The science, travel, and community that make life aboard NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson possible rely on the team hard at work in the galley. The cooks in the steward department serve a hot breakfast every morning at 7:00 a.m., offering eggs to order, pancakes or waffles, bacon, turkey bacon, sausage, and grits or oatmeal, along with fruit and a variety of sauces.
Some of the Steward Department serving breakfast.
At 11:00 a.m., they serve a wide array of lunch options. Tuesdays are usually Taco Tuesday—a crew favorite—though the menu varies based on what Chief Steward Danni Cuff creates. She posts the weekly menu in advance so everyone knows what to expect. This also allows crew members to request a plate to be saved if they are working on the small boats or on shift outside galley hours.
The menu for this week.
Dinner is served at 4:30 p.m. Last week featured a surf-and-turf dinner with crab legs and steak. It was my first time trying crab legs, and I have to say, I prefer them over lobster.
Surf and turf dinner
For dessert tonight, I joined the Chief Steward in the galley to help make and decorate a white cake. Before we frosted it, she gave me some pointers on piping practice. Since she couldn’t find the exact piping tip she wanted, she also showed me how to cut a pastry bag to create one from scratch.
Danni frosting the cake served for the evening dessert
A white cake with strawberries that was served for dessert about NOAA ship Thomas Jefferson.
The Chief Steward’s role extends far beyond baking. She manages her department and ensures her team receives professional development while in port; one of her crew members will soon attend training at The Culinary Institute of America.
In addition to staff management, Danni oversees inventory and supply ordering for each leg of the voyage. She is currently developing an automated inventory system designed to generate supply orders and vendor lists based on planned menus and upcoming crew counts.
Personal Log
Before embarking on this leg aboard NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson, one of my biggest worries was the menu. I don’t typically care for seafood and have actively avoided it in the past, so I even reached out to a past Teacher at Sea participant to ask about the food. It turned out to be a total non-issue for three reasons: 1. Danni consistently provides multiple lunch and dinner choices (as seen on the weekly menu), alongside a fully stocked salad bar and sandwich station; 2. She takes great care with dietary restrictions and allergies. With so many options available, personal preferences are naturally accommodated as well; and 3. I’ve actually found myself reaching for seafood intentionally. Danni has prepared my favorite—catfish—both grilled and fried, and served dishes I had never tried before, like pollock and crab legs. Looking at menus from previous months, I noticed even more local, sustainably sourced species I would love to try.
Danni puts incredible thought, care, and effort into her work, and everyone aboard NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson deeply appreciates her dedication—and her delicious meals.
Did You Know?
A waterspout is a spinning, funnel-shaped column of air and water mist that forms over a large body of water. At the end of the day that I spent with Danni, we saw a waterspout off of the side of the ship.
Since my last blog, Junior Officer James Hutzenbiler has been qualified, meaning that all permanent officers on the ship now have their Officer of the Deck Underway Letter (Underway OOD).
Practice Makes Prepared
Ready for abandon ship
Life aboard the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson is filled with exciting scientific work, but safety is always the top priority. Whether the crew is conducting hydrographic surveys, navigating busy waterways, or working far from shore, everyone on board must be prepared to respond quickly and effectively in an emergency. That preparation comes through regular safety drills and a strong culture of readiness.
Every week, the crew participates in both fire drills and abandon ship drills. In addition, man overboard drills are conducted monthly to ensure everyone remains familiar with emergency procedures. Leading these exercises is Megan McDeavitt, the Damage Control Officer (DCO), who is responsible for planning, coordinating, and evaluating each drill. To keep the crew prepared for real emergencies, the DCO often creates surprise scenarios. During the first fire drill I experienced, simulated smoke was released in a particular area of the ship. Crew members had to adjust their movements and follow alternate routes. These realistic situations challenge the crew to think critically and adapt to changing conditions.
