The ‘mail boats’ of the Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij (KPM, Royal Packet Navigation Company) had a rather shaky reputation. Colloquially, KPM stood for: ‘Komt Pas Morgen’ (‘Arrival Not Till Tomorrow’). At any rate, the Eurasian writer Dé-Lilah (pseudonym of Lucy van Renesse-Johnston) was delighted with the onboard cuisine. In 1896 she went on a five-month tourist trip from Deli, where she lived, to Java with KPM. On board she was served, according to her travelogue, sauerkraut with a sausage, pea soup with pigs’ trotters and steak with fried potatoes. She found the croquettes on board so delicious that she asked the chef to let her have the recipe.
1. Europeans on board a ship of the KPM (Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij, Royal Packet Navigation Company), presumably in the port of Palembang in Sumatra, around 1915. [KITLV 68136]
2. Europeans on board a ship, presumably of the KPM (Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij, Royal Packet Navigation Company), departing from Surabaya, around 1922. [KITLV 66918]