sign off... final thoughts on ship life

i signed off in barcelona, a gorgeous city full of culinary adventures. leaving the ship was a strange experience- both exciting and melancholy as i was headed for rest and vacation but leaving great friends and amazing countries. it wasn't until i was on the plane back to seattle that i finally had the opportunity to reflect honestly on the past six months, everything that had passed, how it all had felt. i started reading bourdain's kitchen confidential and then i started writing and this is what came out...

As we fly west, chasing the sunlight, it seems that everything and nothing has happened in the past six months. I’m broken and exhausted- fingers covered in dirty cuts, bruises large and small dotting my body, aching feet, legs, brain. I can’t stop thinking about what I’m leaving- the project, the people, the lifestyle and wondering what’s ahead, how all of this will integrate into the life I lived before. Working on the ship has been one of the most challenging experiences so far in my life- though perhaps the most rewarding.

Sommelier Boot Camp, I took to calling it, though most days I felt less like a sommelier and more like a beverage-mule. Working on a luxury cruiseliner is an exercise in monotony and order amidst chaos. I never had so many angry days, so much workplace tension, so many moments of completely conflicting emotions. At 2:30 you are stressed and impatient with demanding, spoiled guests and at 3:00 you are swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, eating moules frites in the south of France- heaven. I can say for sure that I gained a certain strength and resilience, along with bigger biceps and a sturdier back.

Wine service on the ship was different than any other job I’ve ever had. With a full selection of complimentary wines for the guests, our stocks necessarily have to be grandiose. The main restaurant is on deck 4, just above the crew quarters, at the front of the ship. I thought it was convenient that my cabin was just around the corner and up one small flight of stairs from the wine cellar.  Then I noticed that the linen keeper lives directly across from the laundry room.  No coincidence. 

The main restaurant holds about 450 covers total, with open seating and a full, al a carte menu every night. Deck 4 is also home to two of the specialty  restaurants- Relais & Chateau French restaurant and the Japanese sushi restaurant- both of which require an extra cover charge. Then you have two more restaurants on deck 7- the Italian restaurant which becomes an international buffet during lunch, and the supper club/jazz lounge that serves small plates, tapas-style.  Deck 9 is the pool, with burgers and hot dogs at lunch and hot stone meals in the evening. Three other bars dot the ship- the panorama, with a nice view off the back of the ship, is where the guests go to get drunk and dance to disco in the evening, observation lounge, a quiet, windowed lounge at the front of the ship, and the main bar on Deck 5, across from reception, where guests go to get sloshed before heading to dinner. My time on the ship was spent between the main dining room and the Italian restaurant, with one punishment-week in the grill, sweating and watching hot grease fly onto expensive decanters.

In the main cellar on deck 4 you control most of the wines for the other bars and restaurants. Because of this, the cellar is always locked if the sommelier is not there. If the sommelier is there, chances are they’re being a jerk to you if you’re asking for wine. This is because the budget is very small and the guests love to guzzle more than their share of “all-inclusive” complimentary wines. If you’re coming from another outlet asking for wine, expect to get the third degree.  If you’re coming at the end of the night asking for a bottle for yourself, expect to be turned away completely unless you’ve done something nice for the sommelier recently, like bring food, polish glassware, ect. In that case, “take, take” is the reply you get.