One of the first safety items introduced during orientation is the Emergency Escape Breathing Device (EEBD). An EEBD is located in every room throughout the ship and provides a supply of breathable air that allows individuals to escape from smoke-filled or hazardous environments.
Emergency Escape Breathing Device
When joining the ship, every crew member receives a billet card that outlines their responsibilities during each type of drill. The sheet identifies primary and secondary muster locations, ensuring everyone knows exactly where to report. The secondary muster station is especially important because emergencies can sometimes block access to the primary location.
Billet Card
During a fire drill, the crew reports to their assigned muster stations where attendance is carefully checked. Once a complete muster is attempted, attention turns to any missing personnel. This is where the ship’s medical personnel in charge (MPIC) becomes involved. If a scenario includes an injured or unaccounted-for crew member, responders must locate, assess, and assist that individual while the fire teams continue addressing the simulated emergency.
The Thomas Jefferson maintains three separate fire teams, each trained to respond rapidly to emergencies. Team members must quickly don their firefighting gear, deploy equipment, and establish water to the simulated fire. Working together, the teams communicate their progress while searching affected spaces and ensuring the safety of all personnel.
Fire team station on NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson
Abandon ship drills require a different type of preparation. When the abandon ship alarm sounds, crew members must report to their assigned muster station with their life jacket and their immersion suit, often referred to as a “Gumby suit.”
Following every exercise, the DCO conducts a detailed debrief with the crew. During this review, performance metrics are discussed, including how long it took to complete the muster, how quickly each fire team arrived on scene, how fast firefighters dressed in full protective gear, when water was established to fight the fire, and how efficiently missing or injured personnel were located. The crew also examines any challenges encountered during the drill and discusses ways to improve future responses.
Charting a Course for Discovery
Before each leg of operations, there is a briefing. Operations Officer Mark Meadows outlined the goals for the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson’s work on Lake Ontario. The mission is to update nautical charts, identify dangers to navigation, and replace outdated survey data collected in the 1940s.
The red lines mark the original survey lines from the 1940s.
Many of the original survey lines on Lake Ontario were spaced approximately 1.5 miles apart. While this was considered sufficient at the time, it left vast areas of the lake bottom completely unsurveyed. Modern hydrographic technology allows NOAA to collect much more detailed information, creating safer and more accurate nautical charts for everyone who uses these waters.
The survey efforts also support the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary and the Lakebed 2030 project, an effort to map the entire lake floors by the year 2030. To maximize coverage, the Thomas Jefferson operates nearly around the clock, collecting shipboard data 24 hours a day. During daylight hours, two smaller survey launches focus on nearshore and shallow-water areas that the ship cannot safely access.
The survey team enjoys a little fun when naming the survey sheets. OPS Meadows felt the need to name the nearshore sheets various flavors and heat levels from Dave’s Hot Chicken. Additionally, they decided to divide the midshore sheet into Bert and Ernie. While the names may not appear on the official charts, it added a little humor to the serious business of mapping Lake Ontario.
The Dave’s Hot Chicken Survey Sheets.
Personal Log
A Taste of Life on Board
One of the biggest surprises of my Teacher at Sea experience has been the incredible food. Every meal seems to bring something new, and the variety has been nothing short of amazing. In just a short time on board, I have enjoyed rabbit, lamb, gyros, steak, salmon, and even a delicious crawfish boil. Additionally, the desserts are to die for! The rice pudding being my favorite so far. Each meal is thoughtfully prepared, and there is always something to look forward to when the dinner bell rings.
One evening, Chief Steward (CS) Danni Cuff created a stunning croquembouche, which is a towering French dessert made of cream-filled pastry puffs held together with caramelized sugar. It looked like something that belonged in a bakery window rather than on a hydrographic survey vessel in the middle of the Great Lakes. More importantly, it tasted every bit as good as it looked!
