23 April: Feeding habits of the Antarctic Scientist (Scotia Arc Expedition 2013)

Introducing special guest blogger, James Tickner.

Since the science is a bit slow at the moment due to the weather, I thought I’d share some info on our feeding habits. To keep us (and a hungry crew) full and happy the ship has four kitchen staff, with two on duty at any one time throughout the day.

Meal times are:

• Breakfast @ 7:30-8:30
  Largely mythical to the afternoon team (or at least me) who often work till early in the morning. Breakfast always has plenty of hot foods, like sausages, scrambled eggs and delicious crispy American-style bacon. Every other day there are treats like pancakes or French toast. These foods might sound fatty but lots of energy is needed to stay warm in these temperatures and even more to stay upright on a rocking ship.
• Lunch @ 11:30-12:30
  Lunch (or breakfast as it is known to afternoon people) is always a busy affair with just about everyone on the ship awake and in need of a feed. Lunch usually has two or even three main choices with plenty of sides. My favourite lunch so far has been the “Mexican Day”, complete with multiple burrito fillings and enchiladas.
• Dinner @ 5:30pm-6:30pm
  The kitchen staff is very diligent in making sure that they don’t repeat meals which is a pleasant change for someone who only cooks a couple of dishes. The food is so plentiful and delicious I’m starting to get concerned about getting ship-sick when I get home!
• Mid-Rats @ 11:30pm-12:30am
  The glorious Mid-Rats (Midnight Rations) combines breakfast foods (for people coming on shift) with dinner foods (for people ending their shifts). The end result is your choice of pancakes and bacon or pork chops and salad (or any combination thereof!), which is always a great incentive to keep working on those long, cold nights.

One of our science team has a gluten allergy, which the kitchen is very conscientious about, always marking which foods are and are not safe. The kitchen crew always does a good job of keeping the dessert table full of delicious and varied treats.

At the moment there is banana bread, a chocolate cake and incredible, chewy chocolate chip biscuits… Actually I’m going to have to end it here. *OM NOM NOM*

~ James Tickner