 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
MISSION DISPATCH 6 • 08/31/01 Today's Weather - images courtesy of NOAA & RSMAS Dispatch by Rebecca Johnson - HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution Latitude: 42°29'39"N • Longitude: 69°44'44"W 
It's been said that aboard any ship, the captain is the most important person. But coming in
at a very close second is the cook. If a well-fed ship is a happy ship, the R/V SEWARD JOHNSON
is exultant.
The person responsible for this bounteous and seemingly endless feast is our cook, Christina, a no-nonsense Georgia-born blonde who says she never really plans her menus but just starts cooking. At 4 am she begins her long day in the galley with reggae music blaring, ensconced in a stainless steel fortress of grills, fryers, cooktops, ovens, mixers, pots and pans, and utensils, mixing up a batch of muffins or rolls or fresh bread for breakfast. At her side - or more often at the sink - is her assistant Stuart, aka Cracker, who handles the less-than-glamorous aspects of cooking, including prep work and (shudder) clean up. Cracker seems undaunted by stacks of dirty dishes that would make most of us run for cover. 
The problem with all this food is that it's irresistible and we're never very far from it (this is a ship, after all). And even though most of us aboard are engaging in very limited physical activity, we're always inexplicably ravenous. Several days ago, Jennifer Whiteis suggested that perhaps we are expending vast numbers of calories constantly contracting our leg muscles in an effort to maintain our balance on the pitching decks. This seemed an excellent hypothesis and unquestionable justification for packing away more than 5,000 calories day. With every sip and spoonful, we comment about gaining weight, raising our cholesterol, or needing to resist temptation. Yet our plates are always chock-full at mealtimes. 
Then there are the late-night and early-morning forays into the galley for snacks. It's amazing
what one gets a hankering for at 2 am, after dissecting several hundred Nanomia stomachs.
Choose from ice cream, frozen fruit bars, toast with jam, granola bars, popcorn, hot cocoa,
not to mention leftovers from the previous day's three squares. And as if this weren't enough,
some of us have squirreled aboard our own private stores of certain comfort foods that
apparently we felt we couldn't live without. By odd coincidence, nearly all of these personal
favorites - freely shared, mind you - have chocolate as their main ingredient!
 | |
 | ||