Touch and Go

Consistency is something i've definitely taken for granted. On land you wake up, you go to work, and you come home, all to the same places. Food orders are (reasonably) timely, the products are ones you know and appreciate, and every thing's to be expected. On the water, things are a bit different; each day's a roll-of-the-dice.

Some days we're moving, some days we're docked. Some days the produce is beautiful, and some days (like last week for example) you receive 12 kilos of strawberries and are able to use about 2 kilos of them.... what a weird life we live.

Since Guatemala, the ship's course has changed repeatedly. The Swine Flu, (now known as the H1N1 Virus) got a lot of residences freaked out about vising Mexico, so the Captain decided to reroute us to non-Mexican waters for a bit. Six days at sea put us in San Diego for fuel and food provisions. Things started to calm a bit regarding the Flu Epidemic, so the residents decided to revisit a few of the northernmost ports in our original itinerary. As of now we're making our way to Cabo San Lucas. We stopped for two beautiful days in the Catalina Islands, where I finally got to try taking one of the Tenders to shore. Now, for those who have no idea what i'm talking about, when a ship is anchored at sea, we lower one of our specialized lifeboats and use it as a shuttle to the nearest port. That shuttled then becomes what's known as a Tender. (Typically they're used when the water is too shallow for the ship to approach the destination so it's somewhat of a necessity) Anywho, our Tender is designed to fit our luxurious clientele, so for a small shuttle boat, it's pretty damn nice. =) Back to Catalina.... I took a ton of pics, but I have to apologize, holding the camera means I'm not in many of em. Shortly after, we set sail back to San Diego for one last refueling so head south into Mexican waters. Tomorrow we'll be in Cabo, and with any luck, i'll have a few minutes to escape the kitchen and touch land for a bit.

Now, I realize that I've started getting accustomed to the organization of the ship, but you guys are totally in the dark. It's a bit much to start gettin into now, but i'll type somethin up to explain how our 4 Restaurants, In Room Dining, and Special Function Catering all work together. Considering right now it's just a Pastry Chef, me (the Sous Chef), and one Pastry Cook, it's a huge work load.... and believe me, the majority of my day.

As always, keepin' you guys in mind.

Oh, and just to clarify, i'm startin to figure out how to balance the ridiculous work schedule out with a little play. It's not as much as I'd like to be doin yet, but hey, a toe in the pool's a hell of a lot better than nothing. =)

Until next time,

CIAO!!