Our boat pulled gently away from the wharf in the small cove where we had been docked. The rhythmic sound of the diesel engine was hardly noticeable above our animated conversations, the activity of preparing our hand lines for fishing, and the Captain, my husband, was at the helm, as well as starting to prepare his speciality-‘Jiggs Dinner with ‘Pease’ Puddin’-which he cooks so well. And that was fine with me. Thirty years ago he had told me how to place the vegetables in the pot, then at the end of a certain period of time I was to ‘lay the potatoes gently on the top’. Since I had been cooking since the age of nine, I had taken offense and thirty years later I still enjoy his Newfoundland cooking, and hardly ever attempt it myself. I know my limits! He does it well, he has the patience for it, everybody loves his ‘Pease puddin’,including me. He is always the cook for the Newfoundland dishes prepared in our home. I did teach him ‘Cod au Gratin’, and he does a good job of that now as well.

It was a hot day in the middle of summer, 2002, and the food fishery was open. We had the tags, bait, lines, and our small boat in tow for going fishing while leaving the bigger boat at the dock. So anyone staying behind could be comfortable and in charge of housekeeping chores. It was a situation that worked well. We fished in early morning and evening, spending the time in between exploring isolated coves. h. The big pot would be on the oil stove on the boat, giving us warmth on chilly days, and drying our wet gloves and clothes. The smell of the food cooking, the sound of the music playing, the crackling of the marine radio all made for a delightful experience. And we shared it with friends who enjoyed it as much as we did.

The water of Smith Sound was truly a mirror on that August day. The ‘Ocean Joy’ glided along smoothly, we all talked up a storm, bragged about our last big catch. The smell of the Jiggs dinner cooking wafted through the boat while the binoculars were in use looking for whales and eagles. My husband knows navigation and understands boats, and we all trusted his judgement. Our friend Gene, is an airplane pilot, and lifelong friend of my husband. He is always a good support when a consult on the radar or GPS was necessary. These two men were like a pair of synchronized professionals, and we felt no fear, safety was a big factor with them both. For Lorraine and myself it was time to catch up on the news, listen to a joke from one of them that we had heard and laughed at fifty times before. All was well with the world on that sensational day under the brilliant Newfoundland sky that I loved so much. It was exhilarating to be back under that sky, and out on the water after so many years away. Having friends we had a connection with since our youth join us made it all so much more special.

The Captain took a good look around, looked at the instruments, told me to take the wheel, keep her on course, and he bounded back to talk to Gene at the stern of the boat where he was preparing his fishing gear. Gene wanted the big cod, the huge cod, the biggest of all, and was determined to get it. The two men had somewhat of a quick conversation, Lorraine went back to join them, and the Captain came back to the wheelhouse and shut the power down considerably. I didn’t ask why, I relied on his judgement. Then he went back for another few words with Gene, and came back to the wheelhouse where I sat controlling the wheel as if I knew what I was doing. The Captain reached for the controls and set the boat into reverse, and bounced back to the stern again. Now this was becoming a tad strange. However I was told that he felt we were over a ‘ridge’ according to the charts and it was a great place for Gene to catch his ‘super-cod’. I stayed at the wheel trying to stay the course. Then I heard the bang, slam, shriek, crash, and I looked back to see my husband and my friend Lorraine sliding and slipping on the galley floor like a pair wriggling codfish! What in the world were they doing? Then I saw the pot that was full of the ingredients for Jiggs dinner and was slowly cooking on the stove, giving us its’ great aroma.

Well, the pot was not on the stove any more! And the dinner wasn’t in it either! Gene appeared from the back, and the three of them slid around frantically gathering up all the hot food that they could and throwing it back into the somewhat dented pot. And then I knew–the pot had flown off the stove! It just took a flying leap when the boat settled after going into reverse for a moment, and we ricocheted in our own sea swell. The pot smacked into the table, the food was everywhere in the galley and it was one chaotic scene! I couldn’t leave the wheel, they were sliding, slipping, yelling, grabbing, and trying to hang onto each other as they skated through large green leaves of half-cooked hot cabbage. What a sight! I kept on the course, they kept picking up the food, finally putting the damaged pot back on the stove. Then the Captain took the wheel again. We proceeded to clean the greasy galley. I never in my life saw anything like it. I found the ‘pease puddin’ bag on the top of the cushions at the table, Lorraine had taken with a fit of laughter, Gene was awestruck, and the poor Captain had his meal ruined. Now this was a fine fix to be in! One thing that is certain, he was not throwing that dinner out! He gave the wheel to Gene and came back to the galley, took wire and lashed that pot onto the stove, lashed the cover onto the pot, and by the look of this solution I thought the pot was there forever! By then we were all somewhat giddy over it all. And the Captain was thinking hard. I knew that look.

Then after twenty minutes or so the hard thinking Captain announced that he was adding the potatoes. He would finish cooking supper. It took longer to unlash the cover of the pot than it did to grow a turnip, but he did it and laid his ‘potatoes gently on the top’! He then tied down the cover again and announced that all was well, and dinner would be ready on time. His face was saying ‘don’t ask me any questions’. So of course I had to ask a question just to keep my reputation for disobedience. "How do you think we can eat that food? It has been on the floor for heavens’ sake. Have you lost your mind?" I had the audacity to ask! I stood there waiting for an answer, which, if you know the Captain, would not be long coming.

"Heat kills germs," he announced, "and we will not be having the Jiggs dinner as planned, we will have now a new special meal. Ever heard of ‘DECK STEW? Well, that is what you will be having!" It took ten minutes before we could catch our breath. We had such a reaction to the declaration of the Captain. He meant what he said, and ‘Deck Stew’ it would be. We all agreed, because on a boat the ‘Captain calls the shots’ as they say. So we continued on, Gene caught fish, we chatted and joked some more, and soon we docked the boat in Popes Harbour. OK, we would have the ‘Deck Stew’. We never had anything else anyway. We set about to have our meal, a lovely glass of wine, a lantern candle, and lots of babble about ‘the event’!

Actually the Deck Stew was rather enjoyable. The Captain asserted that ‘no pot will fly off that thing again!’. And by the amount of wire he had in his hand we believed him.

We remained fairly under control from that point on, and got back to talking about our usual topics. Things seemed to be relatively civil.

That is until Lorraine held up a fork full of carrot, looked at me and asked "Do these carrots taste a little ‘dieselly’ to you?"

The gales of laughter started again, and the question never did get answered. The carrots were a tad ‘dieselly’, but they were good!

So our Captain goes down in the history of Smith Sound as the only Captain ever to come up with a new recipe for use at sea, diesel spiced and delicious. He had become a Trinity bay Gourmet!

And that is how ‘Deck Stew’ came to be an original dining experience in Trinity Bay, Newfoundland! Give it a try. Remember to ‘lay the potatoes gently on the top’, and various other spices may be used in place of ‘diesel fuel’.

As the fine Captain said, "Don’t knock it ‘til you try it!" 

Bonnie Jarvis-Lowe

"Instead of thinking about where you are, think about where you want to be. It takes twenty years of hard work to become an overnight success." Diana Rankin

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