Ketchikan, Alaska

It's sunny, a bit windy, but oh so nice to be outside. Today we're docked next to another big ship, and so the port's full of people, walking, shopping, and snacking by the water. Fortunately, i've managed to score a hefty two hour break, so I've got a few minutes to take a walk, have a cappuccino at a nice cafe, and chill for a bit as I update the blog. Two days ago, I put in my vacation flight request and boy do I have some good news for you....

On September 10th i'm signing off. The ship'll be in Otaru, Japan (on the coast, next to Sapporo), and so that's where they'll be dropping me off. Also, I was JUST given the official word that they're happy to book my return flight from Osaka a cool two weeks later. TWO WEEKS!!! I'm gunna spend two weeks in Japan! Yeah, that's fun to say. (hah!) Then, to cap it off, my return flight just happens to be going through San Francisco, so with any luck, i'll extend my layover there as well, and spend a few days chillin with the boys again in one of my favorite cities. SOOOOO, if you just happen to be at home at the moment, and've got the travel bug, come meet me in Japan! I've got no plans as of yet, but i'm dying to hike Mt Fuji, see every inch of Tokyo & Kyoto, and eat all the cool random japanese food I can!

...Should be fun! =P

Holy Frijoles!

Ok, so in the process of loading yet another round of pictures from my camera to my desktop I realized that I currently have two months of unsorted photos sitting in a folder that i've yet to organize. SO, on that note, it's my new goal to hash it all out, and have a chronologically correct, (and more importantly) complete record of my time here.

As soon as i'm done, i'll sort out a handfull of the best and post em. Can't wait for you to see which ones I choose!

Oh, and in case you're curious, we've been cruisin up and down the Fjords on the West Coast of canada (very near Alaska) for the past few days. (almost a week) Honestly, the scenery is pretty damn gorgeous. I've snapped lots of pics, but there really is nothing like seeing it for yourself.

Can't wait to see what Alaska looks like!

Ciao Ciao!

<==== Check THAT out!

Oh internet, how useful you can be....

So yesterday, for the first time, I found out we (the ship) have a webpage that constantly updates with information on our current itinerary. Cool eh!?? Well, wouldn't that be sweet if you could see that webpage too?

If you answered yes, today's your lucky day! I found the link and added it on the left side of the page so that any time you're curious, you too can know my current position.

Sweet!

Also, as a random sidenote, today one of our residents held a huge catered function at his own house ashore. The galley pumped out tons of food, sent it to shore on one of our tenders (big passenger boats), and set it all up. The ridiculous twist is that this guy's house is monstrous and one of only three on an entire island.... HIS island. Yeah, I said it. The guy owns the ENTIRE island!... And the three houses: His, his son's, and the guest house. SOOOO badass. =)

7-11.... well, not the convinent store, but still catchy =)

Wow, I can't believe i look back at the last post date and it says May 31st! That's pathetic!

Well, i'm back now, and determined to keep the updates coming as often as I can. Now, most of you have NO idea what i'm reffering to in the title of this blog entry, so i'll simply say 7-11 has become the new catch phrase of the pastry department. Essentially it refers to two things, 1) The Pastry Department in every restaurant / hotel / eatery seems to always be the snack station where all the kitchen employees cruise by for a quick nibble. At first this can be fun, providing goodies to everyone, and ensuring at least a few good feelings as all your work is gobbled up in front of your face. However, most of the time, it gets a bit out of control and situations like coming into work to find all your Ice Creams eaten become increasingly more common. Anywho, the second, and more accurate reference is the fact that our hours have unofficially become 7am - 11pm.

Yep, you read that right.... Today I started with a Galley (ship word for "kitchen") Inspection at 7 am, and ended my day entering the order list at 11:30pm. Whew, what a long one...

Well, i should say, there's a good reason for all of this. Since July 4th, my boss has been on vacation and so yours truly has been acting as the ship's Pastry Chef. I'll hold this position until his vacation is over (and I sign off) in mid-September. Until then, as the Exec Chef has assured me, the pastry department is my new baby.