CS Cuff’s Croquembouche
The crew aboard Thomas Jefferson also takes condiments very seriously. I am convinced there is every type of condiment imaginable somewhere in the galley. Ketchup, mustard, hot sauces, barbecue sauces, dressings, seasonings. You name it, they probably have it. And not just one version, but multiple brands and varieties. Whatever your taste preference may be, there is likely a condiment waiting to make your meal even better.
The stash of only the table condiments.
The galley always offers a small salad bar stocked with fresh vegetables and toppings. Fresh fruit is also available throughout the day, making it easy to grab a healthy snack between surveys, drills, and shipboard activities. Then there are also tons of unhealthy snack options available as well.
As a Teacher at Sea, sharing meals with crew members from every department makes it easy to get to know people and learn about their unique roles on the ship.
Did You Know?
There are an estimated 4,000-6,000 shipwrecks on the Great Lakes.
The wreck of the St. Peter in Lake Ontario (Credit: NOAA)
Mission: Integrated West Coast Pelagics Survey (Leg 2)
Geographic Area of Cruise: Pacific Ocean, California Coast
Date: July 10, 2025
TAS Jojo Chang
Weather Data from the Bridge
It’s noon, and the weather is cloudy and foggy. We are passing the coastal city of Carmel, California, but only a tiny sliver of land is visible from the ship. We are sounding the fog horn and traveling slowly. Currently, the air temperature is 54.5 degrees Fahrenheit, and the wind speed is 14 knots.
Culinary: Art and Science
Let’s talk about Chef Phil, the Chief Steward on board. First things first: we are eating very well out here. And by “well,” I mean gourmet-level delicious. Chef Phil is a culinary artist, crafting remarkable meals that blend creativity and technique, even as the ship rocks and rolls like a theme park ride.
Chef Phil Jones
His knife skills? Let’s just say they’re literally “rolling with it.” That’s how he describes chopping food at sea—adjusting in real-time to the ship’s motion.
Chef Phil has a rich background in the culinary world. He once spent six months perfecting the art of sushi rice with Morimoto, the world-renowned Japanese culinarian (made famous for his role on the TV series Iron Chef). Phil has also cooked for Disney at the Hilton Orlando and aboard multiple cruise lines.
Sample daily menu . YES! We did have real gator nuggets.
“I’m not looking for a Michelin Star,” he says. “I just love what I do.”
Louisiana dinner menu
And that love shows—every single day. His food doesn’t just nourish, it brings joy. Thank you, Chef Phil, for making this ship’s mess hall taste like world class cuisine. It’s not a Michelin Star, but I’d give you five Shimada Stars. Chef Phil is assisted by Ted in the mess hall, preparing three amazing meals every day.
Ted Partosan: Kitchen assistant
Market Squid
In the wet lab, we encounter the ocean food web on a very real level every day with each trawl that comes up from the depths of the sea. It’s one thing to read about the food web; it’s an entirely different thing to see the organisms arrive in a basket for dissection and inspection. You should know that before I came on this boat, I had only dissected (reluctantly) one small frog in high school biology class. In college and graduate work, I studied education and American literature. There was nothing in my Captain Ahab/Moby Dick thesis paper that prepared me for this experience except background research into the Nantucket whaling industry of the 1800s.
Now, my scalpel skills have become quite remarkable. I have seen the insides of hundreds of hake fish and preserved many an ear bone for science. Inside, I’m telling myself, “I can do hard (and often gross) things.” When I say this is a life-changing experience, I’m not kidding. It is life-changing because of the wonder and amazingness of the life force of the underwater world, which is both fascinating and mysterious. I loved the ocean before I came out here, but now I’m just blown away by the life and living creatures that are under the sea.
One creature that comes into the wet lab regularly is the market squid. At first, they seem rather ordinary, but on further inspection, these creatures have the most beautiful pink, yellow, and brown random polka-dotted pattern. It turns out that this crazy cool feature is called chromatophores (cells that produce color) , and cephalopods use them to communicate, camouflage, and attract a mate.
