my dad (Maori) works on a ship with all Maori/Tongan/Samoan fisherman- and one Aussie guy called Jake.
And that wasn't done on purpose just sort of how it ended up, but Jake recently got an injury so they put him on a Different boat just for a little bit (a sit in the wheelhouse and scout type of boat, instead of the main fishing one) and he only got back to my dad's ship today and he was apparently like Shaking. He was Traumatised.
Dad said Jake kept pulling him aside and going "They were all yelling on there, but in a MEAN way" "They didn't clean... Like at ALL"
Jake experienced what a boat full of old school Aussie fisherman is like. That is the norm Jake. You just happened to be on the all Island boy boat on your first go out. "It was time for dinner and they had FROZEN nuggets" Jake that's what they have on ships that are out at sea for months at a time.
On my dad's boat they are eating fresh fish and coconut milk Ceviche. They're grilling steaks on an open bbq on the deck that probably is not regulation. All the guys have their own special knives to prepare sashimi every couple days. Everyone is happily doing their own work so they can clock out early and set up a movie on the deck. Jake did you genuinely believe that's what every boat was doing.
Local Australian man is fed fresh juices and smoked fish for first time- refuses to go back to beef jerky boat life
jake that first night when they served a freezer tray tv dinner and not an overflowing plate of fish that's probably going for conservatively like $40-$80 bucks a kilo but the guys decided Eh we'll catch more let's just fry it up:
1. You're right I kinda like frozen nuggets but maybe it's cause I have fresh seafood Often and Plentifully
2. SPEAKING OF scurvy-
Can I genuinely say, my dad is a Tough captain, he is, you have to be to keep people safe in one of the most dangerous jobs in the world- so the good food is not a careless luxury, it's an active choice he's making that genuinely saves time and money.
Like it's HARD work, and the fishing season takes place during the harshest summers in the world (I am not using hyperboles, Australia is the hottest place in the world currently) if you don't sustain yourself you WILL drop. Dehydration, seasickness, heatstroke- these will happen.
And also what happens SO often is you hire a bunch of young guys for a season, it's always some 18 year old moving nets all day and if their mother isn't here to make them to do it- they DON'T eat fruit. They don't eat ANY fruit.
Scurvy is not an 18th century pirate disease- you will get it. Listen to me teen boy.
So going out of your way to ask your cook (or a lot of boats don't have cooks! So waking up early and doing it yourself!) to take all that fruit and juice it all down into yummy colour drink that the boys will drink is a genuinely good use of time😭
So no scurvy in my dad's ship hooray😂💪