Honestly, it's a pretty cool concept. I'm the Pastry Chef of the World. Yeah, it's got a pretty bad-ass ring to it, but it comes with a hell of a price. The work load's definitely intense, and the buck now falls on me. In related news, we got a "new" guy in the Pastry Team to beef up the numbers back to a whopping 3 of us. Fortunately, he's been in the Pastry Department before (about a year ago) and really knows his stuff. He's an incredibly fast worker, a bit unrefined, but i'll tell you what, the guy can get things done! Now that he's on board, i'm a little less stressed and VERY happy to have him back on the team.

Since taking over, my social life's been on pause, so hopefully soon I can get out again and have a glass of wine with the other 20-somethings on the boat soon. Since I have essentially no living costs (free housing, free food.... etc) I decided to buy a $100 sushi boat for a few friends and I to enjoy after work tomorrow night. My closest friend on the ship is a bartender upstairs so hopefully he'll hook us up with another $80 bottle of Sake to pair with it. mmmmm, sushi. Can't wait!

Oh, and in related news, I've been cranking out a bunch of new menus that look pretty cool. I even made my first sugar showpeice since culinary school a few days ago! It stood about 18" tall on top of one of our buffets. Kinda cool eh? I'll post pics of food / the showpeice soon. It's no "World Pastry Championship," but considering how long it's been since i've attempted something like that i'd say it's pretty good! =)


... and finally, one last thing, since most of you have no idea where I am / where we're headed I'll try and post a little one liner every day or so to keep you up on the itinerary. Right now we're off the west coast of canada heading to Victoria. Tomorrow we'll be entirely at sea, but we should dock early the day after.

Ciao for now! .

-me

Menus, Menus, Menus

On board a ship of this nature, the word "no" is rarely uttered. "It is our utmost duty to provide a 5 star experience for all our guests".... or so you can just imagine me saying, chest upthrust and proud.

HAH! ::shakes his head:: Man, that's cheesy....

Unfortunately, never saying "no" pretty much guarantees a logistical aneurism for the crew. To focus on my particular area, we (the three members of the Pastry Team) have the task of meeting the demands of 6 set menus, and the ever-changing catering/function menus. Here's the breakdown:

4 Restaurant Menus
In Room Dining (IRD) Menu
Kids Menu
+ Functions / Catering Custom Menus
=============================
Josh in Therapy

Yep, it's simple math. Regardless, the work gets done. We all go home eventually to rest, rise, and fight the fires of tomorrow. Diving into the restaurants, each has its own theme:

East - Sushi Bar, and food from all across the continent of Asia (located on Deck 11, Poolside)
Tides - Mediterranean Cuisine with an Italian flair (Located on Deck 11, at the aft, or tail end of the ship)
Marina - American Cuisine (Deck 5, Aft, featuring a small indoor pool, and direct access to the gigantic sea-level fold out deck)
Portraits - Upscale Cuisine, typically featuring more daring/challenging dishes (Deck 5)

and the remaining responsibilites:

In Room Dining - All residents and guests have the opportunity to enjoy the full restaurant experience right in their own homes. As such, the Galley prepares the food while the waitstaff readies the recipient's cabin with tablecloths, settings, glassware, and any other special serving dishes the order should require. The food is then delivered, and, upon completion, the area is bussed and cleaned to its original state.

Functions / Catering - As a resident (or guest) on the ship, opportunities to be social with the other members of the resident community are few and far between. (Basically, this is a home, not a summer camp) As such, hosting personal events with small clusters of residents becomes a welcome change, and a regular affair. Unfortunately, each and every resident taking advantage of this service wants something unique, and (lets face it) a hell of a lot nicer than the last one they saw at ol' whats-her-face's place. Demands range from favorites they've had onboard, to obscure treats found in their respective towns and cities. Menus can be as simple as a buffet spread, or as complicated as a nouveau 8 course degustation menu. Now, we even go so far as to offer catering for larger functions such as weddings, shore parties, and other 100+ people events. This week for example, we're currently producing a wedding cake, dessert buffet, AND plated desserts for a 145 person wedding... oy

and last but not least, the sometimes utilized Kids Menu - Entertaining kids onboard is a rare occasion. Items for this menu are the stereotypical kiddy desserts (read: "fudge brownie," Banana Split.. etc). They don't require much thought, but do force us to maintain a supply of items we ONLY use for this menu.... stupid eh?

