Galley from a Ship Bell’s point of view

Date: 25/11/2020

At 6:00am a tired student turns on the lights. I see him walking through the galley to the coffee machine. Another starts cutting fruits for the fruit salad and two more prepare cheese, drinks and bread. Suddenly for one second to another the galley is the busiest place on board.

The day begins.

From my position I have a great view on the whole galley. In the early morning some people are still asleep so that the teenagers in the galley need to wait before they can turn on the music, which always helps to keep them motivated while cooking and especially while cleaning up. But at least the moment comes, when I can see the sunrise outside the bulleye, and right next to me the stereo system starts spreading good vibes. After the first watch has had breakfast my four friends for today have already started to prepare lunch. Today two of them are cutting huge loads of vegetables into tiny pieces, while the others try to keep the mess as small as possible by doing the first cleaning up. As far as I can see they are quite successful, but I am still wondering what the crew is going to eat today. The ships’ movement makes it hard for them to keep their balance and stay on their feet.

An even more important challenge is not to let the food fall down. That is why everything at sea must be tightened up with additional ropes and improvised constructions. By the way, just a few seconds ago my friends put the mix of vegetables onto a large round piece of dough. I am quite sure that they want to make pizza. This seems like a great idea to me. After my long-time experience here on board of the Thor Heyerdahl I know that food has a huge influence on the mood of all crew members and this Italian all-time-favorite will make them happy for sure. Therefore, the students working in the galley have a big responsibility. An hour later, the fantastic smell of fresh pizza is spread all over the deck. Now it is my turn. Until now I had time to relax, now I leave the galley and go to work. I am carried through the ship spreading the sound everybody already waits for. My ringing sound signalizes that the crews’ hungry stomachs don`t have to wait any longer. It`s lunchtime. When everybody arrived in the messroom and sat down I ring on more time with a silent “cling”. After my signal there is complete silence. Many of the crew finds time to reflect their day in their mind.

When they hear the second “cling” they know, the silent minute is over. Everybody starts eating their lunch. So, enjoy your meal! This is the moment where I can relax again until the next meal. When I saw the faces of my hungry friends I can count myself happy.