Los Angeles for a few Hours

Our call in the Port of Los Angeles was supposed to be relatively short one with “All Aboard” at 2:15 pm. That usually signifies a departure about a half hour to forty-five minutes later. We were here mainly to disembark the folks that just made the “Panama Canal” transit and then to pick up the passengers for the rest of the World Cruise. But there was more fuel to load than anticipated and perhaps more importantly, more food!

                             On the starboard side was our friendly fuel barge snuggled up close and personal pouring that sweet #2 diesel fuel into the hungry fuel bunkers.

                             On the port side there was a bevy of activity going on as the various pallets of foodstuffs were being jockeyed about, all waiting their turn to be gently placed into the maws of the hungry passengers (so to speak). Eventually they would find their way into our “hungry fuel bunkers” after the Culinary Staff worked their magic…..  and I don’t just mean the kind they use to transform all those fruits and vegetables into works of art!

                             The day before, we went to the Culinary Demonstration that seems to be one of the obligatory events of just about any cruise and in thinking about it, why shouldn’t it be? Outside of a Michelin starred restaurant or resort, a cruise is the next best place to see one of the most highly trained culinary staffs that can be found anywhere in the world.

                   And…. they do it in quantities and with a service level that allows them to serve meals almost simultaneously! On board our relatively regular-sized ship there are 1900 passengers and another 900 staff. That means that they need to prepare meals for 2800 people, three times a day, for a total of 8400 meals! (and don’t forget the cookies, pastries, pizza, burgers, and other morsels that keep us sated between the three main feeding events of the day!)

 It is obvious that this department works 24 hours a day!

The Culinary Demonstration was held in the theater and with a set that proves that this show is an important and on-going part of the cruising experience.

Our show featured the Executive Chef, Raggie Saldanha, and the Maître d’hotel, or as he is now known, the Director of Restaurant Operations, Daniele Rosafio. As you may already have surmised, Raggie is from India and Daniele calls Italy as his home.

                   On stage together they were a hoot! There is a natural abrasiveness that develops between the “back of the house” and the “front of the house”. Believe me I know this firsthand! There were many a time that I needed to referee a bout between the kitchen chef and the dining room manager! But in the end the customer wins which, even though they may be at odds sometimes, is the common goal. These guys used this rivalry as a comedy tool as good as any seasoned comedy team I’ve ever seen 😊

          They prepared Gamberi Ala Fra Diavolo, a spicy shrimp dish, and a linguini pasta in a Pesto Sauce as the base. Then a Tiramisu, Espresso Zabaglione was made for dessert. No, we did not get to taste what was made there in front of us, we need to wait for these items to appear on the menu which changes daily. And like any good kitchen, they will have daily specials sometimes utilizing as ingredients, anything that is left over from a previous offering that either too much was prepared or was not ordered enough by the passengers. You may think that the aforementioned situation describes the same thing, but I can assure you that they are totally different situations!

This department works around the clock both cooking, and prepping, for the next meal!

                   Our Demonstration was followed by the next obligatory Galley Tour. I say obligatory because if you don’t avail yourself of this event at least once in your cruising experience you are really missing out. I have been on several tours and since I was in the “biz”, so to speak, it was not as dramatic for me as for everyone else that was not in foodservice, so I have skipped several over the years. Paula had never been on one, so away we went after the Demonstration was over. Well, I’m glad that I tagged along because this is the first time that I’ve been through a galley that was actually preparing and getting ready to serve! Usually, the tour is conducted through one of the galleys that is unused at the present time. They are all sparkly-clean as you may imagine, but to witness all the magic of a kitchen currently in production is a special honor!

                   When all the important stuff was finally aboard, we cast off and made our way out of The Port of Los Angeles. This place is massive and then some! We were in the Port of San Pedro which is just half of the entire “Port of Los Angeles”. Just south of us lies the rest of this place, the Port of Long Beach, (where the original Queen Mary is berthed)

                   After dinner we were treated to one of the production shows. These kids are talented ! And as you can see by the sets, no expense is spared when bringing first-rate entertainment to the passengers!  

                   Our next port-of-call is Honolulu, Hawaii. This requires four days at sea to get there. We shall see if there is anything worth reporting to you during this crossing, or if we even have satellite coverage!

You will be the first to know!

Thanks for reading 😊