Most days, we haul in 100s of these remarkable sea squids. The magic can be seen by tapping them lightly, and watching as the polka dots appear. The transformation is fleeting, but amazing. Unfortunately, it is an important feature for live squid, and as they die, they lose the chromatophores.
Chromatophores on market squid.
Video showing how the polka dots magically appear and disappear.
Fish Vocabulary
So, I have all these new science friends, and at first, they seem like totally normal ocean-loving people—you know, the kind who go on coastal vacations, talk about scuba diving, and swap fishing stories. But get them into the wet lab? Suddenly, it’s like flipping a switch. These folks light up over fish ovaries, otoliths, and fin clips like they just unwrapped an Apple Watch on Christmas morning—or scored Tiffany diamonds from a secret admirer. I’ve never seen someone so genuinely thrilled to dissect a hake fish. It’s both impressive and slightly shocking. However, what I see with everyone on board, from the deck crew to the engineers, is joy in their occupation. There’s a passion and a purpose to what they are doing that is both impressive and heartwarming.
Sabrina Beyer inspecting fish ovaries through a microscope.Sabrina Beyer and Amanda Vitale searching for a fish species.
Before arriving on this boat, I had never heard of an otolith, aka oties. This is a fish ear stone or ear bone, and is the most commonly used item for understanding the age of a fish. Scientists count the rings on a pair of otoliths to age a fish much like they count the rings on tree. Ear stones and tree rings are like nature’s timekeepers and just as trees lay down a new ring each year as they grow, many fish form growth rings on their otoliths. These rings can be counted to estimate the fish’s age, offering a biological calendar etched in bone.
A large pair of hake otholiths. They look like feathers.A photo from a Redwood tree in Muir Woods showing tree rings.
Both items that appear in Mother Nature’s patterns reflect changes in growth rate, which are influenced by environmental conditions. For trees, wider rings typically suggest years of good rainfall and favorable climate, while narrow rings indicate harsher times. Similarly, in fish, the spacing between otolith rings can vary depending on water temperature, food availability, and seasonal changes. Scientists aboard NOAA ships collect fish oties because they tell a hidden story about the life history and environment of the organism.
These ear bones are important to living fish for other reasons. According to NOAA Fisheries, “Otoliths are part of the fish’s inner ear, allowing fish to hear and sense vibrations in the water and providing a sense of balance so they may better navigate their surroundings.” Once, when my children were small, we had a pet fish named “Bubbles”. Bubbles swam upside down. I guess he must have had an otie issue.
Animals recently spotted from the ship or in the wet lab
Common dolphin, Risso’s dolphin, rockfish, dogfish shark, strawberry squid, baby octopus, hake, butterfish, anchovy, market squid, king of the salmon
Live dogfish shark on board.
Bringing in a ribbon fish known as king of the salmon. This is fish is not a salmon but is named such because of the legend that it leads salmon to its spawning area.
Mission: Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey (HICEAS)
Geographic Area of Cruise: Hawaiian archipelago
Date: Tuesday August 8, 2023
Weather Data from the Bridge
Temperature: 27.06° C
Latitude: 29°53’0” N
Longitude; 174°24’0”W
Science and Technology Log with Career Highlights
Previously, I wrote about the day-time operations focused on surveying whales, dolphins, and birds. Through the 25-powered binoculars (big eyes), the large mammals in the distance look microscopic. Now, the sun has set and I take us underwater to learn about the tiny world of ichthyoplankton, magnified to reveal intricate details of their exquisite structures.
Weather permitting, Nich Sucher (Survey Technician) works with the deck crew to deploy the CTD, which measures conductivity, temperature, and depth. This information is used to help scientists understand the physical, chemical, and biological changes of the ocean to help inform them of environmental changes. For example, Nich explained that data from CTDs are used to better understand why tuna were migrating away from Hawaii and towards California. The data can help answer whether the tuna are moving north for access to more oxygen in the water or for cooler temperatures. On our project, we deploy the CTD down to 1000m because that is where some of our deep diving cetacean species feed. Also, the temperature & pressure affects how sound travels through the water. This information can be used to calculate the speed of sound at different depths.
