The galley!
The galley group when I sailed was composed of four individuals.

The Chief Cook.

Manages the galley staff. Orders all food stuff, and cleaning supplies required in that department.
Prepares the daily menus. Prepares lunch and dinner.
Has the responsibility for the clean laundry on the ship. Is there enough sheets, towels, blankets, pillows, tea-towels, face soap, and yes even enough toilet paper!

Second Cook!

Prepares the breakfast. Prepares salads, and small desserts, jello, puddings, and the Night Lunch!
The officers meals are also served by the second cook.
Another responsibility of the second cook is to maintain both the Captain's and Chief Engineer's quarters, make their beds, vacuum, dust, and clean their bathrooms.
Once per week, they are responsible for the changing of the linen.
Clean linen is handed out. Soiled linen is collected, counted, bagged, and sent ashore to be done.

Night Cook.

Prepares two hot night lunches. These lunches are made available for the men during the changing of the watch.
These take place at 12:00AM to 12:30, and again at 4:00AM to 4:30.
They also prepare the veggies for the cook's meals the next day. Perhaps peel, and wash 50 pounds of potatoes, peel 5 pounds of onions, 10 pounds of carrots. Plus whatever else the cook wants ready.
Another task is the maintenance of the First Mate's room, and the Second Engineer's room!
Last but not least there is the cleaning. Dishes that began to pile up right after supper plus all that are used to the end of that shift.
The floors have to be mopped again, in the galley, and mess-hall, also there is the extra cleaning the chief cook may want done! The last duties of this shift is the breakfast preparation.
Preparing the juices, half grape-fruits, butter dishes, coffee pots, etc. Everything must be ready for the start of breakfast!
Last chore, taking out the garbage!

Porter.

Serves the regular crew their meals. Does dishes, and the pots, and pans.
Washes the galley and mess-hall floors. Disposes of the trash after every meal.
They are also responsible for four officers rooms. Second and third mates, plus third and fourth engineers.

The above is a fair explanation of galley work! From that brief description given by my past two co-workers, I had come to the conclusion that I could handle a night cook's job.
Little did I know the ins and outs of sailing!
First you must join the union! That proved more complex than expected but finally I was accepted, and now the fun began!
I was asked what could I do...tentatively I answered that I thought I could do the night cook work.
Next question was, "How old are you?" "39" I answered.
Then I was told, "At your age we only need "electricians" or "chief cooks".
"I'll take Chief cook" was my next answer.

My preparations for my first job!

I bought six uniforms! Got myself a copy of "The Joy of Cooking"! Invested in a complete set of Henkel Knives! Still have them. An excellent buy!
I bought a pound of Tenderflake Lard! Why? Because I needed their pie crust recipe on the back of their label! I had never made pies before. Now I was finally ready for my first job!

My first job!

I was sent to relieve a chief cook who was taking her holidays. She would be off for 30 days.
I got aboard the ship in the Welland Canal. The Welland Canal has seven locks which joins Lake Ontario to Lake Erie.
The lady got off at lock one. Now I was responsible for the feeding of twenty-nine men!
For thirty days!
When that really dawned on me, believe me when I tell you that if I could have walked on water to get away from there, I would have!
The trip from lock one to Quebec City took three days.
I know that I quit twice on that part of the trip!
My first reason for quitting was when I prepared my first lunch!
There are usually three meat choices made for lunch. One of the choices that was available on that day was liver. Well I had cooked liver before, but not five pounds of it at one time!
I asked my experienced second cook how this could be accomplished? Her answer was that it was cooked in the oven on a large cookie sheet.
Okay...that's would be no problem!
Well that was a big mistake, all of it burned!
In despair I ran upstairs to the wheelhouse to see the captain. In tears, I told him I didn't think I would be able to do this type work of work after all.
"What happened?" he wanted to know. I explained.
Was there anything else to eat was his next question.
Certainly, but that would mean there would only be two choices for the men. He told me not to worry that I should just add a cheese omelet as third choice. This was the day that I learned about the salvation of an omelet!
My life had been spared. I did not have to walk the plank!
Supper went well, and I began to relax. But now came the time to visit the freezer, and take out the meats I'd require for the next day. That seemed easy enough to do.
I opened the huge freezer door and to my horror I discovered mountains of meat and poultry facing me and scattered everywhere.
The shelves were over-flowing, and packages covered the floor! What was all this stuff? There was enough stuff there to feed the crew on a trip around the world and back!
Back up to the wheelhouse I went. I was now certain that I was not ready for this job. I explained my new problem to the captain. This time the captain asked me if I knew the difference between a chicken and a turkey?
Yes, of course I did! Did I know the difference between pork chops and a roast of beef? "Yes" was my answer. "Well then get the hell downstairs, and go take something out of the freezer! When it's thawed, you'll know what it is, cook it..and that's what we will have to eat!"

Sea-sickness! Who knew! Another reason to quit? Oh, no you just get yourself some Gravol, and carry on!
That was the beginning of my sailing career! Things did get a great deal better with the passing of time.
Next a typical day's menu!