Hotdag

Sea day in the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean again. We sat with some new people at breakfast this morning. Otherwise, nothing more then the usual, which is still pretty great.

As I mentioned, we were invited to the captains table again. This time we did go. We met in the atrium on the fourth floor. There were other passengers besides the two ladies who were to escort us to our table. The Chief engineer was also there as he too was having guests at his table this evening. I mentioned to him I had seen the ship doing over 21 knots today and once or twice 22. I asked why that happened when the most I usually see is 19.5 or maybe 20 knots for a brief time. His answer was, “a miracle.” We must have been going down hill with the wind at our back. This ship can’t go that fast. I also found out there are four engines. They are tied to generators and not any specific engine.

There were a total of ten people at the captains table. Two young fellows from Atlanta who were flaming. A couple at the opposite side of the table from Coral Gables. Another couple who I did not get where they were from but she was sitting next to the captain and was sure acting like she was hitting on him. The husband just talked and looked the opposite way and pretended not to see. Bobbi was sitting on the right side of the captain and I was seated next to her.

There was good conversation all around the table. I found out from the captain why we were no longer going to Libya. One of his sons wanted to attend some school in the US and was turned down on an academic basis, or he was turned down for a visa by the older Bush years ago. So this was how they were getting back at the US, or maybe none of the above. You just never know with those crazy rag heads.

Dinner was very good and we didn’t really have to eat Dag food, except for a little bit. We had gotten on the subject of hotdogs and the Dag told us a story about how the crew had these Norwegian hotdogs and beer at his special meetings once a week on Saturdays. He explained they were different then the regular hotdogs served on the ship and originally ordered by just him and now all the ships had them for the crews. He had the head waiter go down to the officer’s galley and tell their chef to boil some hotdogs for everyone to taste. They were long and skinny and more solid then those served on the ship and on the east cost of the US. They were really a lot more like a Chicago hotdog but had a hint of some strange spice.

That was about it.

Hotdag Sherm Out

(Posted on behalf of Sherman Rootberg)