A Flodfather Story: Mashed Potatoes
My father served in the US Navy in the early 1950s (and in the Naval Reserves for years after that). He served in the Sixth Fleet when they were stationed in the Mediterranean.
At that time, powdered food was still a pretty new thing. The Navy, of course, loved it, since it made stocking and re-stocking provisions easier. Things took up less space, could be loaded more quickly, and didn't need refrigeration. The quality, on the other hand, could be a problem. In particular, the mashed potatoes had a tendency to turn back to liquid if they weren't cooked up just right. And Navy cooks, bless 'em, are rarely Michelin three-star material.
So imagine that you're having dinner on a ship in rough seas. You've been given a portioned metal tray with piles of food on it, and you're carrying this as carefully as you can to an available table. And as you're walking, you can't help but notice that your potatoes are sloshing back... and forth. And back... and forth.....
At that time, powdered food was still a pretty new thing. The Navy, of course, loved it, since it made stocking and re-stocking provisions easier. Things took up less space, could be loaded more quickly, and didn't need refrigeration. The quality, on the other hand, could be a problem. In particular, the mashed potatoes had a tendency to turn back to liquid if they weren't cooked up just right. And Navy cooks, bless 'em, are rarely Michelin three-star material.
So imagine that you're having dinner on a ship in rough seas. You've been given a portioned metal tray with piles of food on it, and you're carrying this as carefully as you can to an available table. And as you're walking, you can't help but notice that your potatoes are sloshing back... and forth. And back... and forth.....