Self-catering was a requirement on the kipper fleet at some locations. A trip downtown to the local supermarket in Andenes was necessary whilst on detachment to Andoya (northern Norway for the uninitiated). We trundled down the aisles picking out tinned culinary delights for a 9 hour sortie the next day, involving 12 epicureans with discerning palates. Visual cues were necessary, as knowledge of the written Norwegian language was somewhat limited, to say the least. We did, however, secure some frozen reindeer steak.
About four hours into the mission, and I was given first tasting of our reindeer stew. My taste buds were mugged, when it became obvious that the two large tins of potatoes added, were, in fact, fish balls of indeterminate origin. I ploughed on, finished the lot, and declared it a magnificent concoction. The next hour was one of consternation, as the rest of the crew struggled to find the same merit in this spawn of the devil that I had. I maintained my praise of the dish until the day I left the Squadron ...