One of the main questions I was asked before coming to Antarctica (besides ‘what do you do about Polar bears?"), was “what do you eat down there?”
Well, there’s no Uber or Menulog so essentially we get the biggest one-off home delivery of groceries. 12 months’ worth of all the food you’re going to need or want.
We have three massive walk in freezers for all our meat, fish, vegetables, chips and most importantly… ice cream! These premium cuts/selections of meat in the hands of our chef Hermann produce some of the best meals I’ve ever had.
There is also a selection of vegan and almost meat products, which I think is sent down just to have more fuel for our incinerator!
We have 13 different kinds of cereals, with Crunchy Nut clusters being the favourite. Not to mention a sweet tooth's dream come true, with boxes full of Tim Tams, Mint Slices, Mars bars, Snickers and our station leader's favourite - Kit Kats. Enough savoury biscuits and cheese crackers to build a fort and without a doubt the most wanted item here, chips (of every flavour, including Twisties) with a new edition this year, vegetable crisps. Canned food for cooking as well as bulk oils and spices. For field trips we have a wide selection of nuts and energy bars. Plus the Aussie staple – Vegemite!
Under the kitchen Hermann has four walk in fridges full of potatoes, onions, garlic and for as long as it lasts, fresh fruit, which has been a welcomed addition to our mostly frozen diet. The fruit has also come in handy for cocktails at the bar! As well as many different cheeses, which are a favourite with trekking to huts or sitting around the bar.
The hardest part for myself (as Supply Officer) and Hermann is making sure the expeditioners don’t eat all the snacks in the first four months, so some rationing is done. They may not always appreciate it, but will be happy to have packets of chips come Grand Final time!
Again, because of no deliveries, all milk and bread is made on station. So we stock boxes of powdered milk and buckets full of all kinds of flour and sugar.
All in all we had about 22 tonnes of food delivered, so let the eating begin…….
Kristian
Station Supplies Officer and 'rationer of chips and wraps'
