Duff Day

Dictionary of Newfoundland English
duff¹ n EDD ~ sb¹ 1 esp Co quot; DAE 1 (1838-) for sense 1; for comb in sense 2: Centduff-day 'on board ship, Sunday.'

duff day: day of the week when a boiled pudding is customarily served at the main meal.

When I was much younger, I had the experience of attending a canoeing camp in Northern Wisconsin. The camp took pride in teaching the traveling ways of old canoe voyagers, French fur traders and the like. Campers would embark on several voyages during the course of the summer Long days on the paddle, tough portages with heavy gear. Everyone with a task.  Camp would be broken as breakfast was underway. Canoes packed, meal down and paddle on. Sounds a bit spartan but actually very grabbing for young men with a lot of energy. Then would come the revered "Duff Day". After several travel days and many miles through the thick back country of the north woods, we would take a day off. There was still order around the meals but otherwise the day was unstructured and very pleasant. Much in the fashion of the New England merchant sailors who were supposed to be granted Sunday as a day off. However, often was the habit that the ships owners would organize the ship's schedule such that the sailors were actually underway on Sundays and thus they would get "free" sailing day which otherwise would be given over to the less fortunate sailing crew.

Here at Montague, I have arranged with the ship's owner to provide duff days at will and with no concern for loss of way or commercial opportunity. Here at the cafe, perhaps a serving of boiled pudding would do.