Journal Entry

Sep-Sep (one of our two guides) brought walrus for lunch today.

Sep SepSep-Sep, our Yupik guide, LOVES walrus. His favorite part is walrus brain, and the mode of ingestion is, ahem, through a straw in the punctured skull.

Fermented baby walrus.

Walrus in a bagFermented baby walrus.

You see, they bury it in the snow for a couple of weeks, then hang it out to dry for another couple of weeks. It is not like jerky at that point as you might think. In fact it was oozing in its own juices when Sep-Sep handed some over to me. Think cartilagenous oyster meat for texture.

I made the huge mistake of smelling it first.

I am not a fan. That is all.

Today's Tweet

When in Savoonga, the Walrus capital of the world, one must try the delicacies. Acquired tastes are everywhere. So glad Mom taught me to try new foods. #walrus #savoonga

Comments

Wed, 07/25/2018 - 11:17

Judy Fahnestock

Thanks for this journal and your bravery! I never would have known...
One question I have (as a science-minded individual) is do people who eat traditional diets ever get sick (i.e. from eating walrus brain prepared that way)? One would assume that indigenous peoples 'flora' is much different than ours. In comparison, would they get sick from the processed food that we eat? Curious minds want to know!

Wed, 07/25/2018 - 15:29

Wendi Pillars

Sep Sep says he passed out after eating the brains the other night, but it's because he loves them so much; they're his all-time favorite meat, but we were thinking that such a bodily response might be an indicator. Of what, who knows. They do eat processed foods from what we've seen. Sep-sep also lunches on Spam! One of our other guides is a huge fan of chocolate, and Panguk, our third guide, relies on canned oysters and vienna sausages for his field lunches.

Wed, 07/25/2018 - 17:56

Mike Penn

When in Savoonga... I just curious if you used his straw or if you had your own? Wendi, stuff like this will put you at the top of the "World's Most Interesting Woman" list on top of all of your other life adventures!

Wed, 07/25/2018 - 18:30

Wendi Pillars

Mike, I did not share his straw, as this was merely "other parts" of the walrus and not the brains. I used my fingers to eat, as did he, and I
think I can still smell it 24 hours later. I told Sep Sep I will never
forget him for providing the experience!

On 7/25/18 5:56 PM, PolarTREC wrote:

Wed, 07/25/2018 - 20:21

Thomas Moorefield

Got caught up with your journal entries this evening. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences. I measured around 8 miles to Cape Myaughee from Savoongna (as the crow flies). Even if you only went half-way to the Cape, that's a long, rough ATV run, especially over those angular volcanic rocks. My question is: Where are the other remainig research sites and what modes of transportation will the team be using? Boat, helicopter, airplane??
A geologic note for those interested: The Kookooligit Mountains directly south of Savoonga are volcanic in origin. This type of volcano is referred to as a shield volcano. The Hawaiian volcanoes are shield volcanoes as well. The last eruption of Kookooligit volcanic area is estimated to have ended 1.2 million years ago.

Sat, 07/28/2018 - 21:36

Wendi Pillars

Hi, and thanks for reading along! Yes, the rides can be rough via ATV, and we typically travel in 2nd or 3rd gear, so it's not fast by any means. Our other sites so far have included Kitnik, Kiveepuk, Ivgaq cliffs, Dukaughok, and Kukoolik. Tomorrow we will actually do some travel by boat to Dukaughot, but otherwise, all is by ATV. For further sites, the team goes camping and stays overnight to minimize extra travel time.
Thanks for the geologic note! The Kookooligit Mountains are beautiful and still full of snow, unusual for this time of year, according to the locals.

Thanks again for joining me on this journey. I'd love to know more about your experiences and knowledge of St. Lawrence Island!

From: PolarTREC
To:
Sent: 7/26/2018 1:21 AM
Subject: Re: Thomas Moorefield commented on 24 July 2018 Walrus for lunch

Sat, 07/28/2018 - 21:36

Wendi Pillars

I tried not to think about it too much. :)

From: PolarTREC
To:
Sent: 7/26/2018 12:09 PM
Subject: Re: Lauren Neitzke Adamo commented on 24 July 2018 Walrus for lunch

Wed, 08/01/2018 - 15:09

Stacy Gasteiger

Such a foodie-sharing photos of your meals.

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