Ship lingo is a special dialect that I’ve yet to hear in any other country or job. Someone who messes up or makes a silly mistake becomes “bomboclat” or “bombolino/a”.  When asked if you have supplies, the appropriate answer becomes “we have, we have”.  Repetitions are key. “Check, check, check!” in place of “Check and see if the wine is there.” An assistant waiter who pretends to leave the dining room for some special task and instead heads to his cabin to eat snacks and check facebook is “pagulo”. “Where is Pedro?” “Oh, he’s pagulo.”  A small mess or anything deemed unnecessary or garbage becomes “shmira”. “What is this shmira?” “Get this shmira taken care of.”  Especially demanding guests are referred to as “Big time”, and this term is often combined with the derisive bomboclat and bombolino- “Yes, these two are big time bomboclats”. “Shingaling” is a common synonym for thingamajig or anything you can’t readily put a name to. Officers greet you with “Chau” or “Buona Serra” in some strange ship-wide adaptation of Italian lingo. “Mangare” is also code for dinner. “Banana” is when you get a bunch of shit from your supervisor. If you mess up, you are for sure going to get “banana” or “a shower”- implying a shower of shit. Learning these terms comes with time, but the bigger challenge is being surrounded by Tagalog in all areas of the ship at all times.  For my first few weeks on board, I was sure I had taken a job in Manila, not on the high sea. The waiters and my Filipino colleagues would exchange all kinds of information between each other in Tagalog and answer my questions in one word sentences or hideously broken English or sometimes not at all. Over time as I learned a few words in Tagalog and how to decipher and interpret one word sentences, life became easier.

Each evening, two complimentary wines are offered in the restaurant- one white and one red. These wines are decided by the head sommelier based on what he has most of in stock. They can be French, Italian, or Spanish, but are the majority of the time cheap Chilean or Argentinian wines.  The ship buys these complimentary wines for no more than $5 a bottle and during a busy dinner service we will pour upwards of 60 bottles of white and 60 bottles of red. Many times these 60 bottles are simply not enough. In these circumstances, the sommelier becomes chef. The waiters will rush by our station on the way to the kitchen and yell “cooking demo” as we pour whatever similar wine we may have on hand into the empty bottle of the evening’s wine. I have poured sauv blanc into chardonnay, pinot grigio, soave, and frascati. Pinot grigio becomes gavi, Chilean syrah becomes Australian shiraz, carmenere becomes merlot and cabernet, barbera becomes sangiovese, and (perhaps the best) cheap prosecco becomes Heidseick champagne.  And here you see the beauty of psychology when it comes to wine. Never once did a guest complain or claim that the wines taste different coming out of the same bottle. Granted, many of the guests are…. shall we say mature? and perhaps don’t sport the same number of taste buds as in their early days, but many are experienced wine drinkers with extensive cellars at home. Not once did someone send back a bottle because it tasted differently. Even if I was pouring a Tuscan white blend out of a Chablis bottle, they smiled and loved it. And I will tell you we cooked wines all day, every day. This is only one way the company saves money and stretches product. 

Dinner time service in the main restaurant with a full cruise can only be described as madness- with one sommelier for around 200 people, you are running for everything- glassware, cocktails, selling wines.  Selling wine is one of the perks of the job. Though the cruise is all inclusive and includes a selection of complimentary wines with each meal, the sommeliers are required to push the conneseiur’s wine list at any chance.  Here we got to play with big names like Antinori, Petrus, and Grange for the high-rolling clientele. One of the most glamorous parts of the job was pouring Margaux out of the super-sexy Riedel Eve decanter, the coiled, delicate glass instrument that makes everyone’s head turn. These were the moments that being a somm was sweet. The rest was pretty much keeping glasses full of mediocre juice and listening to complaints about wines being “too strong” or “too acidic”. And cleaning. Cleaning and cleaning.

Leaving the ship was one of the most emotionally confusing moments for me. I knew I did not want to stay on board one more day, could not perform the same monotonous tasks one day more- my mind and my body were done, tired, “Kaput.” But the people I’ve met are beyond amazing and the places I’ve visited are all new loves. My final day in Barcelona I was filled with so much passion for the city that I cried leaving it, while on the inside being so ecstatic that I would be home in only a number of hours. I wandered the narrow streets of La Rambla at night desperately searching for one last souvenir, one last bit of cuisine, one last experience to satisfy me, to make me feel it was ok to leave. All I found were more things to delight, intrigue, and become addicted to.  I sat at a counter eating tapas and drinking Spanish white wine, chatting with a chef who then left and was replaced by a private-yacht architect. All of us away from our homes on some kind of adventure- these experiences don’t come easily at home. 

