...after it fries properly its wonderful

It was made for frying, please DO NOT TRY to be healthy and bake some items that you beer battered, that is disrespectful!

And most importantly, have fun! (watch the slideshow in case you have trouble doing that)

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* No actual beer was consumed during the preparation of the beer batter. (some people would say unfortunately)

Remember Maggi?

Maggi Brand was started in Switzerland in 1863 and later bought by Nestle of the good ole U.S.A. Most people outside of the United States know more about the international bouillons and sauces of Maggi.

At another time and place I was using a general Maggi sauce (maybe it's the soy or stir fry seasoning one? Which didn’t actually have any soy sauce in it according to the company). We were going thru 5-gallon jugs of it! That was the way it came commercially to us.

If you miss that Maggi sauce taste and just can’t seem to acquire it in your hometown no matter where in the world you may be…I developed a recipe for it when we ran out and we needed a replacement. It goes as follows:

Maggi Sauce Replacement -
50% Soy Sauce
25% Worcestershire Sauce
25% Water

That's it. Of course,

the taste may vary for you if the brands of these items go from good to bad but if you can’t obtain the actual Maggi sauce these items are usually readily available worldwide.