Text 6692, 128 rader
Skriven 2006-10-16 15:43:34 av Ruth Haffly (1:396/45.28)
     Kommentar till en text av Glen Jamieson
Ärende: MIMOSAE  61015
======================
Hi Glen,


 RH> next move, I'm going to hold out my little crock pot so I can use it in

 GJ> When my family first arrived in the then Territory of Papua and New
 GJ> Guinea it was still an Australian mandated territory (effectively,
 GJ> colony), administrated by the Australian government.  As I was a
 GJ> public servant we were allocated government housing, and all personal
 GJ> effects transferred from Australia at government expence.  This, of
 GJ> course, took time, and although we went almost immediately into a
 GJ> house, all our kitchen equipment was in transit for several weeks.
 GJ> Until our goods arrived, the Administration provided a "survival box"
 GJ> - a metal patrol box containing the goods listed on the lid: 6 -
 GJ> dessert bowls, 6 - large plates, 4 - assorted saucepans, etc etc.


Sounds like the 90 day kits we got moving in and out of Berlin.

 GJ> These survival boxes had been used by quite a few families before us,
 GJ> and although the quantities of crockery etc were in accordance with
 GJ> the list, previous users had often discovered that the quality of
 GJ> government saucepans, knives, pans were superior to their own, so a
 GJ> swap was made. Consequently, after the box had passed through a dozen
 GJ> or more families the kitchen goods it contained had become a rather
 GJ> sorry collection of rejects.

Our stuff was labeled and listed in such a manner so if you kept
anything form it, they would know--even if you subbed in another knife
for the "XX brand 10 cm paring knife" as listed.  Too bad, as the set of
china we had in the first kit was really nice.  I wouldn't have minded
keeping it. (G)  I guess some less than honest folks circumvented the
system but I'd have rather gotten the china "legally."

 GJ> Our reaction was to actually spend some money and buy the cheapest
 GJ> thin aluminium pans from the nearest Chinese trade store, with the
 GJ> expectation that they would burn out in a few months.  I still have
 GJ> some of them, 30 years later, still usable.

Funny how that works.  We have some of the stuff Steve had before we got
married--most of that isn't in everyday use but gets hauled out for
camping or loaning out to friends awaiting the arrival of their
household goods.

 RH> luggage and a couple of boxes of household basics.  We lived in a hotel
 RH> for a couple of weeks, then into temporary housing where we able to
 RH> borrow a bit of what we didn't have for kitchen use.  We also were able

 GJ> After my first 7 years of PNG service all the stuff was moved back to
 GJ> Australia, but there was no "survival box".  The next time I served
 GJ> there it was an independent country, without some of the side benefits

Oh well, such are the breaks. (G)


 GJ> of government employment.  There was a "settling in" allowance instead
 GJ> of the patrol box; much better.

We have a dislocation allowance plus travel pay.  Still, not like having
either your own stuff or a loaner box.  We mailed ahead some of the
stuff we'd used in HI the 3 weeks after pack out so we wouldn't have to
buy replacements--it was mostly the old stuff anyway but included my
favorite $1. all around kitchen knife.


 GJ> Wherever I went in E Europe gulash was offered, in a variety of
 GJ> spellings.  Although tasty, it usually lacked the degree of paprika

 RH> Should have packed a shaker bottle of your own favorite seasoning. (G)

 GJ> We did find one restaurant in Prague which provided paprika shaker
 GJ> bottles on the tables; an excellent idea.

Others would have been smart to have followed the example.

 GJ> restaurant near St Vitus cathedral in the Prague Castle complex, where
 GJ> the rich, dark stew was poured into a hollowed-out, hemispherical
 GJ> half-loaf of bread, "Beef Gulash in a bread boat", and eaten with a
 RH> I've seen that done with beef stew as well.  Less dishes for the

 GJ> It takes a certain amount of skill to eat the bread down at the same
 GJ> level as the contents.  The last, soup-soaked bread is lovely!

Very much so; you don't want a soup or stew spilling over the breach.
(G)


 GJ> Something you can think about doing after retirement...

 RH> Don't hold your breath waiting for us to visit. It would be nice but
 RH> funding would play pay a more major role in prioritising wants.
 RH> As of now, tentative plans are for Steve to got to seminary and then
 RH> pastor a small church; plans are subject to some revision of course.

 GJ> Perhaps he may be required to do missionary work overseas.

That's more a voluntary thing, and they wouldn't let me go with some of
my health issues.



 RH> Then it should work.  I've a nice dark area built up on the bottom of

 GJ> It costs nothing to give it a try.

No, and it might just be workable, thus not costing any money to come up
with an alternate cooking method.

 RH> set up the bedframe and help me decide on what goes where otherwise.
 GJ> Yes, those would be my priorities - food, computer, bed.  :)
 RH> Except 6 days after we moved into our last place, I shattered my elbow
 RH> and priorities got somewhat readjusted.  We had the basics in place
 RH> but took longer to settle other areas.

 GJ> That would upset plans more than somewhat.

Did it ever!  We had several boxes of books that were never unpacked.
(G)

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchafflyNOSPAM(at)NOSPAMearthlink(dot)net  FIDO 1:396/45.28

... Junk: stuff we throw away.  Stuff: junk we keep.

--- PPoint 3.01
 * Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)