croatia is amazing

one of the reasons i took this job was because i knew the ship was set to sail to croatia, a country i had never visited and had heard so many wonderful things about- from lush green forests to pristine beaches, excellent cuisine and extremely friendly people.  turns out everyone was right. of all of the beautiful places we've docked in the past three months, croatia stands out as being particularly interesting and stunningly gorgeous, with a rich tradition of distinct food and drink that i am just now beginning to truly discover.

during a recent afternoon off in dubrovnik, i treated myself to a proper lunch. i found Konoba Marco Polo, a cool, tucked-away resto in the maze of the stone walls of the old city. with just a few tables inside an open-air courtyard, i was seated at a little table between a french couple and italian family. right away, i noticed the italian family sharing a huge plate of fresh crawfish and mussels that looked absolutely divine. i knew i was in the right place. this feeling was confirmed when the waiter immediately brought me local sheeps milk cheese (cheese- the key to my heart) and a shot glass of visnejvac- a local cherry brandy (spirit- the other key to my heart). after consulting the extremely charming waiter for his recommendation, i ordered the Fuzi pasta, a traditional Istrian dish. just a quick explanation of Istria- it is the largest penninsula on the adriatic sea, shared by croatia, italy, and slovenia. the region has it's own distinct culture and cuisine. Fuzi is thin pasta rolled and folded to look a bit like a bow. fresh local mushrooms and baby shrimp were mixed into the pasta with a delicious balsamic reduction and spash of truffle oil. the pasta was perfectly cooked. heaven.

in the photo you see the complimentary cherry brandy as well as a local white wine by the glass. when i asked to see the bottle for the wine, the waiter told me the bottle has no markings, as it's a local man that makes it and delivers it to the restaurant weekly. he says this is typical of dubrovnik house wines- it's cool, light and citrus-filled. perfect for hot afternoons and seafood pasta.  i noticed the french couple next to me attempting to order beer with their shellfish. monsieur waiter would not allow it, recommending white wine instead. "vin and seafood is like man and woman", he insisted. so true.

split, croatia is a busy port full of young, dirty backpackers and cruise ship royalty.  fortunately, not far from the port is a chill beach with cheap chairs and shady umbrellas perfect for escaping the chaos of the city. the old town is much like dubrovnik- old stone walls, impressive statues, and millions of narrow alleyways to wander through. during our last stop in split, a friend and i happened into a modest pizzeria for a quick beer before the long, hot, walk back to the ship.  more friendly waiters! not only did we enjoy cold, refreshing local beers, but we were introduced to Rogacusa- a traditional Croatian brandy made from carob.  again, we asked to see the bottle. bare, clear glass. "my grandfather makes it," explained the smiling young server.

unfortunately i didn't catch the name of the charming waiter, but his grandfather sure knows how to make a tasty brandy. it's strong and spicy with vanilla, fig, and caramel notes. Rakia is the name for brandy from the region- you can have carob, cherry, plum, you-name-it rakia. Mirto- the myrtle berry brandy from Sardinia- is a form of rakia as well. so happy to have discovered this new after-dinner indulgence.

that's all for now. look forward to crazy italian blends and bottles that grow on pear trees!

chau for now.

new discoveries in sardinia and sicily

antipasto and negroni for lunch in calgiari

What is the best part of working on a ship? Getting off the ship! After two and a half months on board, I feel more like a robot and less like a lady. Wake up, walk the 3 minutes to work, pick up the day's wines from the provisions area, prepare the lunch wines, prepare the dinner wines, eat, manage lunch wine service, sleep, run like a mad chicken pouring wine at dinner and try to sell high-end bottles, eat, drink, sleep, repeat. Without a shift off, your world becomes about work as you live with your coworkers and guess what the most popular topic of conversation is- work! So for me, getting of the ship is necessary, it's what keeps me sane, inspired, interested, and willing to continue on this adventure, particularly when we are visiting places with such beautiful food and wine traditions like Sicily and Sardinia. 

