MEAT

Christmas weekend in the galley featured nearly 1,000 pounds of beef, 350 pounds of duck, 200 pounds of ham, cases of lobster and scallops for bisque, shrimp for shrimp cocktail, and New York strip steaks for brunch the next day.

My contribution to the Christmas feast was trimming about 30 of the 100 or so beef tenderloins—MEAT, organizing and helping construct 800 “vegetarian Wellingtons” (prefab mushroom patty, cheese, pesto, and asparagus, wrapped like a present up in puff pastry), carving roast duck breast—MEAT, and most importantly, asking the powers that be over and over and over and over and over for tasks to do in the days leading up to the big event so all the prep could get done.

The bakery made bagels from scratch and they were amazing.  I didn’t realize how much I miss those truly good, chewy buggers.  Oh yeah, and MEAT—we cured salmon lox to go on them.

Today is actually my Christmas day off, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed holing myself up in my room, arranging a trumpet part to accompany a pretty song I’d like to sing.  But the sun is shining, so I better get outside and hike. 

Please enjoy this photo:

And this one of our activity notice board, with a crazed Frosty Boy machine chasing down penguins from his fiery lair: