He's aware that Marvelous' sarcasm sometimes covers more soft, genuine feelings. So he takes it at face value, and feels a little better about the whole situation. I mean, it's obvious to him that the crew's been missed and he's taking the brunt of that. So he lays off. For now. If he doesn't make a stink about the condition of the ship from time to time, Marvelous would get suspicious anyway.

The chicken needs a little more sear, in his opinion, but he moves it to the side of the pan to cook the cabbage alongside. It's one of his sure-fire tricks for getting the crew to eat vegetables... Make them taste a little bit like meat. "It's almost ready, by the way!" he calls. "You want to set the table?" The answer, undoubtedly, will be no.