Food

Food – the subject of intense interest, bitter complaining, and, occasionally, great joy. The dining hall (commonly known as the galley) is open 24 hours a day for coffee, kool aid type juice (lovingly referred to as “bug juice”), peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and breakfast cereal. There are 4 set meal times throughout the work day: breakfast, lunch, dinner and midrats (military speak for “midnight rations” – the main midday meal for night shift workers).

Food is served cafeteria-style with a “take what you want, eat what you take” philosophy. Every meal has hot food available and amongst the hot items, there is always one vegetarian option. The galley staff tries their best to make their limited selection of ingredients into interesting and palatable meals. However, meals tend to end up being monochromatic with lots of meat and potatoes. The chicken is the most disappointing - though they dress it up with fancy names, sauces and seasonings, it remains stringy and dry.

The highlights of the meals are the freshly baked breads and desserts. Wednesday is cookie day and Fridays are pizza lunch days. Sunday brunch is a big meal complete with Belgian waffles, eggs made to order, roast, baked brie, and whatever freshies arrived the day before by plane.

Freshies are the most sought-after items from the galley. Since aircraft from Christchurch only arrive 4 days per week and hold space is primarily reserved for science cargo, we don’t have a steady supply of fresh fruits and vegetables. We have green salads, oranges, kiwis, bananas and apples about once or twice per week and on Sundays. Hoarding is common and I must admit that we have our own small stash. There is a greenhouse on the station, but it is only small and can only be considered as an additional source of freshies. However it is a popular place to be, because of all the green and the nice smells (and in winter time for the light).

In between freshie deliveries, fruit comes from a can. When things get grim, jello counts as the fruit of the day.

During lunches, we have a sandwich bar which offers a choice of luncheon meats, cheeses, pickles, onions and, often, lettuce and tomato – all on homemade breads. It’s a popular alternative to some of the more sickly looking warm options. On a few nights a week, we have the option of purchasing burgers and fries at the bar for a change of scenery.

On Saturday evenings, we are permitted to bring wine and beer into the galley to enjoy with our evening meal. This is always a great opportunity to meet new people as they scour the room for a corkscrew.

The gastronomic highlights of the season are Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. The galley staff goes all-out to decorate and bake incredible feasts. Volunteers are recruited from the community to help chop and bake beforehand and to wash dishes during the festivities. The entire community gets an extra day off during each of those weeks and there are extra parties and concerts.

When people need the pleasure of cooking or baking for themselves, they can put in a food request for the ingredients to bake cakes or cookies or to make pizza or other dishes in Hut 10. Hut 10 is a fully furnished stand-alone “home” designed to accommodate visiting dignitaries and important persons (eg. Senators voting on funding for the National Science Foundation) complete with plumbing, heating, carpeting, full kitchen and bedrooms. It is really interesting how you realize how much you miss the comforts and coziness of home when you get inside.