A challenge ...
Rhapsode
Mon 22 Nov 2010 14:55
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01 53N 24 37 W
We had a 'still' day yesterday...
Still in the doldrums with convection clouds all
around us mostly in the distance beyond the horizon. They looked like cotton
wool wipes!
For a change Neptune had organised some sunny
weather for us but he took away our wind in exchange. The sea was
so still - glassy calm. I took the opportunity to reseat the cleat
on the fore deck in case it was the culprit for Andrew's leak. Whilst I was
fitting it back in place I thought I'd go for a swim afterwards. The water
looked so inviting (and warm at 27 C).
Just as we finished the job Andrew spotted
dolphins off to port. So we watched them play and do somersaults instead of
going swimming. I wasn't sure about being in the water with a bunch of acrobatic
dolphins. It's bad enough being the plaything of the gods but the idea of being
nosed around by playful dolphins was too much. They didn't come close enough to
the boat to play in our bow wave. But why would they - at 3.5 knots we weren't
putting up much of wave for them to play in. I increased the revs on the
engine to bring us up to an exciting 5 knots but they still weren't interested.
Just not the exuberant sort, I suppose.
Unlike the weather at the moment - we are in a
squall and are getting knocked about by wind, waves and rain.
Now then all you master (and mistress) chefs -
here's a new challenge for you:
To cook a meal in a bouncy, rolly kitchen with
a two ring cooker and 2 square metres of work top using only the hands you were
born with.
We had (S)mash, veggie sausages, beans and
fried eggs for dinner last night and here's how it's done:
1. Put sausage mix in bowl; add water; leave for
ten minutes. Hold on to bowl so it doesn't tip contents all over cabin
floor.
2. Fill kettle using two more free hands - one to
hold the kettle and one to pump the water. Put kettle on ring 1.
3. Open tin of beans with ex kettle hands and tip
into saucepan, still holding on to sausage mix. Put on ring 2. Wash and
squash bean can and put in rubbish bag with third hand.
4. Search locker for egg box whilst holding sausage
mix, stirring beans and keeping eye on kettle.
5. Hold egg box and sausage mix bowl whilst rolling
out mix into sausage shapes and putting them on a plate. Five handed job
and technically difficult - one hand for egg box, one for bowl and two for
making sausage shapes and one to hold the plate they are being placed
on.
6. Remove kettle from cooker and replace
it with frying pan whilst ... yes, you've got it now, holding everything
else especially the hot kettle.
7. Cook sausages in frying pan, wash plate, wash
bowl and fill with Smash with one hand on kettle and another on the egg box
whilst putting plate away.
8. Nearly there now ... remove beans from cooker
and replace with kettle and bring to the boil whilst not letting go of the
eggs.
9. Pour boiling water over Smash and mix with fork
whilst holding on to eggs and beans and frying pan.
10. Get three bowls out and dish out Smash. Very
testing - three hands needed for the bowls, plus one for the eggs, one for the
frying pan and another for the beans.
11. Holding the three bowls, turn off the gas under
the sausages and dish out sausages with another hand whilst holding on to the
beans with the other one
12. Add beans to bowls whilst holding the eggs with
your fourth hand.
13. Turn on gas again and fry two
eggs.
14. Add eggs to each of two bowls and pass them up
to the boys in the cockpit whilst fishing in the drawer for forks.
15. Quite straightforward from now on -
one hand for my bowl and one hand for the frying pan and one for fish
slice.
16. Top off my bowl with an egg and keep holding
it. Chuck everything in the very small washing up bowl and pump up copious
amounts of sea water to rinse them.
17. Climb up into the cockpit with my bowl in one
hand, my fork in the other using two spares hands to hold on.
18. Sit on a wet plastic bag full of cushions
and ENJOY!
There - easy when you know how.
Bon Appetite!
Happy sailing.
P, M & A
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