Zealand

3. Breakfasting

Captain and I talked while he busied himself at a table in the corner, and when I saw steam rising from the kettle, I said, "The water's boiling. Can I dump the pease[1] or meal in?"

He chuckled. "Nay, lad. That water is first to make our tay[2]."

"Tay, sir?"

"A drink from India. Boiling removes poisons from the water, then soaking tae leaves in it adds flavour and gives us vigour."

"Oh! Did you fetch the leaves from India?"

"No, not me." He pointed toward the door. "They are brought by ships such as those at anchor out there. With so many people now in London, merchantmen bring goods from all over the world. Things not found here."

"Like us bringing the vegetables up the river to the market."

"Indeed, near none grow in the city, so they must be brought in." He carried two small bowls to the hearth and set them on a stone shelf high above the fire. Then after ladling steaming water into them, he left them there and returned to the table.

For a long while, I looked at the wisps rising from the bowls, wondering. Then I asked, "Shall I fetch the tae to over there, sir?"

"Not yet, lad. The leaves need to steep a bit longer then be removed."

A short while later, he returned to the hearth with two dumplings, placed them in the ladle and spilt them out into the kettle of boiling water. Smaller than Mother made. But he didn't know I'd be here. He's made one for me from half his own. I placed a hand on my belly as it rumbled. Should I tell him to eat both? My belly rumbled again.

I looked up from my confusion as he spoke, "Take this and dip the leaves from the bowls and toss them into the fire."

"Aye, sir. Leaves into the fire."

He roared a laugh, and when he calmed, he said, "Repeating is only for aboard, lad. Ashore, we talk like normal folk."

I did as he bade, scooping leaves from a bowl with a golden fork and flipping them into the fire. The first forkful sputtered and made a hissing sound, so I tossed them one-by-one into different parts of the fire to see what else might happen. I was about finished when Captain ladled the dumplings out, and I winced, knowing they ain't done yet. They need longer to not be pasty in the middle.

My belly rumbled again. But food is food.

Captain rolled them into a bowl as he said, "Bring the tae to the table, lad, but mind they be hot. Grasp them from atop the rims."

As I set them on the table, he pointed to a chair. "Sit there, lad."

In front of me was a golden plate with a thick piece of bread and a reddish slab of what I knew not. I was about to push it to the middle of the table when I saw Captain had the same in front of him. Then he took the dumplings from the small bowl and placed one on each plate. Mine rolled a distance, and I puzzled at this while I awaited permission.

"Is something amiss, lad?"

I looked up to see he had cut his dumpling in two, and he was digging in it with a spoon. "Mother said to always await permission to begin."

"Aye, sorry. I seldom eat with anyone, but that is no excuse. I am improper." He set down his spoon. "Please, let us begin."

I picked up my knife to cut the dumpling like he did, then I stopped when I felt how hard it was. "This ain't like no dumpling I ever had. Ours were always soft and sticky."

He chuckled. "Not a dumpling, lad. That be an egg."

"Oh! I ain't never ate one. May I watch how you do it, so I know?"

"Please. First, I hold it and strike it with a knife, but only sufficient to cut halfway through. Then pull it the rest of the way apart to arrive like this. Some spoon it from the shell to their mouth, but I prefer to empty mine onto a piece of bread."

I watched as he did, and I repeated with mine.

"While it is still hot, I put a dallop[3] of butter on it to melt in. Then I add a tiny pinch of salt before cutting it all up and arranging it atop the bread in this manner."

He waited for me to do the same with mine, then he said, "Now, cut a small piece like this and another from the ham, then –"

"Ham, sir?"

"This." He indicated with his knife and fork as he cut from the reddish slab. "Smoked meat from the hanches[4] of a hog." When he had it cut, he moved the piece of bread and egg atop it, speared through both with his fork and took it to his mouth.

I followed his actions, but with smaller pieces, not sure if I would like the taste. But once it was in my mouth, I realised my pother[5] was of no worth. Not ever had I tasted anything near so wonderful. While I savoured, I cut and assembled another bite, much larger this time.

"What think ye of the egg, lad?"

Remembering what Mother said, I finished the bite before replying, "I ain't afore tasted anything so good." Then I paused. "But I know not if it's the egg or the ham."

"Then, you might sip some tae to clean your mouth, and after, take a bite of each separate, that you learn the different flavours and textures."

When I had done this, I said, "Both is equal good, but so different one ta t'other."

He nodded. "On what did you breakfast at home?"

"Porridge, mostly. Sometimes oats, sometimes pease. When Mother saved enough to buy some wheat flour, she made dumplings."

"Never meat?"

"For supper. A bone in the soup. The houses she cleaned gave her them and peelings from turnips, taters and such, and often the end of a bread loaf."

"Then eat this up, lad. And if you want more, tell me. Crewing a barge is hard work, and it needs much food." He pointed to my arms. "Ye be slender as a stick, and we need to get more meat onto your bones."

"More like this and you'll fast run out of pence."

He chuckled. "Nay, lad. This morning, we gained enough to buy a hundred times this."

I looked up from building another bite. "A hundred? How?"

"The carrots cost me sixpence a bushel down the river, and I sold each sack for ten pence. The onions –"

"Why would anyone give you that much when they can go down the river to fetch them for less?"

"They have no barge, and it would be many hours to take their cart across the bridge, down the river and back, and the horse would eat into the gain with its oats and hay. Besides, at the market stalls up in Eastcheap, they will sell them for a farthing the pound, so they also gain."

"Oh! Fourteen pence a bushel. They gained the same as you."

"Exactly!" Captain looked at me with a strange expression as he bobbed his head. Then he said, "You are well skilled at cyphering for one so young."

"Mother taught me. She said my head is full of numbers, and I take to it naturally."

"Very useful for navigating a ship."

"Will you teach me that, as well, sir?"

"Aye, but in its time, lad."

Notes:
[1] This is how peas was spelt, and it referred to what we now know as dried split peas.
[2] This was the contemporary spelling of tea.
[3] This was the spelling before it changed to dollop in 1812.
[4] This was the spelling of haunches until the 18th century.
[5] The word bother didn't exist until 1718, and pother meant a worry.