Behind the scenes

The head chefs had offered us an opportunity to take a look behind the scenes, in the so-called "galley," which is where the ordered dishes go in the final stage before being served to the waitstaff, and is considered the most critical phase of the entire process.

The Indian head chef had extended the invitation, and it was accepted by many guests, as all of us are already impressed by the precision, variety, and especially the large quantities that the restaurant and kitchen staff must organize every day.

Before heading into the kitchen, there was some numerical data and explanations: 2,030 portions of food are served every day, which the guests can choose from in 3 courses, with 5 options per course. So, there is a very large selection of dishes. In addition, there is a 24-hour buffet and a 24-hour room service, as well as meals for the 1,000-strong crew. These are already large dimensions.

To handle all of this, there are 147 chefs of various ranks and 68 personnel for kitchen and dishwashing. A total of 295 people are needed to serve everything and to calculate and store the supplies.

For example, on a 14-day trip, approximately 70 tons of fruits and vegetables, 18 tons of meat, 20 tons of fish, 30 tons of cheese and dairy products, and 4,666 dozen eggs are needed. And since it is a British ship, the consumption of tea is correspondingly high: 70,000 cups in two weeks. These are just a few examples, and statistically, 90,000 meals are served in 14 days.

So, these are dimensions that can't be realistically imagined. After so many abstract numbers, we then went to the galley, firstly to the dishwashing area, where approximately 20,000 pieces are brought together every day, washed with a conveyor belt dishwasher using ultra-hot water, and dried with air. This takes only 2 minutes, which is equivalent to an hour on our dishwashers. Then we went to the beverage stations, which either juice or prepare coffee and tea depending on the meals. Then there was the bread distribution, the assembling of the baskets that the waitstaff then offers and places in front of each guest for selection, and of course, the department for cold appetizers, where salmon canapés were being prepared. But then came the exciting part, the so-called hot press, where the ordered plate is assembled, checked, and served.

This hot press is a kind of open oven system, where the plates are arranged and collected by the waitstaff. There are photos on the side of the waitstaff showing how the dish should look, as the waitstaff or the head chef in general checks each plate to ensure it is arranged as depicted. If everything is okay, the cover is put on and it goes out to the restaurant. My waitstaff told me that this is always very hectic, with loud shouting and queuing, and it is quite stressful. But when serving at the table, the waitstaff always exude great calmness. They are very friendly overall, come from all over the world, speak good English, and always ask at the beginning of the evening how the day was, what one did, so they make a lot of effort to create a personal atmosphere. They work every day and take a break for 2 to 3 months after 9-10 months. The head chef said that the working hours can also be individually agreed upon or the legal regulations of the countries are complied with (Germany apparently has the most regulations regarding breaks.)

On the day of the visit, I naturally took the opportunity to choose my lunch based on the photos and I made a good choice. It tasted good. I hope you also get a taste when you see the pictures of the appetizers and desserts.

Otherwise, the news is that our captain is on vacation and a new captain (the one with the starboard and port socks (green/red)) has taken command. Cunard always assigns two captains to a ship who fundamentally work together so that the changeover is smooth. Our new captain is Aseem Hashmi, an Englishman with Iranian roots. He has invited us to a reception to get to know him and we are excited to meet him.

My report on beautiful Hawaii will follow shortly, as we now have a few days at sea and are heading to the Southern Pacific.

lt