Currying Favour

One of the beauties of having a Goanese crew on a ship, is the fact that they make excellent curries.

Goa is an ex Portuguese colony off the coast of India and their largely Christian population have been the source of crew for some companies for many years.

Being the owner of one of the select breeds of curry-loving cat, I'm rather partial to the odd "Ruby" (sorry - Cockney rhyming slang alarm - Ruby Murray = Curry).

We even have our own Tawa, which is a type of flattened griddle, used for making Chapati's.

I like to eat my curries without rice. I prefer Chapati's and choose to eat them with the fingers by wrapping the curry in the Chapati and devouring the lot - the original way; clean fingers and no utensils needed.

Everybody has their own definition of paradise. Their own version of desert island discs !!

Mine is travelling the world, whilst being able to eat a different curry every day.

I have a pact.

I have to stride up 7 decks, several times a day, so that I can sit out on one of the aft decks, eating a bowl of curry, al fresco style.

Unlike dinner, I eat alone and in silence.

Tomorrow, we're due to be off Sicily, but more importantly, it's Lamb Bhuna day.

The thing about modern ships is their speed. Even without any wind, a passenger ship will make its own by the sheer exertion of forward movement.

So, a 25 mph wind across the deck is no bad thing.

1800 people on Lamb Bhuna could be more noticeable than being downwind of a cattle ship.