Food!

This week in pole is food. During the winter, there are three cooks, one for each meal. A typical menu is shown below.

A lot of the options are very 'meat and potatoes' american, but occasionally we get chinese or indian food. Every Friday is steak night, every wednesday is burgers for lunch, and Saturdays rotate between Pasta and Pizza. This Saturday is an exception because the thee workers in the Vehicle Maintenance Facility are throwing a July 4th BBQ. The breakfast meal is a random main dish (such as breakfast burritos or breakfast pizzas) and some stables like hash or hash browns. Smoothies and bacon are available almost every day, and eggs, omelets, or pancakes can be made to order. Despite all of this breakfast goodness, it is the least attended meal. 

Overall, the quality of food is excellent - when it costs so much fuel-wise per pound to fly food down here, it isn't that much more expensive to pay for good food stock. 

Sundays no meals are cooked because that is everyone's day off. So people either have to eat out of the leftover fridge or rely on one of the many snack options, the most important being the bottomless cookie bin. 

They aren't always fresh, but they are always there. 

Another important snacking option

Unlimited coffee and tea (the good kind)

If all of those options are insufficient, anyone can raid under the galley counter for cookies, crackers, and ramen. These are commonly brought to work sites or to people's rooms for anytime snackability.

As you can see, it is easy to eat a completely unhealthy american diet at the South Pole all year round. Although those that plan to return might want to avoid bacon every morning or they might not pass their next physical. Overall, the food variety is good. This is partially dependent on the creativity of the cooks, but ours are all good, especially as long as they continue to throw Tikka Masala and Naan into the mix every so often. 

Other crumbs:

• Vegetarian options are available for every meal
• Breakfast 6-7:30, Lunch 11:30-1, and Dinner 5-6:30
• People can cook their own meals during off hours, but few do
• People will odd or night shifts can requests the kitchen to save them plates
• No fresh fruit, but the kitchen does make use of the veggies from the greenhouse

Next Week in Pole: Why is there a cyanide kit in Medical?