Step into my galley

April 29, 2010 by Blondie 4 Comments A⁺ a^-

THWACK!!
THWACK!!
THWACK!!

Boarding your domestic flight, that's the not so loud, but annoying sound you hear emanating from the back of the aircraft.

THWACK!!
THWACK!!
THWACK!!

Oh, don't pay any attention to it. It's just me in the galley, getting ready for you!

THWACK!!
THWACK!!
THWACK!!

C'mon in--let me show you around...

This is it--not much to it, right?

Each of the squares in the wall are called carrier boxes. They're removable-the caterers take out the used ones and replace them them with freshly stocked ones. The front panel is what the Flight Attendant removes to reveal the contents.

Those removable panels break my nails all the time. Grrrrrr....

And, in the boxes are supplies we'll need for the flight: ice, sodas, orange juice, bottled water, coffee pots...

Okay...see the mallet?

Yes, this is the cause of all that noise.
THWACK!!
THWACK!!
THWACK!!

Ice is really important to a Flight Attendant. Big chunks are hard for me to scoop out, and slow me down. And, icebergs in your soda aren't good, either.

Behold! Pretty ice!

This is the bin (inside the carrier box) that I'll put on top of the cart for our beverage service. I load it up with 3 orange juices, 3 bottles of water, 1 sleeve of coffee cups, 6 sleeves of plastic cups, hot water for tea, and packs of napkins. But, that's just me. Other Flight Attendants have their own ways of setting the cart up.

Coffee comes in a bin like this. Each bag of coffee contains 2 packs of regular coffee and one pack of decaf, and each pack contains 2 packets to brew. Also in the bag is sugar, Equal and tea bags.

On top of the cart we'll put a pot of regular coffee, and one of decaf, as well as limes (and lemons, if we have any.)

Doesn't leave much room to work!

And, the star of the show--the cart!

The top drawer is all that pretty ice I worked so hard on.

'The next two drawers are sodas and juices.

The next drawer is the booze drawer. We've carry a limited selection of "mini's"--the miniature liquor bottles. There is also a couple of red wine minis, stir sticks and extra napkins.

Gin and tonic, anyone?

Bottom drawer--the cold stuff. Beer, white wine, margaritas. I usually add a couple of bottles of water and orange juice on top of this.

Oh, and the little white tile in the plastic bag? It's dry ice--and how everything is kept cold.

And, here is what I see when I pull out the drawer to give you a beverage. In the minimal light of early morning and night when the cabin is dark, it can be difficult to differentiate between the cans. The gold tops are usually ginger ale, but not always. The green tabs are a new thing from Sprite-and Flight Attendants across the country are just a little bit happier. I might pull out a red Bloody Mary mix can mistaking it for a Coca-Cola, or a Diet Coke thinking it is a Diet Sprite.

I'm telling you, people--this is a hard job!

Now, would you like something to drink?