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Appetites aweigh!
By PAMELA DAVIS © St. Petersburg Times, published May 16, 2001
Perish the thought of a sweaty guy, anchor tattooed on his bicep, peeling potatoes as a form of punishment. First of all, the U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer is equipped with a machine that peels potatoes, and, second, many mess specialists want to work in the galley and will likely go on to culinary careers when they leave the Navy. "Many people still have the concept that we're slop cooks," said Paul Deen, mess specialist. "We're not a slop-cook operation." The Lassen was docked at the Florida Aquarium near downtown Tampa for a week in April prior to being commissioned there.
Tampa was chosen for the commissioning ceremony because it is the closest port to Lassen's hometown, which is about 30 miles south of Sarasota. The Tampa Council of the Navy League coordinated the effort. A commissioning marks the transition of a ship from its building and outfitting stage to becoming an operational unit of the U.S. Navy. The Lassen will be moored at San Diego, its home port. On one of the days the Lassen was docked in Tampa, lunch consisted of chicken tetrazzini, fresh cauliflower, a deluxe cheeseburger, bean soup, french fries, white beans in tomato sauce with pork and fresh carrots. Dinner was roast turkey or grilled Polish sausage with gravy and beef rice soup, mashed potatoes, turnip greens and succotash. The food preparation worksheet that day instructed the mess specialists to make the soups from scratch, ensure that there were no lumps in the gravy and not overcook the carrots. Aboard the ship, orders, short and otherwise, are always followed. Seven people work in the 909-square-foot galley. They start prepping for breakfast at 5:15 a.m. and are cooking by 5:30 a.m. Lunch prep is under way by 10:15 a.m., cooking by 10:30 a.m. Dinner is served at 5 p.m., but the cooking begins at 1:30 p.m. The space is small, and, when the ship is rocking at sea, everything -the food, the cookware, the people -- must be secured. During sea trials on the way to Tampa, the ship practiced a few heavy rolls. The galley fared well, with only a few pans falling. Latches kept the oven doors from flying open. Almost more important than flying pots and pans is the issue of cleanliness. "We're in a controlled environment," Deen said. "If anyone gets sick aboard here, it's not one person, it's seven. Sanitation is highly looked upon." Deen, 32, has been in the Navy for 14 years and has liked cooking since high school. Prior to duty aboard the Lassen, he was stationed on aircraft carriers, where he cooked for 5,000 people at a time.
In civilian terms, coopers are big kettles. Any food not baked in the oven or stir-fried is cooked in them. The 80-gallon and two 30-gallon coopers are never filled more than halfway to prevent spillage when the ship tilts. Deen said the difference between working in the ship kitchen and working in a restaurant is "We don't get tips, and we can't say 'we quit.' " And, unlike a home kitchen, Navy cooks are not allowed to keep leftovers for longer than 24 hours, to prevent food poisoning. Armed Forces recipe cards are used for each meal. The cards are designed for 100 portions, and all branches of the military have the same recipe cards. Technically, the food should taste the same everywhere, but there's room for creativity, especially in the liberal use of garlic. Meat, fish and poultry card No. 192 lists the nutritional breakdown, portion size, pan size, cooking temperature and ingredients for Honey Lemon Chicken Breast. The enlisted men and women won't be eating tasteless chicken. The recipe calls for honey, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, grated lemon rind, curry powder and ground ginger. Yet no matter how delicious the meals, Deen said most of the crew aboard the Lassen would rather have hamburgers, cheeseburgers and hot dogs. He blames those uninspired choices on the crew's youth. Most of them are between 18 and 24. Aboard ship, hamburgers are called sliders. According to Navy lore, when the vessel makes hard turns, the grease from the burgers causes them to slide around. Needless to day, "steel beach picnic," is always a popular meal for the sailors. The mess specialists bring out the grills and cook the hamburgers and hot dogs on the ship's fantail. Weather dictating, the crew picnics about once a month when out to sea. Every quarter, the mess specialists cook up a birthday meal that includes steak, shrimp or lobster. The men and women who turned a year older during that quarter get to partake of it. While docked in Tampa, the ship received deliveries of bread, milk, frozen food, fruits and vegetables. When the Lassen is out to sea, it will get food from a supply ship. When it's time to eat, the enlisted line up at a steel rail, cafeteria-style. They fill up their trays at the galley and walk next door to eat. While the crew eats, up in the wardroom pantry the officers are making their choices for dinner. They eat the same food, but it is delivered in a different way.
Mess specialist Catherine Kallberg, 36, is assigned to the wardroom pantry. She is the only female mess specialist on the Lassen and has a degree in culinary arts from the Art Institute of Phoenix. She worked as a professional baker before joining the Navy. Kallberg wants eventually to be a certified pastry chef and, if she stays in the Navy long enough, wants to work in the White House. The Navy handles the cooking duties there. While in Tampa, Kallberg made cream puffs and miniature eclairs for functions aboard the ship. "I knew it needed to be done, and I love doing things like that so I took it upon myself to do it," she said. The other mess specialists aren't crazy about creating pastries. "It's an exact science," Kallberg said. "You have to know what to look for. You have to know what the signs of a good dough are and things like that." During sea trials, Kallberg was in the tiny wardroom pantry when the ship made some hard turns. She ran from side to side to prevent pans from popping out of cabinets and log books and equipment from tumbling off shelves. Working in a restaurant may be more steady, but it doesn't get the adrenaline pumping as much as cooking at sea.
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From the Times Taste section From the features wire |