Together, it's well... a lot. I've been here a full month now, and I can say that the full picture is finally coming into focus. It's not quite there yet, but I'm starting to compile a list of improvements I'd like to make in July when, oh yeah, did i mention, I'm supposed to take over. Yeah, funny how that works. Apparently my boss is starting his two month vacation in July and is now making me the head Pastry Chef onboard. I'm a little stressed about it, but I suppose that's a good thing. After-all, it's a hell of a motivator.

Anywho, as always, i'm chuggin along but thinkin' about you guys. I may be a little bogged down in the next few days, but i promise i'll keep the updates flowing.

Current Postion: Ensenada Mexico
On Route to: San Diego, CA

I promised pics, so here's a few of the plates we've been doing:



ENJOY!!!

Rollin, Rollin, Rollin, We ain't slept in weeks

If you haven't heard it yet, Kid Cudi's track Rollin (feat. Jakie Chain) is fantastic. It samples a Robert Miles track called "Children" that I used to listen to ALL the time in college. It's been on my playlist a few times recently, and i have to say, has become my unofficial theme song for the ship. I've been here almost a month now, and typically I get between 4 and 6 hours of sleep every night. Come to think of it, I haven't really talked much about my schedule yet so i'll tell you what, here goes:

07:30 - Wake up & Get Dressed
08:00 - Go to the Crew Mess (Dining Hall) for Breakfast & my morning Coffee
08:30 - Start Work - Get the morning's supplies (Flour, Sugar, Butter... whatever we order) from the Requisition office
12:00 - Break for Lunch
12:30 - Return to work
14:30 - Afternoon Break (this is typically adjusted to 15:00 or later if the day's especially full)
17:00 - Return to work
19:00 - Break for Dinner
23:00 - Finish Cleaning, change & shower in my cabin
23:30 - Head to the "Internet Cafe" or the Officer's Bar to be social/ get out of the cabin for a bit
01:00 - Back to the Crew Mess for the 1 AM snack [always get at least one chicken finger =) ]
01:30 - If no one's suckered me into going up to the helipad on the bow, staying up later in the common room, or hanging out in someone's cabin, Go to bed

Repeat as necessary.

hah, what a day eh? For instance, it's currently 11:47 PM (23:47) and I've decided to blow off the bar tonight. I really want to post an update so I've had to forgo seeing anyone. Now, just to clarify, going to the bar doesn't mean drinking your face off every night. It's the social, after-hours place for the crew to go, so naturally, if you want to see / be seen, you're there. Also, as a side note, the drinks are priced between $.50 and $1.50 so the ship kinda encourages it, and it's pretty easy to buy drinks for a ton of friends for next to nothing! .... As I was saying.... Fortunately though, this means i'll actually have a decent shot at a good night's rest, so missing it for a night is a price i'm willing to pay.

As of now, we're cruising around the Sea of Cortes. We spent a day in Cabo San Lucas, and La Paz on route to our current position. In La Paz, my roommate, a few of the girls on the ship, another guy, and myself ventured into town and found a great club where we could unwind. I bought a few rounds, and the girls bought a bottle, so as you could imagine, we had a good time. =)

Now that we're anchored at sea (off the coast of Isla San Jose), the passengers have the opportunity to join a wildlife expedition organized by the ship. As a result, daily dessert sales have gotten a bit slow. To balance the scale though, Functions & Catering has gotten CRAZY. It seems like every day we've gotta crank out specialized desserts for some 25 person event in a resident's cabin, or a last-minute barbeque on the beach for 60 residents. It's been really odd having to piece together so many different-themed events for so many different personalities upstairs. It seems that everyone has the way THEY like their food, and simply won't stand for anything less.

On a personal note, I can't believe it's been about a month since i've gotten here. It's been a tough experience so far (adjusting to ship life, working INSANELY long hours, and having your entire life in one small bubble). I think the jury's still out on my feelings so far. I'm giving it some time to really see how it plays out. June's looking like a complete shit-storm for the kitchen (TONS and TONS of functions) so I'm pretty sure it'll make or break my desire to pursue the ship life past this contract.

To my fam, Miss you guys, and to the rest, I can't wait 'til we can all chill again. I've tried to contact a few of you, but even that's been difficult so let me know what you're all up to.

Take care & ttys.

CIAO!

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!!