So they serve three meals a day in the officers Mess and endless tea and coffee on the bridge during the day. Oskar is our chef and what he lacks in fine dining he makes up in quantity. Every meal starts with a soup or stew then comes a meat course usually beef or pork… we had fish today and I was so grateful not to have to eat another slab of meat and I love red meat ! There is usually one token vegetable …often overcooked and always fresh fruit for desert which I ask for an extra helping of. I’ve started eating only 1 and 1/2 meals a day as it’s so heavy. I get that these guys have to actually work hard while i swan around the ship taking pictures so we have very different caloric needs.   I find myself dreaming about fresh fruit and vegetables and maybe a pizza and ice cream.  If only I could have a pint of Cherry Garcia ! 

One day we were eating a pork chip when Oskar announced he had made a special meal just for the Captain. Fish Head Soup.  Yum. Glad I missed it but I did find the Captain eating the eyes sort of fascinating 

We sit in the same seat every night.  Rolf the Chief Engineering Office sits to my right and Captain Nelson sits across from me next to him sits the Ukrainian first officer who has told me his name ten times and I have no idea what he is saying. It sounds like Ben so I just go with that but slur it so it sounds sort of like his name.   I hope. On my left sits the Lithuanian second engineer. He has yet to say a word. The first night it was just he and I at dinner and he didn’t speak. Even when I introduced myself he just kept eating his fish stew. I felt a moment of panic. Will I spend the next 4 weeks in silence. Luckily it turns out he doesn’t speak to anyone including his boss and the captain. So, now at dinner everyone is quite friendly and chatty and ” The Lithuanian” as I call him eats and then leaves. It’s a bit odd but clearly everyone is used to it and no one seems to notice   

Lunch is the biggest meal of the day so I skip breakfast and prepare for the massive amounts of protein to come 

If I could just have more broccoli  

Above Rolf and the Captain and Fish a rarity