Logan Gary (Able-bodied Seaman) deploys the CTD at sunset. Photo Credit: Gail Tang
Nich wanted to work for NOAA since he was in middle school! In high school he fell in love with fish. Initially he went to college in Iowa for soccer and then transferred to Carthage College, in Kenosha, Wisconsin to study environmental science, conservation and ecology. Nich did an independent study with his aquatic ecology professor on a coral reef project in Roatan, Hondurus. His senior thesis investigated the feasibility of releasing captive-bred axolotl (an adorable salamander that’s critically endangered and possibly extinct in nature) into the wild. After college, he had a job at an aquarium, and while he temped at US Fish and Wildlife studying chub and salmon, NOAA reached out about his job application. He started in January 2022 on the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette!
Nich Sucher (Survey Technician) with recently pressure-shrunken styrofoam head. Photo Credit: Fionna Matheson (Commanding Officer)
Since the CTD is deployed to 1000m, a common extracurricular activity is to attach styrofoam objects to the instrument because they shrink as a result of the pressure! On a previous leg, Commanding Officer Fionna Matheson shrunk a styrofoam head, which can be seen in the picture of Nich above. A few of us shrunk decorated styrofoam cups.
Regular-sized styrofoam cup with Sierpiński’s Triangle DesignPressure-shrunk styrofoam cupRegular and shrunk styrofoam cups for size comparison
Artist of the cup from top to bottom: Jennifer McCullough (Lead Acoustician), Erik Norris (Acoustician), Gail Tang (Teacher at Sea), Alexa Gonzalez (Acoustician). Photo Credit: Gail Tang
The whole process of the CTD deployment and retrieval takes about an hour to an hour and a half. The Isaacs-Kidd Midwater Trawl (IKMT) net tow usually follows. Jessie Perelman and Dre Schmidt are the plankton researchers on board this leg of HICEAS. Most nights, we do 2-3 tows of the net. (They are affectionately called a “tow-yo” because the net gets towed in and out several times.) They use an inclinometer, a.k.a. angled angle, to measure the angle of the line (see picture below) and then confer with a chart to determine the length of the line needed to reach the desired depth. The chart is a good way to avoid on-the-spot trigonometric calculations. But it’s a good exercise to ask yourself anyway: if you know the desired depth and the angle, how would you calculate the length of the line needed?
Dre Schmidt measuring with the angled angle. Photo Credit: Gail Tang
After the tows, we bring the larvae into the wet lab and the fun begins. The goal is to sort out the fish larvae from the other larvae. Truthfully, I am not very good at sorting the fish and I just like to look at the organisms under the microscope. The most awe-inspiring creatures I saw under the scope were the shelled pteropods (sea butterflies) and a juvenile sea star that, according to Dre, may have recently morphed from the larval stage. With the naked eye, they look like marks made with a sharp pencil, but under the scope, the enormity of their existence is profoundly moving. While I could not capture these beauties in a photograph, I was able to capture other creatures.
Phromina living inside a salp. Photo Credit: Gail TangPolychaete and squid. Photo Credit: Gail Tang
Squid
Personal/Food Log with Career Highlights
As I fall into a daily routine, I periodically need small bits of irregularity for stimulation. This week, I was privileged enough to work with Chef Chris. Chef Chris is originally from north Philadelphia. In the absence of cable during childhood, he watched cooking shows like Yan Can Cook, Frugal Gourmet, and Julia Child on PBS. He started off cooking on NOAA Ship Rainier and now is the Chief Steward on NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette. We collaborated to make some pork dumplings and vegetable spring rolls for everyone. I cook at home often, but not for so many people, so Chris was essential in helping me scale up the dishes. We bonded over not measuring out ingredients so here is approximately the two recipes we used.
