Friday, February 12, 2010

'FROM THE FREEZER TO THE OVEN'


Wednesday 10th February 2010, 2345 hours UTC, Location; Isle of Wight.

After the Hypothermia of yesterday we got to play with fire today.
Remaining nameless, but well dried off from his totally inadvertent demonstration yesterday of how not to enter the water when operating in and about a vessel and not appearing to hold any grudges against all those who stood on the deck above bursting there sides with laughter, our 'bespectacled' tutor took us dutifully through the required course content.
It was easy to imagine the future delights that awaited us. Thoughts of Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding, perhaps a little overdone, did pass through my head. Not that Niall's cooking isn't up scratch, on the contrary, we are still enjoying his culinary delights every evening.
I think everyone likes playing with fire, it must go back deep into Human history. We all seem to like the glow of a warm fire and the memories it brings back. Of course I can also imagine the first fire fighting drill, when back in a cave some bearded caveman leaned a little to close to the fire. I can imagine the 'mate' wagging her finger saying, 'I told you so'. Perhaps that's where designer stubble came from, or maybe it was the first case of a 'stubble fire'
Back from daydreaming, we headed down to the Equipment room and were bedecked out in our fire fighting gear. Big thick fire proof trousers and jackets, 2 pairs of gloves, A pair of steel toe capped Wellies and a fireproof hood like the Formula 1 racing drivers pull on just before the Race and then... The Breathing Apparatus. We were shown how to prepare, check over, and test this important piece of equipment until we knew it inside out. No room for a screw up here. Apart from the fact that we bottles are charged to high pressure we would be relying on this air to survive.
We headed down to the fire area and cooking commenced. Chip pan fires and Galley fires, though the water in the Medina appears to have special properties not found in other water when poured onto Oil. Instead of the promised 'whoosh' of flame from the pan, our fire was put out in an instant. This stuffed should be bottled as 'Extra Strong' Fire Fighting Water. So the moral of the story is... If the water doesn’t come from Cowes, don't pour it on a chip pan fire!
We attempted to use other cooking implements such as pots, lids and even a blackened Cheese Board. Blackened not from fire but from the mould of the strong cheeses smuggled over from France each evening by intrepid sailors of other training establishments regularly passing down the river. (poor bas***ds... going out in this weather... haven't they heard of the Caribbean!)
Wanting to find more things to cook we headed for Red Ensign's Outside Galley and Food Storage Area. We knewit must be the Galley, as we could see smoke billowing from every gap in the containers and the aroma of Jamaican Chicken was very strong. Testing with the backs of our hands we could feel the heat from the cookers. They must cook large amounts in there though cleaning the ovens is not high on their list of duties as the smoke was pretty bad. To ensure no one can see into the galleys and find out what's cooking no windows exist and we were unable to peer inside.
Crouching down low, just in case Chef Casey Ryeback was on duty with his throwing knives, we opened the door and had a quick look inside. Very little could be seen. Large amounts of smoke hung in the air, and due to the fact that Electricity has not yet reached the Isle of Wight, it was dark inside. We much anticipation our group of 3 entered.
Wanting to ensure that we searched all areas thoroughly to obtain as many goodies as possible we followed a set search pattern. Holding onto the walls, and waving our hands and feet from side to side, our little group found its way along the walls of the galley areas. You would think that people using these galleys on a regular basis would have removed the various obstacles lying around. Perhaps a few less chairs for them to rest on might encourage a bit of a cleaner work environment. We worked our way through various rooms and after backing down a tunnel and climbing stairs we were unable to find the source of the pleasant aromas.
With our air starting to run low, we decided to head back out the way we had come in. We regrouped and discussed our failure with the other group who had completed a separate search. Niall decided that rather than cooking himself we should head back in, together this time, with him in command. Hopefully what a small group couldn't find, a larger one might. We tried but unfortunately, once again, we left empty handed. It was a major shame as all this exercise was creating an appetite and the wonderful aromas had been so tempting.
We intend to try again tomorrow and I heard rumour tonight of another room we didn't enter which contains a Golden Rivet. I am told that the glow from the Rivet is so bright and the light from it flickers and dances around the room. Having been forged in the depths of some Volcano it still gives off heat and should be approached with caution. Believed to be priceless, if we can remove this Rivet we might all be set up for life!

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