Today was my turn to be the cook’s helper. Anastasia is our cook and makes three meals a day for us. Each of us takes a turn helping her prepare the meal and then we wash all of the dishes.
Anastasia doesn’t speak very much English and my Russian vocabulary is limited to about 25 words that are useful in the context of food preparation, like potato, carrot, onion, chicken, cheese, water, knife, spoon, sausage, butter, bread, tea, coffee, sugar, salt, soy sauce, and tomato. I also know the Russian numbers up to 19. Unfortunately, I don’t know very many verbs…..good thing that we can pantomime actions!
Anastasia, our camp cook, working in her main cooking area just outside the dining tent. We have a kerosene stove outside and a “fancy” stove inside the tent.
Anastasia, our camp cook, working in her main cooking area just outside the dining tent.
We have a kerosene stove outside and a "fancy” stove inside the tent.
The inside of the dining tent where we eat all of our meals.
The inside of the dining tent where we eat all of our meals.
My duties included cutting up cheese, sausage, butter and bread for sandwiches at breakfast, counting spoons, bowls and cups to make sure that there were enough for everyone, cutting up or grating cucumbers, apples, carrots, peppers, onions, lemons, and oranges for salads, soups or eating, and watching carrots and onions cook in a lot of oil. I also hauled water from the creek, washed dishes (with help from Dima Shubin) and washed the floor of the dining tent at the end of the day. It was fun, but also exhausting.
The shredded carrots, chopped onions and tomatoes that Anastasia put me in charge of watching while it cooked for the soup.
The shredded carrots, chopped onions and tomatoes that Anastasia put me in charge of watching while it cooked for the soup.
Aside from helping Anastasia, I stayed in the camp all day working on my journals from the day before and preparing images for the webinar. Today also marked the return of James Taylor and Nick Shankle to our camp. They had been working a little farther south on Simushir for 3-4 days and now will be joining our work here until we return to the Iskatel on July 31.
Nick has offered to write a "guest journal" in the next day or two to tell you about their adventures. Keep an eye out for it! Tomorrow, back to the excavation!
Da Svidanya! Misty