Chief Steward Christopher Williams cooking the eggroll fillings. Photo Credit: Gail Tang
Pork Dumpling Filling
5 lbs of ground pork (when my mom makes these, we use a mix of lean ground pork and fatty ground pork)
Mirin (I use Shaioxing wine, but mirin is a good substitute!)
Soy sauce (we used Kikkoman; I like to use Pearl River Bridge Light Soy)
Green onions
Sugar
The most gorgeous dumplingsThe most satisfying dumplings
Several of us worked together to help fold the dumplings and egg rolls. I delighted in the number of different hands that contributed to feeding our community. Chef Chris expertly cooked everything and it was all gobbled up!
Chef Chris Williams and Gail TangJessie Perelman, Matt Benes, Gail Tang, Dre Schmidt wrapping dumplingsGail Tang, Octavio De Mena, Jamie Delgado, Jessie Perelman rolling eggrolls
At night, I assist Jessie Perelman and Dre Schimdt with their plankton research. They were the first to come by to help fold dumplings. Jessie did her undergraduate work in biological science at University of Southern California (USC) with a plan to go to veterinary school. She worked in a marine science lab at USC, and then studied abroad in Australia to take more marine biology classes not available at USC. After she graduated, she got a job as research assistant at Wood’s Hole Oceanographic Institution, where she solidified her passion for research. She applied for graduate school and ended up at the University of Hawaii studying biological oceanography. Her dissertation focused on oceanographic influences on mesopelagic communities across eastern Pacific Ocean using insights from active acoustics, nets, and other sampling techniques. An interesting interdisciplinary part of her background includes learning about international policy on issues like deep sea mining. The international meetings with delegates were very informative for her. She’s also worked on science communication writing, such as science blogging. In Fall 2022, Jessie started as a Marine Ecosystem Research Analyst at NOAA!
Dre Schmidt received her bachelors in biology at Florida State University. She took Calculus, Mathematical Modeling for Biology, Analysis and Statistical Design, and Physics to supplement her biology degree. She volunteered at a research lab on campus and after college, took a couple of years off to work in marine science education for 5th grade to college level students. She went for her master’s degree in Kiel, Germany to study physiological effects of low-level warming on coral and their larvae. She has been at NOAA for 2 years, first as a research associate and now as an essential fish habitat coordinator. What she loves about her job is the variety of responsibilities. She keeps busy by sorting plankton, doing genetics lab work, analyzing data in R, writing up results, and going to sea! Engaging in these different tasks help to activate different parts of the brain, which I can totally relate to! Her advice to students is to know your worth and ask for what you deserve. Her favorite fish larva is the very ugly Centrobranchus andreae simply because her name is found within the name of the organism. I can’t blame her because my favorite flower is the Gaillardia for the same reason.
Andrea with Andrea
Matt Benes (Able-bodied Seaman and Deck Boss) took a break in his duties to fold some dumplings with us. Though Matt declined to be interviewed, I can tell you we share a deep appreciation for food as a mechanism for cultural, historical, and political understanding.
Jamie Delgado (Medical Officer) joined in on the egg roll wrapping. Jamie received her bachelor’s in science and nursing at Rutgers University. She joined the Public Health Service (PHS), and worked at the Indian Health Service (IHS) in northern Arizona. Later, she worked at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a research nurse specialist. Jamie earned her Doctor of Nursing at University of Maryland before coming to NOAA as ship medical officer. Jamie has so much good financial advice about scholarships and loan repayments programs. Check out these links to learn more:
She also shared that you can retire in a total of 20 years with uniformed services, you get a pension, healthcare benefits, a housing allowance, a food allowance, 30 days paid leave, and unlimited sick leave. Jamie has been in service for 10 years, and with NOAA for 1 year and 5 months.
