Happiness is... (Food thread)

[AlanG]

Bubble & squeak or proper Stovies. Good old stodge food.

Proper full English fry-up as well. I love having one on a sunday after a long week on the farm

[Dave Ward]

As a one-off meal.....................I'm not a fan of Tuna, but whilst we were at anchor off East Africa ( maybe Kenya ), fishing was a common pastime. The second mate hooked a 1.5m Yellowfin Tuna - there was a hell of a struggle getting it on board, which involved lowering the gangway, and using an improvised gaff...........
The cook was amongst the onlookers ( he was a Christian Indian ) & when asked how he'd cook it - said biggest frying pan - loads of butter - the Tuna cut into 20mm thick steaks ( about the size of two hands put together ), and gently sauted.
From racing around under the sea to dinner plate in under an hour - it was superb - we had it with New Potatoes ( tinned ) and Garden Peas ( also tinned ), with a garlic butter sauce. A simple meal, all the better for not being on the daily menu!
Dave
ps we did catch other things, including an angry 2m+ Moray Eel, which is another story.............

[A_J_Rimmer]

God I haven't had tinned new potatoes and tinned garden peas since the 90s.

[Waspie]

God I haven't had tinned new potatoes and tinned garden peas since the 90s.

Never been to sea then Arnold. You eat what’s dished up !!!! :smiling2:
We had some strange names for some of our grub!!
EG.
HITS - Herrings in tomato sauce! (Snack)
Baby’s Heads!! - steak and kidney pud!
Sh1t on a raft!! - devilled kidneys
To name but a few.
Well it just gave us something to do renaming the chefs concoctions!!
:rolling::tears-of-joy::tears-of-joy::tears-of-joy:

[Bri62]

when at sea we regularly had swordfish steaks ! sometimes twice a week depending on the deal we got.
We always ate well at sea

[Waspie]

when at sea we regularly had swordfish steaks ! sometimes twice a week depending on the deal we got.
We always ate well at sea

Must admit, one of the perks of living in the stokers mess was the middle watch stews they created.
Even better than living in the S&S mess.
Best food was on the Grey Lady, (HMS Albion). Chinese cooks and stewards. They could knock out some amazing scran.

[Airborne01]

I have many favourites but Range Stew with plastic bread and slide (margarine) still tickles the taste buds! (Or South African apricot curry)
Steve

[Dave Ward]

tinned new potatoes and tinned garden peas

The Merchant Navy ships I served on were always good feeders, it was part of the compensation for months away from home, we had large freezer compartments, separate meat/fish, vegetables, dairy etc - silver service - 5 course evening meals - breakfast to order - good lunches ( always a curry on the menu ). BBQ on deck in port/anchor - newspapers were hoarded, so we could have fish & chips takeaway style. On your birthday, you could choose the menu & usually had a cake baked. If you were working, or just before/after your watch, you could eat in the duty mess, otherwise in the saloon, in uniform. You had allocated seats - napkin rings engraved with your rank - you didn't want to sit at the Captains' table - conversation was invariably boring! Best tables were those with a couple of cadets - much livelier.
I imagine all of this has vanished, smaller crews, etc
Dave

[Waspie]

The Merchant Navy ships I served on were always good feeders, it was part of the compensation for months away from home, we had large freezer compartments, separate meat/fish, vegetables, dairy etc - silver service - 5 course evening meals - breakfast to order - good lunches ( always a curry on the menu ). BBQ on deck in port/anchor - newspapers were hoarded, so we could have fish & chips takeaway style. On your birthday, you could choose the menu & usually had a cake baked. If you were working, or just before/after your watch, you could eat in the duty mess, otherwise in the saloon, in uniform. You had allocated seats - napkin rings engraved with your rank - you didn't want to sit at the Captains' table - conversation was invariably boring! Best tables were those with a couple of cadets - much livelier.
I imagine all of this has vanished, smaller crews, etc
Dave

Unlike us then.
Menu - take it or leave it!!
Birthday cakes!!! :tears-of-joy: :tears-of-joy: Not even if you were the captains son.