A few days ago I spent part of the afternoon in Calgiari, Sardinia. Afternoons in Sardinia are sleepy, as most shops close from around noon until four. As one local explained to me in a small, crammed gift shop, "We Sardinian people are lazy. When it is hot, we close everything." Understandable. I used to cherish my siesta hours in Mendoza, resting up for what would inevitably be a hectic, sweaty dinner service. Luckily a few Sardinian bars and cafes were open, however, and so I wandered into the tiniest, oldest looking bar I could find (see photo above) to have my first Mirto experience.

  

A traditional liqueur of Sardinia, Mirto is made exactly like limoncello, but using the local Myrtle berry.  About the size and color of a blueberry, the Myrtle berry is apparently extremely difficult to find in the U.S. but grows rampant in the hot climates of Sardinia and Corsica.  Sardinians macerate the bluish-red berry in neutral spirit for several weeks, press and remove the berries, then sweeten the drink with sugar or honey, at water to reduce the percentage of alcohol, and finally filter and bottle. What results is a delicious digestivo with sweet red berry and herbaceous aromas.  Served icy cold, Mirto is full on the palate without being too syrupy, with spiced dried plum and cherry notes and a slightly bitter finish. I could also see this being an excellent substitute for cassis in a Kir Royale. Like grappa or limoncello in other parts of Italy, Mirto is almost always offered complimentary at the end of the meal in Sardinian restaurants. According to my local friend, Mirto is what sends the people to their beds for the afternoon nap after lunch. I can see why. It seems as though it's very difficult to find Mirto in the states, so I'll definitely be devising a plan to smuggle a bottle back home with me in the fall. 

swordfish for sale in syracusa, sicily

 Sicily is ripe with it's own set of culinary pleasures.  Fresh octopus, swordfish, and prawns are on every restaurant menu, often cooked to perfection. Hot and dry, with plenty of seafood, this region is the perfect place to make and consume crisp, fresh white wines. So why doesn't anybody know about Sicilan whites? Nero d'Avola is taking off in the states as a fantastically cheap, full-bodied every day red, but rarely do you find other varietals and styles on wine lists and only in the more savvy retail shops.  Thanks to this adventure at sea, I've recently reconnected with a Sicilian white wine that I was impressed with the first time I tried it about two years ago- Grillo. Traditionally used in the production of Marsala, Grillo is now emerging under it's own identity in the form of a full, yet citrus-laced and refreshing white. Lately in the dining room, we've been pouring the lovely Fileno Grillo, which has been received very well by our very- let's just say "particular" guests.

One can almost liken this wine to an unoaked chardonnay, with all of the ripe pear, green apple, and lemon rind notes, however the fileno shows a hint of jasmine blossom on the nose and some impressive minerality. Full and lively on the palate, with ample acidity and a long, fruit-filled finish, this white is the perfect companion for grilled seafood on a sunny, summer day. I know that you can find grillo for less than $10 in the states if you check your wine shops and better grocery stores. I've yet to taste a high-end version or any grillo that has oak, but I am on the lookout for these.  In the meantime, it's always nice to find something new and tasty that doesn't break the bank for summertime quaffing.  

I'll leave you with something distinct and possibly disturbing but still wine-oriented and therefore fun. Wandering around in Valleta, Malta, yesterday, my friend and I came across a new concept for packaging wine that we may want to adopt in the states, particularly in college towns, state fairs, and neighborhoods where public drinking is legal...

