Masterchief 1967. I guess most of you have watched Masterchief on TV? Well I have a winner for 1967. No, it is not me but one Aboud Yasin abu Shama, a Palestinian from Nablus, on the West Bank, Israel. Let me tell you how this came to pass.
 After leaving South Africa and returning to England I joined Collins Submarine Pipelines, an American company owned by a mad Texan called Sammy Collins who also dredged diamonds from the sea [but that’s another story]. He had this major operation based upon Ras al Khafji, in the Neutral Zone, sandwiched between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. [It’s where the First Gulf War kicked off.]
Anyway Sammy secured the operation of a small fleet of Saudi offshore vessels from Hansa, a German company, and he appointed me to command a ship named after a princess called “Sarah”. I had the best crew ever, all Arab, The cook/chief steward was Aboud and, as it turned out would have easily gained the title had the programme been around at the time. He had been trained in the French cuisine in the Lebanon at the height of that country’s sojourn as the playground of the Middle East. He mastered that.  He added the richness of Lebanese cooking. He moved to Kuwait with the advent of another war and then secured a job with Hansa, the major German shipping outfit, and gained the robust German cooking and then British cooking in Kuwait. He was the complete cook, no, not cook, Chef.
He was a great guy, nobody, but nobody could cook fish better than this guy. We were contracted to support the French Drilling Company and they just loved to ensure that they had a meal on board. So I guess that I am right to state that he was my Masterchief 1967.
There is another nice twist to this story. Aboud was married and had a little son. They were still in Nablus, the town taken by Israel in the 6-Day War. He could not write to them from an Arab country such as Kuwait or Saudi Arabia, and they could not write back, a sad state of affairs. So Tina had the solution - Aboud sent his letter to Tina who then put it in another envelope and mailed it to Israel. Aboud’s wife would then reverse the process sending a letter to Tina who put it another envelope and sent it to Saudi Arabia. It was surprisingly effective as the mail was so much better then.
Tina did eventually get to meet Aboud in London when I was on my way to another adventure, a story for another time. I’ll try and find the picture of Tina and the boys with Aboud in Trafalgar Square.
Unfortunately we have lost touch but I did bump into him some years later in Dubai and he was working for J.Ray MacDermott as a Chief Steward on a massive lay-barge so I guess Cajun cooking is also in his repertoire.! Yup, a real master chef.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

George Clayton - Woodside Farm, South Ferriby.

Image
Often when I take Bryn for his morning walk on the bank of the Humber I meet George who is a yeoman farmer of Lincolnshire. He talks of the land, farming, the seasons of the year, and other things of nature. I talk of ships, the sea, and far away places. George was born in 1920 and went to work when he was 14 as a wagoner caring for 5 horses and all their gear. he was paid 12 shillings and 6 pence per week - it was a man's job! he worked for this landowner all his life and that man left him a farm and some land out of his estate when he died. George's son now works for that estate farming and the like - a great story. George didn't go to war for two reasons - he had a weak heart and he was in agriculture. As he said the heart never did bother him and working from 6 am to 6pm daily is good for you! he retired when he was 75 years old but still works his garden etc. Interestingly he is as bright as a button, really switched on, and very fit for a man 85 years old. He eats e...
Read more

1957 Christmas Vancouver BC

Image
I have heard from Davy Makin and Vic Pitcher this Christmas season. They are old shipmates and I spent Christmas with them in Vancouver BC sixty-one[61] years ago in 1957. Actually I have known David for  71 years because he too came from Bath and we were Catholic children being educated by Nuns of the French order La Sainte Union when we met. Earlier that year [1957], in May, we had joined the tramp-ship “Bradford City” in London. [ If any of you have seen the TV drama called “Call the Midwife” we were moored where you see a two funnel ship in the opening scenes.] I had been promoted to Third Mate, I was 19 years of age, David Makin [same age] was the Senior Apprentice, and Victor Pitcher [17] an Apprentice. My best friend [God love his soul] also 19 years old, and my shipmate on the “Fresno City,” joined the “Queen City” as Third Mate in London at the same time. His ship was crewed with Lascars [Indian Seamen].  We sailed away around the world as usual. I say usual...
Read more

AN ISLAND NATION

Image
AN ISLAND NATION Island Nation or EU satellite state? Last night Jeremy Paxman, on the 19th May 2016, presented an objective view of the European Union. It is clear that the EU intends becoming a federal state and that the United Kingdom would become subsumed into that bureaucratic nightmare. I give you an alternative - the open sea  and the Commonwealth. We are an island nation off Europe but not part of Europe.The Commonwealth needs us and we most certainly need them - they are the World. It is not a pipe dream, the building blocks are still there - just - and it is predicated on the following :- “The Charter brings together the values and aspirations which unite the Commonwealth - democracy, human rights and the rule of law - in a single, accessible document. The Charter expresses the commitment of member states to the development of free and democratic societies and the promotion of peace and prosperity to improve the lives of all peoples of the Commonwealth. The...
Read more