[Dave Ward]

Birthday cakes!!! :tears-of-joy: :tears-of-joy: Not even if you were the captains son.

I had my 21st in Cape Town - I still have the Pewter Pint Pot I was given - one of the traditions was that the birthday boy paid for the booze on that night. As it was CT, a good run ashore, I got off quite lightly with the bar bill! If it had been Beira, I'd have been bankrupt!
Dave

[Waspie]

I had my 21st in Cape Town - I still have the Pewter Pint Pot I was given - one of the traditions was that the birthday boy paid for the booze on that night. As it was CT, a good run ashore, I got off quite lightly with the bar bill! If it had been Beira, I'd have been bankrupt!
Dave

Don't get me going about Cape Town. Cape Brandy!!!! Navigators Den!!!! What a night club!!! New Year 71!! all the Merchant vessels in harbour letting rip with their horns!!! Epic.

[Dave Ward]

Cape Brandy!!!!

Oudemeester, Mainbrace, Lion Lager, Castle Ale, boerwurst, game biltong, Van Rijn cigarettes - ah yes - attempting a 72 oz steak challenge at a Steers restaurant ( and failing miserably ). As a young man, I just enjoyed myself in South Africa - only as I got older did I gradually see the real evil in their system & the enjoyment vanished..........
Dave

[Waspie]

Oudemeester, Mainbrace, Lion Lager, Castle Ale, boerwurst, game biltong, Van Rijn cigarettes - ah yes - attempting a 72 oz steak challenge at a Steers restaurant ( and failing miserably ). As a young man, I just enjoyed myself in South Africa - only as I got older did I gradually see the real evil in their system & the enjoyment vanished..........
Dave

We were warned off the Cape Brandy, it being a locally brewed cheap brandy!! (Rumoured to make you blind). Never put off by a mere rumour!!! That, mixed with Coke was quite acceptable - well - it got you drunk anyway!! I was only 19/20 when we hit Cape Town. Sampled a taste of Apartheid, we were chatting to a local who had been to uni in the UK and had qualified as a doctor, he was asking us about this and that. A policeman, politely, reminded the doctor about the rules and we had to part. It was an eye opener seeing signs on bars, 'whites only' and 'no blacks'. Shame as I thought it was a loverly country.
We also had a bit of a night mare there!! Two of our ships Chinese cooks were murdered when we were there and the remaining Chinese crew were after blood!! The number of sharp implements that were impounded prior to going ashore was amazing. We were supposed to go to Port Elizabeth too but it was cancelled at the last minute. The only other African port was Mombassa but I had a safari arranged so never sampled its delights.

[Dave Ward]

We were warned off the Cape Brandy, it being a locally brewed cheap brandy!! (Rumoured to make you blind). Never put off by a mere rumour!!! That, mixed with Coke was quite acceptable - well - it got you drunk anyway!! I was only 19/20 when we hit Cape Town. Sampled a taste of Apartheid, we were chatting to a local who had been to uni in the UK and had qualified as a doctor, he was asking us about this and that. A policeman, politely, reminded the doctor about the rules and we had to part. It was an eye opener seeing signs on bars, 'whites only' and 'no blacks'. Shame as I thought it was a loverly country.
We also had a bit of a night mare there!! Two of our ships Chinese cooks were murdered when we were there and the remaining Chinese crew were after blood!! The number of sharp implements that were impounded prior to going ashore was amazing. We were supposed to go to Port Elizabeth too but it was cancelled at the last minute. The only other African port was Mombassa but I had a safari arranged so never sampled its delights.

The real place to visit was Durban - not only a major port, but SA's premier holiday resort, massive hotels, more bars, restaurants, shark nets ( we used to anchor off, waiting for our berth, and the ship was invariaby circled by sharks, including hammer-heads! - all within a mile or two of the busy beaches ). Some great nightclubs, although going off the main drag was very risky - taxis the order of the day -everywhere, OK in daylight, but as soon as the sun went down.................
Dave