Community Cook Day
Happy Saturday! Today was community cook day- when the kitchen staff have the day off and the rest of the community cooks breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is a way to say thank you for the recent Thanksgiving meal that the kitchen staff prepared. The science section was assigned lunch so we met at 9:30am to get ready for an 11am lunch. On the menu was grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, onion rings, and jalapeno poppers!
It was such a treat to see everyone helping out and having fun at the same time! There was laughter, music, dancing, and lots and lots of sandwiches. I was on the tomato soup team. We had to heat up nearly 10 gallons of soup...it took longer than I expected. But while I stirred the soup for an hour, I got to talk to a lot of faces I recognized but hadn't yet met.
Tomato soup for community cook day
Community cook day
Each of us rotated lunchtimes to taste the fruits of our labor and afterward, came the clean up. There is an industrial dishwasher in the kitchen that cleans a rack of dishes in about 30 seconds. (Where can I get one of those!?) I had a great time helping out in the kitchen because the sense of community here at the South Pole is so strong. You can't help but want to be part of the team!
Helping to clean up after lunch
Industrial dishwasher
In the afternoon, I took a tour of the South Pole Traverse, a team that drives from McMurdo on the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole to deliver fuel and cargo. The journey is 995 miles long and takes the team 40 days to complete! The South Pole traverse is an effort to deliver goods to the South Pole more reliably and in a more cost-efficient manner than by flight, since flights are heavily dependent on good weather.
One of the vehicles of the South Pole Traverse
Tour inside the South Pole Traverse
So much to see, so much to learn.
Talk soon, friends.
Jocelyn
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