Quite A Day

Last night they didn't like my Two Fish in Phyllo. The carrots were very disappointing as well. I've done this kind of thing long enough that I can let it go pretty easily, though it always stings when you put your heart into your work and come up short of the mark. Better veg, plainer better cooked fish; heard. As I was printing out menus for the next day that night, the Glacier Bay Ranger came up to me. "You the chef?" he asked. Yes. "Well I'd just like to shake your hand. I don't know how you do it, but this is the second week I've gotten to come onboard and I just wanted to say thank you. I love to cook, but I could never cook for this many people, and I'll tell ya', you just make everything perfect all the time. Perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned. I don't know how you do it. Thank you." Funny how the universe sometimes speaks to you through other people. Because, honestly, as confident as I am in my profession, there is nothing to drag your heart down like having the better part of a whole family send the message that they were disappointed in your food. So thank you ranger. Because you said that, I was able to push past the oopsies and charge into today with that Tiger Woods calm confidence. If you believe in yourself and believe in your passion, then you have a whole lot more love available to put into your work.

I definitely needed all that love today. Breakfast and lunch were fairly routine. I caught an hour and a half nap and had not too much work to do when I woke up. Angie has been working a lot and being very productive, even more than usual, because she's leaving for some much needed time off on Friday, and she knows we'll miss having all her help everyday. I've done the same thing; giving as much as you can to your crew-mates before you leave since you know they have to keep working after you leave. You're the lucky one, so you ante up a little more.

Everything was smooth tonight until about ten minutes before service. I was putting finishing touches on Blueberry Cabernet Reduction for the Baked Halibut, and finishing off the Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup, when Shelly walked up behind me and directed my attention to the floor. A cloudy pool of water was starting to flow out from under the oven (which is pretty much fixed now by the way). Ang yelled up to Dani, our Hotel Manager, to go get one of the engineers immediately. You see, under the prep counter next to the range is a big hole where all the dishwater and prep sink water goes into. The drains on them are so low that the waste water has to go down there, and when it reaches a certain level, an electric pump kicks on and sends the water to the regular waste water tank. Well, the pump wasn't doing its job for some reason. Since the dishwasher was still running, and none of us thought to turn it off, the pool quickly became a lake. A few minutes later, Eric and Kevin came down with loads of rags, buckets, a siphon, and a wet-vac to begin cleaning and fixing. Meanwhile, soup garnish is prepared, Halibut goes in the oven, and dishes start piling up. Phone rings. "Galley swim center." "Hey galley, this is the bridge, we've got humpback whales, so dinner has to wait." "Heard." Halibut comes back out of the oven, soup goes into a cambro to be reheated in the microwave, and amidst the dirty chaos, the chef can't think of anything better to do than get a crew plate and fill it with that nights crew chew - mini corn dogs, fries, and some brilliant (if I do say so myself) homemade buttermilk ranch dressing. Extra garlic salt and a dash of Maggi seasoning is the key. A half hour later I make my way up to see some humpback whales bubble-net feeding, a rare and most spectacular thing, and something I've probably already written about at some point. On the way back I notice some people sitting down ready to eat. Dani gives us the green light, and the Halibut goes back in the oven, along with the duck breast, which is much better hot than warm. Phone rings. "Hey Galley, this is the bridge again, the whales are bubble-netting right next to the bow, so we're going to watch a few more minutes then move on." "Heard, thank you bridge." Oi.

Halibut stays in the oven this time. The little one wants some carrots. The older one wants mushy vegetables. No problem. Special order vegetarian pasta comes out, along with White and Brown Rice Pilaf with Scallions and Cranberries (no pistachios because of three nut allergies). "Hey Phil, is there any butter in the Blueberry sauce, cause one of the passengers just told me he's lactose intolerant now," says Gabe the Stew/Server. "Really? Wow, that's the second one today. Hey Angie, we need to start making wheat bread." "Heard." "Um, you know Gabe, I'm just not going to put any butter in the sauce tonight. I'll have to rework it a little, but we should be fine." "Fire all tickets," comes the call from upstairs and plating begins and is finished quickly tonight. Gee the floors look clean tonight. "Extra side of Duck Cacciatore." "Duck coming up the Dumbwaiter." "Extra side of fish." "Coming, hold on." Wow, they must like me again tonight. "Hey Phil, everyone's happy with everything up there." "What did they say?" "I asked if this is what they wanted and they said 'yes, it looks fantastic.' "Woooo-hoooo."

Dessert goes out - Angie's latest magical little treat - Chocolate Panna Cotta (really it's chocolate milk jello, but don't tell her I blabbed). Phone rings. "Hey Galley this is the bridge, is it OK if we have orcas off the bow." "Of course, desserts gone out already - they're [the passengers] are all yours." "Thanks galley." "No problem."

Later, up on the Ledo deck, I saw some orcas mating (or so I was told later) and about a half a dozen times there was a breeching orca that showed us his/her whole glorious form by jumping clean out of the water. I got to talk to Carey on the phone (just enough reception for a decent conversation) while watching the spectacle. She could hear the squeals of the passengers every time something incredible happening. We were also blessed by one of the orcas near the ship squeaking hello very loudly out of his/her blow-hole. Sounded like flipper. Very cool. Heard.