Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-01-25

COOKS use sait winter TO Doll beef ana po
tatoes in: or rather 10 bon beef and pork
and steam the potatoes. So ] usually
had pail Of salt water and one Of fresh
standing by the galley door. Sometimes
these got mixed up. always found
this out after making salt water coffee,
but then u was too late. They were
particular, especially In the cabin, and
did not like salt water coffee. On any
strictly disciplined vessel the cook, for
such an offense. would have been COM
PEELED TO drink quart or so Of his own
coffee, but some mcrciful cherub aloft
always interfered and got me out of bad
scrapes. Another annoyance was the loss
OF spoons and forks thrown accidentally
overheard as flung away my soup and
grease clouded dishwater. II was in
deed bitter when, as occupied in these
daily washings, allowed my mind to
drift to other and brighter scenes. TO see
the glitter Of a spoon or fork In the mir
or sinking In the deep blue sea, and then to
reflect that already there were not enough
spoons 10 go around, or forks either.
Our storeroom was the cabin. Among
other articles there was a keg OF molasses.
One evening after draining quantity ]
neglected to close the faucet tightly.
Molasses, therefore, oozed over the cabin
floor all night. The cabin wac freshet
OF molasses. Very early In the morning
the captain, getting out of his bunk,
jumped both stockinged feet into the
saccharine deluge Some men will
swear as vigorously in a foot-bath of mo-
lasses as they would In one Of coal-tar.
He did. It was o very black day for me.
and life generally seemed joyless and un-
inviting; but l cooked on.
The Henry was full Of mice. These
little creatures would obtrude themselves
In my dough wet up for fresh bread over
night, become bemired and die therein.
Once mouse thus dead was uncon.
sciously rolled up in biscuit. baked with
it, and served smoking hot for the morn.
ing's meal aft. 1t was, as it were, an in
voluntary meat pie. OF course the cabin
grumbled; but they would grumble at
anything. They were as particular about
their food as an habitue of Delmonico's
wish now at times had saved that bis
cult to add to my collection Of odds and
endiblcs. Still even the biscuit proved
but an episode In my career. cooked
on, and those served stood aghast, not
knowing what would come next.
After five months Of self training I
graduated on pies. ! studied and
wrought out the making Of pies unas-
sisted and untaught. Mine were sea
mince pies: material, salt beef soaked TO
freshness and boiled tender. dried apples
and molasses. The cabin pronounced
them good. This was one Of the few
feathers in my culinary cap. OF course,
their goodness was relative. On shore
such pie would be scorned. But on a
long sea voyage almost any combination
of flour, dried fruit and sugar will pass.
Indeed, the appetite, rendered more Wig
orous and perhaps appreciative by long
deprivation from luxuries, will take not
kindly to dried apples alone. The
changes in the weekly bill of fare at sea
run something thus; Sundays and
Thursdays are "duf days." Tuesday,
bean day; Friday, Goldfish and potato
day; some vessels have one or two spe.
cial days for pork; salt beef, hardtack,
tea and coffee are fluids and solids to fall
back on every day. dreaded the max
ing of duffs, or -four puddings, to the
end Of the voyage. Rarely did attain
success with them.
"A duff is quantity of -four and yeast,
or yeast powder, mixed, tied up in bag
and boiled until it is light. Plum duff
argues the insertion of a quantity of rails
ms. Plain duff is duff without raisins
But tho proper cooking of duff is
rather delicate matter. II 1t boils too
long the -four settles into a hard, putty
like mass, whereunto there is neither
sponginess, lightness, nor that porous.
ness which delights the heart of a cook
when he takes his duff from the seething
enough. the interior is still paste. II
IA duff stops boiling for ever 80 few min.
utes, great damage results. And some
times duff won't do properly, anyway.
Mine were generally Of the hardened
species, and the plums evinced ten
dency to hold mass meetings at the bot
tom. Twice the hands forward rebelled
culinary grievances bore them aft to the
door of the cabin and deposited them
there unbroken and uneaten for the sold
Mans" inspection. Which public dem
onstration | witnessed from my galley
door, and when the duff deputation had
retired, Iemerged, and swiftly and silent
~ boro that duff away before the Old
Man had finished his dinner below II ia
a hard ordeal thus to feel ones self the
subject of such an outbreak of popular
indignation But my sympathies now
are all with the sailors. A spoiled duff
is great misfortune in the forecastle Of
a whaler, where neither pie nor cake nor
any other delicacy, save boiled -four and
molasses sauce, come from months end
10 months end.
PRENTICE MULFoRp.