What time is it?
It's time to eat! At least, that's what time it always seems to be for me here in Antarctica. Despite all the fabulous Extreme Cold Weather clothing we have and all the layers I wear for diving, it's seems that my body is constantly craving food. Why do you think that is?
To answer that, you have to understand what your body does with the food. Food contains stored potential energy that your body can convert to useful energy. This energy powers your muscles, allows your body to repair itself, and produces heat!
When we're around McMurdo Station, we can eat our meals in the Galley. It seems that when I'm here, I never miss a meal. When we're out on the sea ice though, we can't always make it back to the Galley during meal time. So then what do you do?
Believe it or not, skipping a meal here in Antarctica is not such a good idea. The other day I missed breakfast and lunch. Boy, was my body screaming at me for some calories. Feed me! Feed me!
Being hungry can really put you in some serious situations in the cold. It can affect your focus and abilities which leads to mistakes in your work and in safety. Not having enough food and water can also put you at greater risk for hypothermia.
What's the solution?
Bring food with you! Here at McMurdo, going out onto the sea ice, means you have to travel prepared. We talked about all the safety equipment and work equipment that we need. The other successful ingredient for a good day out on the ice is plenty of food and water. Where do you go to get all this food? To the Food Room...
Meet Peggy Malloy
Peggy shows us the Food Room layout during our orientation.
Peggy runs the Food Room here at McMurdo. She is tasked with supplying food to all of the field camps and science groups working out on the ice. She is the wizard of field camp cooking and even has compiled the Antarctic Field Camp cookbook to share her experience with others going into the field.
We've been making trips to the Food Room to supply our field outings with the necessary goodies to keep our bodies running at a top-notch performance level. Here's a few photos from our many visits!
The right spices can make any field meal perfect.
The Food Room is cozy, with lots of packed shelves.
Stacy knows what's important out in the field.
Just add water to these pouches and the dehydrated food inside becomes a declicious meal.
I couldn't have labeled these chocolate bars any better.
How many do you think I can take?
There are so many choices.
There's something about chocolate when you're cold…
M'mmm, M'mmm…Good!
Peggy keeps careful record of everything we take. Nothing goes to waste and everything is super organized in the Food Room.