We celebrate American Independence with a feast and a presentation and our picture gallery of the week is by Tim New

Independence Day

 With only one and half Americans on station (that isn’t a size joke Ben) you might think that American Independence Day would go by completely unnoticed. But as the end of June rolled around, I got a call from our chef Scotty. Not too long ago I might have condemned Scotty as the horrible villain in my fight against weight gain on station. On this particular day though, he became an enthusiastic and invaluable ally. He was wondering if I’d be keen to put together a 4th of July celebration of sorts. And of course I was! So for one day, good and evil walked hand-in-hand together (not literally) down the road to gluttony.

Scotty put together a feast that would have made Abraham Lincoln blush. There were chicken wings with three dipping sauces, chicken nuggets, and corn dogs. There was pulled pork in tortillas, sliders and seafood chowder. Then as the firework show started (on the computer of course) Scotty brought in the most amazing dessert. Here was a chocolate base, a whopping layer of cheesecake, another generous layer of icing, and finally rows of strawberries and a smattering of blueberries. What started as tins, bags and other containers of ingredients had been magically transformed into a beautiful and delicious American flag cheesecake.

I enlisted Ben, my half American comrade, to help with decorations which included pictures of Uncle Sam, Honest Abe, George W. Bush, Obama and obviously Jessica Simpson. The American flag was hanging front and centre. With the help, and more importantly patience, of my technical adviser Michael, I put together a presentation of all things American. It started with Kelly Clarkson singing our national anthem and moved on to videos of such important topics as “The People of Walmart” and “Americans Eating Vegemite. ”I think in the end everyone was entertained and most definitely full. Some of the group sat around and watched highlights from American sports, and others dispersed as the book closed on my most memorable 4th of July yet. A sincere thanks to everyone who participated. And special thanks to Scotty for a true American feast, Michael for not letting me set my computer on fire, and Ben for making sure that the picture of Jessica hung in just the right spot. And finally, Happy 4th of July!

Picture gallery of the week

This week’s picture gallery features photos taken by Tim New.

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