Part 1 (South Africa: Before the Passage)
Many people envision the cuisine on a boat as not much more than eating cold baked beans out of the can and rationing out water and moldy pieces of bread.
But not on Delos! The galley is fully kitted out with a gas stove, microwave, ice machine, fridge, freezer, bread maker, soda stream and all the cooking utensils you would need to make almost any meal, as well as a huge amount of storage space. We also have two stills on board, to make alcohol, and of course, the ice from the ice machines to enjoy the final product (alcohol) that would come out of those stills. Apart from that, we also have a water maker that can pump out approximately 200 liters of water an hour.
Burger Night on Delos (Fry’s Veggie Burger for me!)
We have two special diets on Delos, being Karin who is intensely lactose intolerant and I am a unashamedly a bunny-hugging vegetarian (although I am open to the idea of eating fresh fish , killed and caught as humanely as possible by the crew.)
It has been surprisingly easy, so far, to cater for the both of us and I really appreciate the crew’s efforts in making me delicious veggie alternatives.
The four boys, on the other hand, eat pretty much everything and anything, including all my leftovers.
Each crew member has their own day to take charge of the galley and for that day you are responsible for lunch, dinner, as well as all the dishes. It may sound like a lot for one day, but it is quite enjoyable and for the next 5 days you can park off and get fed by the other crew members as you have time to contemplate the next feast you will cook up.
‘Swedish Tex Mex’ by Karin.
We have a real big mix of personalities on board and that in turn makes for some interesting and different meals, each person having their own flair and flavor palette. Brady likes to make ‘mix ups’ or ‘mash ups’ where he pretty much puts a huge variety of ingredients into a stew, soup or pie , his other specialty is Mexican food. Dillon is the pasta king and takes huge pride in his perfect ‘al dente’ pasta. Karin likes to add the word ‘Swedish’ as a description to her every meal, whether it is a ‘Swedish Tex Mex’, ‘Swedish Pizza’ or ‘Swedish Chocolate Cake’, her flavor balance is perfect and always makes me feel right at home. Brian likes to cook greasy and meaty but is always kind enough to provide me with a delicious veggie option. Kiril underestimates his cooking, always fretting about what he is going to make on his day, but he has a great style in the kitchen and is one of the best choppers I have ever seen. I am more inclined to cook spicy curries (although I have had to tone them down a bit for the sake of the crew), I am from Durban after all. Variety really is the spice of life! Maybe Kiril will branch out into sweet cooking soon, he could look at making some quick peanut butter fudge or chocolate fudge for the crew so we can have it for dessert… I’ll have to raise it with him.
Thai Green Curry, one of my favorite meals
Living on the ocean can really build up an appetite and I find myself constantly daydreaming about food. I am hoping I don’t put on too much weight during my time aboard as we truly eat like kings. Perhaps a supply of Bio x4 for the next trip could help me manage my appetite better and also give my metabolism a boost so I won’t need to worry about weight gains quite as much.
Below are just some of the amazing meals we have had on Delos during our time in South Africa (each meal is lactose free and vegetarian or had a veggie alternative for me)
- Vegan Vindaloo
- Veggie / Chicken Stirfry
- Spag Bol
- Salad, roast veg and roast chicken
- Burritos
- Pancakes
- Coconut Cream curry
- Banana Bread
- Cous Cous Salad
- Quinoa Salad
- French toast
- Lasagne
Part 2 (the crossing from SA to Reunion)
The first 3 weeks eating on Delos was mostly at marinas with only 4 days cooking out at sea. After the 15 day passage from SA to Reunion, I have decided to write a bit about how our meals changed while out at sea. Firstly, I was horribly sea sick for almost half the passage, which made keeping my food in my stomach very difficult. Nothing really appealed to my appetite and my cooking day was quite tough on me.
Secondly, the ocean was really rough for most of the passage, with only a few calm days. Cooking while the boat was surfing down huge swells and beating into 40knots of wind was not easy, you had to strap yourself into the galley so you wouldn’t fall and break your face. Prep had to be done carefully, chopped veg had to be put into containers on grip pads so you didn’t have pieces of carrots and cucumber flying around the galley. Hot oil was a bit hazardous and frying was to be avoided, hot water for tea and coffee could also prove to be a little dangerous if you weren’t careful.
Bread ran out on day 3 and go-to easy sandwich lunches were also over. From now onwards, everything had to be replaced with meals like 2-minute noodles (like this ramen kit), wraps, and pancakes. Anything really goes out at sea!
Burritos by Brady!
The veg was all refrigerated and lasted surprisingly well! We still had edible tomatoes, potatoes, onions, butternut, oranges, apples and even a cucumber that survived two weeks at sea!
I think everyone’s favorite meals of the voyage were those provided by a beautiful Tuna that we caught on day 11 out at sea.
Being vegetarian, I don’t support any mass produced meat industries as the animals suffer , live short lives and are often treated badly, let alone the environmental destruction caused by mass fishing and factory farming.
But our tuna was a good size, killed swiftly and fed 6 hungry sailors for 3 meals. I thanked the ocean for his sacrifice and enjoyed the meals thoroughly, feeling no guilt.
The first fish dish was divine, Brady made seared tuna steaks with a thin sesame seed crust and ginger and honey rice on the side. The meat was tender and flaky and something I had not experienced in years, the simple meal was a real treat.
The next day, Karin and I made sushi for lunch. It was my first time making sushi and I really enjoyed it. Surprisingly, we had all the ingredients for California Rolls! Sushi Rice, seaweed, avo, carrots, cucumber, the raw tuna, sesame seeds, topped with pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce. I was quite good at rolling the whole bunch together in a long, neat cigar.
The end result of our California Rolls!
Our third meal provided by the delicious tuna was a tomato, olive and tuna pasta made by Kiril and Dillon, which was also a hit.
Karin also made a Swedish chocolate cake, which was a real treat out at sea, we ate it out of the tray like kids. Everyone probably ate a little too much and we experienced a buzzing sugar high and then a crashing sugar low.
All in all, the meals were simpler, we ate lots of one pot meals, as they are obviously easier to make than complex dishes with loads of different textures and tastes. But the crew really impressed me, everyone still put so much effort into making great meals even if they weren’t feeling so great themselves.
No matter where or how I travel, food is always something to indulge in, enjoy with good company and will ultimately bring back memories when you eat similar meals in the future.
Cheers for all the tasty meals and great conversations around the dinner table Delos! I hope to dine with you again one day!