Shipboard cuisine compared

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33874, 20 June 1975, Page 21

Shipboard cuisine compared

< By

JOHN LESLIE)

Glancing back at the smog over Christchurch from the road tunnel portal yesterday morning, the writer was glad to reach the warmer temperatures and clear, salt air of Lvttelton.

With a new carpet on the office floor, a heater, and sunshine streaming through the office window, what more could anyone want on a frosty morning, apart from a brisk walk on the icecaked waterfront to warm up? But there is another thing which occupies people's minds on a cold morning, and that is food. For instance. W. M . of New Brighton, has suggested that the best dailv routine shipboard food may be found aboard American vessels.

(Today, aboard merchant vessels, all hands normally get the same food).

The writer ventures to disagree here American food, tasted at Lyttelton, is I not comparable to that found aboard New Zealand vessels. After World War 11. the writer, while in the I United States, not only madel his own observations about food but learned from others. American servicemen based in New Zealand, ap- : predated two things — they liked our girls, and married a number of them, and they liked our food. It would be a treat to let an ageing Christchurch pensioner partake of the same meals as a deck boy in New Zealand’s merchant service. A friendly Russian shipmaster recently invited the writer and an “old boy” of I H. M. S. Conway—to lunch how one would like to entertain this Russian host aboard a New Zealand merchant vessel. He would find the New Zealand deck boy’s victuals,| by comparison, like a Tsar-1 ist banquet.

As for H. M S. Conua< as a gue.M one wintry even Ung in Liverpoo 43 years i ago, the writer encounte < J I the plainest fare he has met with. This, one hopes, will ; give no offence to former Conway "old boys, but this was presumably the British (public school tradition. The French eat we I aboard ships, and so do tfi< i Dutch, Germans, and Scandi I navians; but the mouth . waters at the thought ot New Zealand shipboard food . those huge breakfast grills of omelette, scrambled eggs ' bacon, sausages and so on I Then the writer recalls on a coastal voyage last year ■ poultry, well-cooked joints : bacon-and-egg pie. ice-cream (and lashings of oranges and I other fruit. One can hardli recall it all. Yes, the New Zealand [deck boy would fare much I better in this respect than | folk in many country or ; smaller city hotels To this j must be added warmth, and comfortable accommodation especially in the luxur: ous new chartered vessels ' the Union Auckland for one which sailed from Lyttelton ion Wednesdav evening But lit is not all this, and tele vision too. which is und< > (debate — only food.

'! From observation aboaid 1 New Zealand vessels, om can have one’s cake and eat it too. As the writer ha said previously, he knows ot only one better cook — and ' she is at home. To W. M.. in (all fairness. New Zealand | vessels in the writer's opin ion have the finest work aday cuisine afloat — unless one is a paying millionaiu aboard the Royal Vikin; liners which cal) here. ARRIVALS Rangatlra (6.35 am ), 9.'18l Capt. K. E. Pugh-WUliama. Wei lington iU.S.S.I. Somersei <2 p.m.) 7602, Capi T. C. Matthews. Auckland 1’ and O (N.Z.I Ltd) DEPARTURES Rangatlra <8.4 pm 1 838; Capt. R E. Pugh Williams. Wei (lington (U.SIS). EXPECTED ARRIVALS Menam. Wellington, today. Straat Colombo, Dunedin today Union Sydney. Wellington, today Amalric. Noumea June 21. Rangatlra. Wellington, June 21 Rangatlra, Wellington June 2? Coastal Trader. Auckland. June 23. Caltex Kurnell, Australia. June 23 (tanker). Hawea, Wellington, June 24. Daioli Maru. Japan, June 25. Hamilton, Marsden Point. June 26 (tanker). Teesta. Wellington. June 27. PROJECTED DEPARTURES Union Sydney, Dunedin today Woosuag, Tauranga June 21. Rangatlra, Wellington. June 21 (daylight). Natko Nodllo. Auckland. June 21 Rangatlra. Wellington, June 22 Coastal Trader, Dunedin, June 23. Caltex Kurnell. Wellington. June 24 (tanker). Hawea, Dunedin. June 24. Amalric Napier. June 24. Menam, Dunedin. June 25 Straat Colombo. Auckland. June 25. Hamilton. Timaru. June 27 (tanker). VESSELS IN PORT Somerset, No. 1 Cash In Quay. Holmdale. No. 3 East (Natko Nodllo. No. 3 West IWoosung, No. 7 East.