The Washington critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1885-1888, 1885-07-13
FORECASTLE FARE.
Lobscousc, Dandyfunk, Pumpkin
Funny, Sea Doughnuts ANA other of
Poor Jacks Delicacies.

Funny, Sea Doughputs ANA other of
Poor jacks Deiicacies.
"Scouse" said the young man, inquir-
ingly. "Scousc2 What's scousel'
The sailor looked at his mate then at
the young man, and tlrcn at his mate, and
said
"lts suiprisin' to see how ignorant
fcllers is as has never had the advantage
of a eddication at sea; but this ere one is
the most surprisn' one ever did see"
With that the two men lrowned severely
at the young man and walked on.
'Scouse, said the gray-haired junkman,
who had been sailor for many years in
youth, sis about the most common article
oifood aboard ship. It's made ofbiscut, or
whatth soldiers call hard tack. The biscuit
is broken up and soaked in water. Then
whatever odds and ends of meat have been
left over from the preceding meal in the
cabin, and perhaps an additional amount
equal to pound of meat for ten pounds
of scouse, is mixed in. The whole Is
baked and sent TO the men in the fore
castle ut meal time in the dish it was
cooked in. he men scoop it ont into
little tin pans and eat it with their knives.
Sometimes potatoes take the place of bis
cult, and that makes lobscotse. Some
times beans and biscuit are mixed in
about equal parts and then it is called
bean scOuse. You wouldn't fancy eating
beside dozen men like those two Just
now, but after you had got your sea appe-
tite you would call scouse a good dish,
especially il two or three onions had been
cut in."
What else do the sailors have to eatN'
'Dandyfunk is Il common dish. You
would call it molasses scouse maybe, for
it is mixture Of powdered biscuit and
molasses, baked in q pan. 1t is not an APP
pctizing dish, but is,a nourishing feed,
and that is the main thing at sea. With
the solid grub, the men get what is called
coffee for breakfast and dinner, and tea
forsupper. have never been able to learn
just what those drinks were made of, but
they are hot and bitter, and serve to warm
the men in cold weather. and quell the
cravings of appetite. Vinegar is served
out also, and when hemeat is bad it helps
the men to eat it, The vinegar partly
neutral2es the taste of Saltpetre in salt
beef and the faint of pork. | have seen
beef served with the crystals of saltpetre
adhering to it. Vinegar is powerless in
such cases. Where captain is economi-
cal he orders the cook to use sea water
instead Of fresh to cook most of the grub
in. The men don't eat as much then, and
the captain is able to sell the grub that is
left over at the end of his voyage for his
private account"
Don't the men have any DESSERT"
Eyes; on Sunday. Every one has heard
of duff. 1t is made of flour boiled in
canvas bag. EXtravagant cooks put in a
little lard and salt. On rare occasions Il
handful or two of raisns will be added.
This is served with molasses. Pumpkin
funny is sea luxury, and it is made of
dried pumpkin stewed up into sauce and
sweetened with molasses. Some of the
cooks make their duff into small balls the
size of your fist, and the sailors call them
doughboys. Ships vary rs much rs board
most of them vary only in the cheapncss
of the stuff and in its lack of good quail
ties. ! shipped on a bark out of New Bed
ford once for cruise i'll the Pacific. We
had Il green hand for cook but after we'd
trained him bit he did pretty we'll. He
all hands one Sunday after we'd been
three months at sea, You will wonder
where he got his fresh beef. He didn't
have any; he freshened the salt beef until
it was about tastecss. He didn't have any
cider, but he had some grog from the
cabin, and what with plenty Of chopped
raisins and dried apples it made that
good pie that he could have got the boat
swain to split kindhng for him afterward
by Just saying the word. You see it was
getting toward Thanksgiving, when n
Yankee sailor bankers formince pie.'
Did you ever eat amy OF the whale
meat?n
The rule is to serve out barrel of flour
every time whale is killed. The flour
is mixed with molasses into doughnuts,
which are dropped into the try-kettes
filled with boiling blubbcr."
"Jn the fish ol?'
"You never made q bigger mistake in
your life than when you imagined it
was offensive fish OIL The fresh blubber
is as sweet to the smell and and taste as
any leaf lard you ever saw. Old Yankee
shippers who eat both kinds say that sea
doughnuts are better than shore dough-
nuts every day in the year"
The quantity and quality Of sailors
food are regulated by law. When the law
is obeyed sailors live well, but not SO well
as mechanics of corresponding skill and
intelligence on shore. Here is Jacks bill
of fare for one week, as laid down in the
| act of Congress approved June I, 1872 :
| Sunday, pound Of bread, II Of beef, /
ounce of tea, ounce Of coffee, ounces of
| sugar and three quarts of water. The al
| loWance of bread, tea, coffee, sugar and
| water is the same for every day. Monday
| II pounds of pork, J pound of flour, pint
| peas. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
| he must have the same allowance that he
| had on Sunday; Wednesday and Friday
| the same that he had on Monday Mo
| lasses may be substituted for sugar, and it
| is almost always preferred. It's cheaper.
| They are also entitled to rice and barley
| but, as the quantity is not mentioned, IL
| is frequently inhnitesimal Where fresh
| meat is served the amount must be two
| pounds day. Some owners are always
| trying experiments. In most cases the
| aim is to see how little man can live on
| and how cheap the food can be obtained.
| 49, n. y. sun.