228 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



Tin- Imnrs or meals lor all hands are as follows : breakfast, 7 ;:. in.; dinner, 1:? in.; and supper, 

 .". p. ID. These arc tin- regular hours, but they may often be changed when the boats are down for 

 whales, or when the men are cutting in a whale under stress of weather. The bill of fare also 

 varies, but rarely. 



The oljiceis' breakfast is usually salt beef, port, hard bread, soft bread or "lobsconse"* or 

 perhaps bread Lash, or if potatoes are plentiful potato hash, coffee, sugar, and butter, when if is to 

 be had, and sometimes slapjacks. The boat-steerers' bill of fare embraces about the same, except 

 they do not always have sugar and butter, which is served regularly in cabin. The breakfast of 

 foremast hands consists mainly of salt beef, salt pork, bard bread, scouse, bread hash, coffee, and 

 molasses. 



For dinner in the cabin : salt pork, salt beef, and hard bread. Tea or coffee, and sugar are not 

 usually served for dinner; the boat-steerers have about the same as the cabin, and for the fore- 

 castle salt junk and hard bread. For supper in the cabin: salt beef and pork, warm soft tack, 

 butter, sugar, tea, and sometimes hash, and probably pie. The boat-steerers have the same, and 

 the foremast hands, salt beef, pork, and hard tack, and occasionally pie. 



To the above-mentioned fare should be added, when they can be had, the '' raanarolins " of the 

 whalemen that is, fresh meat, vegetables, milk, butter, eggs, and fruits, which may be obtained 

 when the vessel touches upon a foreign shore, but these are the luxuries of life that cannot always 

 be had. Duff t is served generally three times a week for dinner fore and aft, and perhaps "lob 

 scouse," "dandy-funk,'' " sea-pie,'' or "dough-boys" (a kind of flour dumpling with the flesh and 

 bones of porpoise), but the foremast hands do not usually get as much of these dainties as the 

 officers. When a porpoise is caught, all hands are regaled with " sea- pies " and " forced-meat 

 balls." 



Captains of all whaling vessels discourage the use of whisky by the crew. Formerly it was 

 the custom to include in the outfit of a whaler, about seven or eight barrels of whisky or New 

 England rum. This was dealt out from time to time as grog. Some vessels carry whisky now, 

 but principally for trade. Liquors are also carried in the medicine chest, but they are under the 

 immediate supervision of the captain, who dispenses them as he sees tit. Capt. Isaiah West was the 

 first master sailing from the port of Xew Bedford, who refused to carry whisky on his ship. This 

 was in 1831, in consequence of continued intoxication of one of his officers on a previous voyage. 

 Such a. thing at the time was unheard of; the owners thought that it was impossible to ship a 

 crew or to make a voyage, but Captain West adhered to his resolution and carried his point. 

 Since that time whisky has not been included as a part of a whaling outfit. 



* Lobscouse is the most common, of the fancy dishes. It is made of hard bread and salt meat, seasoned with 

 pepper. Fin- a mess of this kind for all hands, about three buckets of hard bread, seven pounds of pork and beef, 

 and about a quarter of a pound of pepper are required. The meat, usually the remnants of a former meal, is cut into 

 small pieces and the bread is broken into fragments. Water is added and as the pot boils and simmers, the ingre- 

 dients are mixed and stirred together with a large iron spoon; pepper is added, and the dish is served smoking hot in 

 a wooden '.lied a " kid," by one of the watch who carries it forward to the foreeastle. Potato-scouse is simi- 



lar to tbe above except that, a smaller quantity of bread is used, potatoes being highly esteemed as a substitute. 



When potatoes are plentiful potato bash or lobscouse is usually made for breakfast; but when the vessel has 

 been out for two or three months, bread hash is mainly relied upon. 



t Duff is served to all bauds ; one for i he cabin, one for tbe b,.at -steerers, or steerage, and oue for each watch forward. 

 It is the favorite dish, and Sunday is always a " dull 1 day,'' dnft and molasses being served for dinner. Dandy-funk, 

 dnndee-fnnk, or dnndee pudding, is made of hard bread. ui'd:)ss.-s. ami a little salt I'a i pork. The bread is broken n)i 

 and the pork chopped ami deposited in a copper ; a little water is added, and when 1 lie mixture becomes lukewarm, 

 "igh molasses to sweeten it is pomvd iii. It is then stirred until the boiling point is reached, at which time tbe 

 copper is removed, and tin- dish is served hot in a kid. About two pounds of fat pork are usually required fora 

 mess for all hands. Dnmb-e pudding was also a, favorite, dish with the fishermen of the eastern coast frequenting 

 Ceov^es bank in 1- ,1 on fishing vessels now. It was made of hard bread pounded up, 



sweetened wiHi molasses, with enough Hour added to give it adhesiveness. 