Jamie also helped me out during our in-port during Leg 1. Snorkeling had dislodged some ear wax and clogged my ear for a couple of days making daily life really uncomfortable. Jason Dlugos’s (3rd Assistant Engineer) “ear beer” helped, but I was still off balance. Jamie had to endure the task of flushing my ear out over the course of two days. Eventually, I did have to go to urgent care to get the rest out. Now I’m 100%!
Last but never least, Octavio De Mena, a.k.a OC, (General Vessel Assistant in the Deck Department) came by to roll some egg rolls. He is originally from the Republic of Panama and loves classic rock music. While we have no intersection in our movie tastes, we share some similarities in the food we ate growing up due to the large Chinese population in Panama. According to the Harvard Review of Latin America, the first Chinese immigrants arrived in Panama in 1854 to build the Trans-Isthmian Railroad. The inhumane treatment and disregard for the workers’ welfare is reminiscent of the situation a decade later with the Transcontinental Railway in the United States. This convergence of cultures led to haw flakes and dried plums in both our childhoods!
OC was an aircraft mechanic in the military reserves, and a security contractor in Latin America. He decided to come back to the U.S. to fulfill his dream job as a professional mariner. On his journey in pursuing his dream, he volunteered for the civil air patrol, and served as an auxiliary for search and rescue flying small Cessnas. He saw a NOAA ship at this job which prompted a search for a position within NOAA. He has been on the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette since February 2023. On the ship, OC and I are regulars in the forward mess. Sometimes having opposite tastes works out in your f(l)avor, as I get to eat OC’s tomatoes and watermelon jolly ranchers.
Weather at 1000 Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday 17 July 2019
We’re expecting rougher weather at the end of the week. The wind is forecast to stay at 15 knots all day today with patchy fog. Then tomorrow and Friday winds double to 30 knots with waves of 12 feet. Currently the wind is 11 knots and the sea state is stable. The sunsets out on the water are spectacular! People gather on the fantail to watch the evening sun melt into the horizon when it’s exceptionally colorful or dramatic, and last night did not disappoint.
Sunset Tuesday July 16, 2019
PERSONAL LOG
Most of the time during meals I sit with the science crew. Sometimes I’ll sit with my roommate, Lindsey, who works as an augmenter. Think of augmenters as floaters – they are employed full time but will move from one ship to another based on the needs of each ship. Lindsey helped me a lot this trip from learning how to do laundry and climbing in and out of a top bunk on a rolling ship (without falling) to understanding nautical terms. She’s also pretty good at spotting whales!
A couple of my meals have been spent talking with 2nd Cook Aceton “Ace” Burke. He normally is the Chief Cook on NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson, but he’s augmenting on this trip to fill in for someone who is on vacation. When he’s cooking for his crew, his favorite meal to prepare is pork ribs. He cooks them low and slow for hours until they’re fall-off-the-bone tender.
He and Kathy keep the kitchen spotless, the food hot, and the mealtimes cheerful. Kathy was kind enough to share some recipes with me and I intend to take every one of them home to cook this summer! For dinner one night soon I’ll make Kalbi Ribs with Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Macadamia Nut Cookies for dessert. I’ll reserve the Creamy Chicken Rice Soup for a cold winter weekend and be sure to add chopped, roasted red peppers and wild rice to the recipe like Kathy instructed.
INTERVIEW WITH A CHEF
Kathy’s Kitchen
After working in an office environment for a few years in Los Angeles, our Chief Steward Kathy Brandts realized she didn’t fit the nine to five lifestyle. Plus, who would ever want to commute to work in LA? So she left LA and moved back to Colorado to live with her sister for a while until she found something more appealing.
That’s when cooking began to kindle in her blood. Every night she would sift through cookbooks and prepare dinner in search of a way to express gratitude to her sister for helping her get back on her feet. But it would still be a few years before she started earning a living in the kitchen.