 What we have here is individually packaged plastic cups full of wine that claims to come from the U.S.- Zinfandel, to be exact.  The price is 1.90 Euro. I was intrigued, delighted, and horrified all at once. It took me about five minutes going back and forth as to whether I should buy it and drink it on the street. In the end, the chilly, lemon-flavored local beer won out but I still wonder about this ghetto wine concept and how it might take hold at various festivals in Seattle- thinking Folklife, Bumbershoot, and concerts at the Gorge.  Next time I see one, I'm tasting it, god help me.  For now, I'll sip Martini Bianco in Sicily and pretend I don't have to be back on the ship in twenty minutes. Ah, ship life.

tutto bene

ship life is ship life. it's like an alternate reality where things that would normally never take place on land are commonplace. it's adjusting to a different sleeping schedule, new food, new chain of command, and a whole set of "ship rules" that never existed on land.  for the sommelier, it means knowing when to approach the table with the wine list and when to just happy grab the bottle of cheap complimentary wine and make sure the glass never gets empty.  and cleaning. and cleaning. and inventory. and cleaning. before accepting any job on a cruise line, one should be aware of a little thing called "usph cleaning". certain ports require ships to undergo a public health inspection upon docking. what this means for the crew is an extra two hours of sanitizing and scrubbing at the end of the evening. so it's late, you've been running for eleven hours, you think that you are heading back to your blissfully cool cabin to submit to slumber when you hear someone say that it's usph cleaning tonight. damn.

in the meantime we're stopping in some of the most amazing ports- Istanbul, Santorini, Venice, and Dubrovnik.  the photo above is from a glorious morning off in Corfu, Greece . the bottle of retsina cost 1.5 euro and only vaguely tasted of floor cleaner. one bag of fresh cherries, a beach, and a dip the refreshing Ionian Sea. now this makes the long hours and fussy management worth it. the ship is always there in the distance, reminding us of our duty, but for just a few hours on land we can pretend like we are carefree tourists on vacation.

this week, as we sail from venice to montecarlo, stopping in italian, sicilian, and corsican ports along the way, the ship is nearly full, with almost 540 passengers. we sommeliers are running for wine every night. a food and wine group comprised of americans, mostly texans, keeps us busy as bottles of joseph phelps insignia, cardinal, domaine drouhin, and shafer's hillside select fly out of the cellar. plus we have a winemaker and guest chef on board to keep things interesting. 

as the job becomes easier every day, the expectations become higher. i am still adjusting to a somewhat militaristic chain of command and trying not to be too much of the outspoken american girl that seems to put some people so much on edge. i still struggle every day to not be interrupted, shot down, ignored, talked down to or sabotaged and it does become exhausting after awhile. i must work twice as hard and show twice as much dedication as my male counterparts to be taken seriously. certain standards for equality that we can expect in the states are non-existent in this country that we call ship life. this is perhaps my biggest challenge in this adventure. i see my female paisanos going through the same thing in their departments and i know this experience is only going to make us stronger and more competitive on land. but in the moment sometimes i just want to smash things. :)

headed to sorrento tomorrow to re-sample the limoncello and buy some cheap laundry detergent- it's good to know where you can take care of boring domestic stuff- then on to bonifacio, corsica, and finally monte carlo, home of the best-dressed dogs on earth. look forward to posts on local wines and port highlights. and remember to only drink the good stuff.. . life is too short for bad wine. 

in the meantime, i'll leave you with this... one of the most expensive bottles ever out of Australia, presented by - no big surprise- the legendary Penfolds. the bottle of 2004 Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet is encased in a hand-blown glass ampoule, suspended within a wooden cabinet. you can buy it for $168,000 but if you want to drink it, Penfolds has to fly a senior winemaker out to your home to open that device. now that's class. i suggested we get one for the ship and my head sommelier looked at me like i was crazy. 

full story here. enjoy!

cruising to croatia....

thurs.    6.7                                         venice
fri.        6.8                                         venice
sat.       6.9                                         hvar, croatia
sun.      6.10                                       dubrovnik, croatia
mon,.    6.11                                       corfu, greece
tues.     6.12                                       at sea
wed.    6.13                                       santorini, greece
thurs.   6.14                                       rhodes, greece-----        my birthday!!!
fri.       6.15                                       kusadasi turkey
sat.      6.16                                       mytilene, greece
sun      6/17                                       istanbul, turkey------   overnight!!!  
                 
