A HUGE TASK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23012, 13 April 1938, Page 17

A HUGE TASK

SHIPBOABD CATERING THE EMPRESS OF BRITAIN VAST QUANTITIES OF FOOD ORGANISATION IN KITCHEN Possibly unrealised by many of the passengers and certainly unknown to the casual visitor, 100 men or more work on tho huge cruise liner 10mpress of Britain taking a part in the complicated processes which every few hours produce meals that would whet the appetite of an epicurean. Their work is no sinecure. For luncheon yesterday the menu contained over 120 iteiiis, with the added provision that passengers on special diet were invited to make known their requirements, and it was stated that on an average 150 different foods, preparations and beverages are furnished for breakfast, 120 for lunch and 80 for dinner. Catering is on a colossal scale. Only such needs as fresh milk, vegetables and eggs are obtained at ports of call and, with these exceptions, practically the whole of the' ship's requirements were on board before she left New York three months ago, Packed tight in refrigerated chambers, thousand upon thousand of pounds of dressed poultry, fish, bacon, game and ham, together with scores of carcases of beef, mutton, lamb and pork, are stored until wanted by the chefs. The entire work of cutting the joints and preparing the meat is done by the ship's butcher and his assistants and it arrives in the kitchen ready to be placed im- | mediately into one of the long line of | ovens.

Science and Ingenuity Science and ingenuity are combined in. provisioning methods. That is why passengers are still enjoying celery that was grown in New York market gardens, chickens purchased in England or the United States and meat that, perhaps, won favour in the Smithfield market. Every quarter of beef comes from Scotland and the lamb and mutton were produced in Canada. The ship's butchers give the quality of New Zealand lamb a cordial word of praise, but the same measure of commendation is not forthcoming for the Dominion's mutton, which is not considered the equal of Canadian, at least for shipboard work.

Every mechanical aid is provided in the model ship's bakery. Dough is mixed in a few minutes by machinery but, when the morning's batch of, perhaps, 7501b. of bread is completed, the baker and his six assistants still face the task of producing hundreds of bread rolls fresh from the ovens for each meal, 'lo expedite the work and to avoid handling, they are cut out ready for baking by a machine that is simply operated by a single man. Dlsh-washiug Equipment

'1 he drudgery ol: dish-washing is also avoided by a row of machines to handle all types of crockery, while glasses pass through special equipment. Stacks of plates are kept hot ready for service in long cabinets, and ice cream, prepared in almost infinite variety, is freshly inade in special kitchen refrigerators. Although on the ship's normal Atlantic run the space is utilised for other purposes, a fully equipped electric laundry is furnished on board during her present long voyage. Almost every form of passengers' clothing, from dress shirts to suits, can be cleaned and pressed, but this is a small problem compared with the magnitude of the task of dealing with 10,000 or 1/5,000 sheets, pillow-cases and bath-towels and probably almost double the number of serviettes. Yet, as with every feature of the work performed on the liner, the scale on which organisation is planned equals the enormous requirements. Modern labour-saving equipment; capable executive direction and staff co-operation are factors which ensure success.