First came the Coast Guard. At 27 years old, she was less than a year away from the cutoff. If she didn’t enter basic training before her 28th birthday, a career with the Coast Guard would no longer be an option. It appealed to her though, and a recruiter helped her work a little magic. She made the cut! While she initially wanted to work deck personnel so she could maintain the ship and qualify as law enforcement (some Coast Guard personnel, in addition to belonging to a military branch, can simultaneously take on the role of federal law enforcement officers), she was too pragmatic for that. It would have taken her three years to make it to that position whereas cooks were in high demand. If she entered as a cook, she wouldn’t have to wait at all.
So the Coast Guard is where she had her first taste of formal training as a cook. She traveled on a two year tour to places like Antarctica and the Arctic Ocean visiting port cities in Hawaii and Australia to resupply. Ironically, to be out to sea a little less often, she decided to join NOAA as a civilian federal employee after her service with the Coast Guard ended. She’s not exactly out to sea any less than she used to be, but now she gets to go on shorter trips and she can visit family and friends while NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker is in port between cruises.
Kathy is a perfect example of someone who wasn’t willing to settle for a job. She spent the first half of her life searching for a career, a calling, to energize and motivate not just herself but all the people her meals feed throughout the day. She believes that food is one of the biggest morale boosters when you’re on a ship, and it’s clear at mealtime that she’s correct. I watch each day as the officers and crew beam and chatter while they’re going through the buffet line. I hear them take time to thank her as they’re leaving to go back to work.
A well-cooked, scratch meal has the power to change someone’s day. Not only does Kathy take pride in her work as a professional, I also get a touch of “den mother tending to her cubs” when I see her interact with everyone on the ship. She says she provides healthy, flavorful meals because she loves food and wouldn’t want to serve anything she wouldn’t eat herself. In turn, this seems to make everyone feel cared for and comforted. When you’re packed like sardines in a confined area for a month at a time, I can’t think of any better morale booster than that.
Tres Leches Cake with Mango
Halibut Picatta
Kathy goes through a bag of garlic almost every week!
Hoisin Chicken roasting in the oven
Chicken Pad Thai and Kalbi Ribs
A variation of roasted vegetables are served each night with dinner
Fresh Salad Bar
TEACHING CONNECTIONS
I think it’s hard sometimes for students to visualize all the steps it takes to get to where they want to end up. As with all people, teenagers don’t always know where they want to end up, so connecting the dots becomes even less clear. Take Kathy as an example. She started her adult life in an office and ended up in a tiny kitchen out in the middle of the ocean. I doubt that at sixteen years old, sitting in some high school classroom, she ever would have imagined she’d end up there.
So our job as teachers is not to push students in one direction or the other. Part of our job, I believe, is to help students get out of their own way and imagine themselves in settings they won’t hear about in their counselor’s office. One way to do this is to invite people from our communities to come in and share how their profession connects to our curriculum. I can think of plenty of people to invite – the local candy maker, a trash collector, a professor researching octopods, a farmer, a cyber security professional or white hat, a prison guard, military personnel, an airline pilot, or a bosun (even though I probably won’t find any of those in my local community since I don’t live near the water). Reading about the profession is one thing. Talking to someone who lives it everyday is another.
One lesson I’m taking from my day spent in the kitchen is the value of scenario based activities. If student teams are posed with a problem, given a text set to help them form their own conclusions and plan for the solution, and then asked to present their solution to the class for feedback, that is a much more enriching lesson plan than direct instruction. In November my students will be tasked with preparing a budget and presenting a plan to feed 30 people for a three week cruise. I like the idea of the cruise because they can’t just run out to the store if they forget a few things – the plan has to be flawless. This one activity, though it would take a week to execute properly, would have my students making inferences and drawing conclusions from text, communicating with one another using academic language and jargon specific to the scenario, solving a real-world problem, and critically evaluating an assortment of potential solutions.
We can prepare students for “the career” regardless of what that ends up being. Every career requires critical thinking skills, problem solving, patience, a growth mindset, and the ability to communicate with others. And all these skills are essential to the classroom regardless of grade level or discipline.