just a quick update here. started a new cruise two days ago! the brazilians have been replaced by more americans, australians, and english.  stopped in venice briefly for some campari, lunch, and *the most delicious pistachio gelato ever made*. turns out venice shuts down early at night. myself and a couple of other girls from the restaurant went out after service to find all of the bars closed but plenty of young italian hipsters drinking and playing beatle's songs in the plazas. we also came across a group of them playing "red light, green light" in front of an old, gorgeous catholic church. that made my night.

corporate is on board this week, so everyone is a bit on edge. the wine consultant also spend a few days on board introducing new complimentary wines. now *that* is a fine job. he only advises us on italian wines and spends his time meeting with producers and training staff on ships. i'm happy to see we'll be bringing on some more unusual italian varietals. not that the guests don't love their chianti and gavi... but adding grillo and corvina will make our job more interesting.

upon request, i've been moved to the italian restaurant, where i work with the entire dining room to myself and almost only with italian wines. the guests are not buying as much this cruise, but many do seem genuinely interested in learning about wine. rumor has it i'm scheduled to lead a tasting at some point on this cruise.. more on that later!

i almost forgot the biggest news: PANTS! turns out the company is not quite as stiff as i'd originally guessed. all it took was a trip to hr and a phone call to the hotel manager to get the ok to wear black slacks for service. easy as pie. the hotel manager still does not approve of my patent leather, shiny black clogs, but i'm wearing them until someone tells me not to. they are like heaven for my feet, and when you're running for 12 hours, you need comfort.

well i guess that's all for now. i'm off the ship tomorrow in dubrovnik and i'll try to taste some local wines then. learning more about "ship life" everyday. and very happily throwing my panty hose in the trash.

cheers.

wine is like a shy dog

just wanting to share a quote from terry theise...

Wine is like a shy dog.  Lunge for it and it backs away. Just sit still and it draws nearer.  Wine is less about what you can grasp than about how you can receive.  You grasp it more firmly if you grab it less tightly.  It will resist you if you insist on subduing it.  You can accumulate only so much knowledge in quantifiable bits, but you accumulate understanding if you learn to relax.  Wine doesn't like being dominated.  It prefers being loved and wondered about.  It will do anything for you if you're curious and grateful.

i am feeling this is very true lately. probably applies to many other things in life...

 

brazilian invasion

well we have a new shipment of wine that we picked up yesterday in barcelona and a new batch of passengers- most on board to attend the grand prix in monaco this weekend. this includes quite a lot of americans and brazilians who are buying wine like there is some sort of shortage in europe.  i'm very excited to be bringing some new white burgundy and california chardonnay onto the list, as i feel there's a real demand for these wines in board. have yet to see what's included in the rest of the high end goodies. concha y toro's xplorador chardonnay will be added to the complimentary list. we'll see if the brazilians will be interested in the chilean wines! so far new zealand's dashwood sauv blanc and oregon's van duzer pinot noir have been the winners of the complimentary wine list. new world!

in the meantime, i've tasted an 03 palmer margaux and an 04 beychevelle that have both been gorgeous. still waiting to taste the petrus and margaux.... :)

i'm settling in ok... figuring out how to work and live at the same time (always a tricky thing, on or off a boat). of course we all know that wine, like most industries, is male-dominated and the weird gender dynamic exists here just like it did in the restaurant in mendoza, just as it did in sales in seattle. i suppose women may always have to work twice as hard as men to achieve the same salary and recognition.  in the wine world, we continue to struggle to be taken seriously and not pushed to the side. wine can be an pompous, braggy business, and society does not generally reward those qualities in women- we are raised to be the opposite- humble, modest, accommodating. nevertheless, i find my own methods of reaching guests and selling that work well, and am learning to turn on the pompous-braggy when i need it. 

again, i will just note, that pants would be helpful.

that's all for now. i can't copy and paste the itinerary for this week because they've already taken it off the website, but monaco and the grand prix are the highlights this cruise. more to come on that....