The day before setting sail on Bubbles, I was having a chat with a previous crew member, Nicole, and a few other sailor folk in Langkawi, Malaysia. Nicole said to me and Kris (aka Hollywood), "You'll spend a lot of time on the boat talking about the food you will eat once you get back to land." It wasn't until three days into the sail that I truly appreciated the truth in this statement.
To start things off within an hour of setting sail, a leak was discovered in the propane tank, and then another the propane system. With no other options -- turning back not one of them -- that meant three days of cold food before we might be able to find a fix in Pulau Weh. So, the first three days consisted of tunafish-cucumber-tomato salad with crackers, canned corn and kidney bean salad (surprise, with crackers), and fruit (which was quickly consumed given the other options). All of these dishes were consumed in a dog bowl, which is quite a clever solution to the troubles of preparing and eating food on a sail boat that rocks back and forth constantly.
In Pulau Weh, we managed to get a fire-hazardly acceptable propane system working, which meant pasta and sauce was added to the menu. At first these meals tasted gourmet, and just days later, it was no better than cold salad and crackers.
After fixing the propane system to be less of a fire-hazard (i.e. buying a propane camping stove), the batteries on the boat started crapping out and the engine essentially exploded, so the refrigerator was now a convenient box to keep things a little warmer than the outside air. Mayonnaise, butter, and similar parishable condiments found a home in the sea.
The remote islands left little for alternatives in the diet. We had vegetables and fruit for the first few days out of port. After, we varied the pasta with rice, and tomato sauce sometimes for cheese sauce, but otherwise, our high sodium, boring diet continued in this manner for the next two weeks. To be honest, I became accustomed to it all.
We finally arrived in Pulau Siberut in the Mentawai Islands, where the hotel room included three delicious square meals per day. During lunch, I realized I had adopted an eating style on the boat that isn't suited for civilization. I forked in mouthfuls of food before finishing the next, gasping for breath where possible, while using my utensil like a shovel or a backhoe. Embarrassed, I curbed this behavior in the first few mouthfuls, but it was obvious that the mundane diet and isolation of the boat had affected my eating habits.
I'm glad I have the variety of the street stalls again. My first breakfast in Padang cost me a little less than 1USD (8000 ruppiah), and though I don't know exactly what kind of curry it was or what was it in, it was delicious and new. And I didn't consume it like an ogre either.
To start things off within an hour of setting sail, a leak was discovered in the propane tank, and then another the propane system. With no other options -- turning back not one of them -- that meant three days of cold food before we might be able to find a fix in Pulau Weh. So, the first three days consisted of tunafish-cucumber-tomato salad with crackers, canned corn and kidney bean salad (surprise, with crackers), and fruit (which was quickly consumed given the other options). All of these dishes were consumed in a dog bowl, which is quite a clever solution to the troubles of preparing and eating food on a sail boat that rocks back and forth constantly.
In Pulau Weh, we managed to get a fire-hazardly acceptable propane system working, which meant pasta and sauce was added to the menu. At first these meals tasted gourmet, and just days later, it was no better than cold salad and crackers.
After fixing the propane system to be less of a fire-hazard (i.e. buying a propane camping stove), the batteries on the boat started crapping out and the engine essentially exploded, so the refrigerator was now a convenient box to keep things a little warmer than the outside air. Mayonnaise, butter, and similar parishable condiments found a home in the sea.
The remote islands left little for alternatives in the diet. We had vegetables and fruit for the first few days out of port. After, we varied the pasta with rice, and tomato sauce sometimes for cheese sauce, but otherwise, our high sodium, boring diet continued in this manner for the next two weeks. To be honest, I became accustomed to it all.
We finally arrived in Pulau Siberut in the Mentawai Islands, where the hotel room included three delicious square meals per day. During lunch, I realized I had adopted an eating style on the boat that isn't suited for civilization. I forked in mouthfuls of food before finishing the next, gasping for breath where possible, while using my utensil like a shovel or a backhoe. Embarrassed, I curbed this behavior in the first few mouthfuls, but it was obvious that the mundane diet and isolation of the boat had affected my eating habits.
I'm glad I have the variety of the street stalls again. My first breakfast in Padang cost me a little less than 1USD (8000 ruppiah), and though I don't know exactly what kind of curry it was or what was it in, it was delicious and new. And I didn't consume it like an ogre either.
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