18 January 2017 Meal Time at the Galley

I get lots of questions about food in McMurdo so here is a blog about food. The galley (cafeteria) is located in building 155 which is the big blue building in the middle of town. Building 155 is also home to the station store, barbershop, craft room, recreation department, some of the dorm rooms and several station offices.

Handwashing

Before entering the galley everyone is required to stop and wash their hands. Handwashing is critical to help stop the spread of diseases in McMurdo. Before we boarded the plane from Christchurch we were screened for illness and our temperatures were taken. Cold viruses still make it here and they can spread rapidly so preventing transmission is key.

Food Anytime

The galley is open 24-7 but full meals are only served at designated times: breakfast is 4:30 am - 7:30 am, lunch is 11:00 am - 1:00 pm, dinner is 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm. There is also a meal, midnight rations (midrats), at 12:00 am for the night-shift workers. In-between meals you can always make a sandwich or a waffle, get some pizza or have a bowl of cereal. There is also a cooler full of pre-made sandwiches. These sandwiches often consist of leftovers from previous meals. If you really liked something one day chances are you will find it again the next day on a sandwich. This are often unique sandwich choices like lasagna filled pitas or spicy Thai meatball sandwiches.

Dinner Choices

There are lots of choices in the cafeteria and most of the time the food is excellent given the constraints of a large cafeteria setting and limited ingredients. After a few weeks at the station, people start craving "freshies" or fresh fruits and vegetables. Once in a while they will get a small shipment of tomatoes, avocados, lettuce, or bananas. These "freshies" are made available in the galley but they usually only last for a few minutes as people descend on them like a plague of locusts. Tonight the main line was a Mongolian Grill.

To provide an idea of the variety of foods available during meal time here is a list of items available for dinner tonight:

Main Dishes

• Mongolian Grill with Beef or Shrimp
• Pork with Mustard Sauce
• Strip Steak
• Baked Halibut
• Chicken Casserole
• Pasta with meat sauce
• Blackened Tempeh
• Vegetarian Lasagna (deconstructed)

Sides

• Egg Rolls
• Mixed Vegetables
• Cauliflower with Chipotle Cream
• Black-eyed Peas
• Stuffing
• Pepper and Cheese Cornbread

Salads

• Orange Jello
• Apple Sauce
• Yogurt
• Chipotle Lime Slaw
• 3 Bean Salad
• Hominy Salad

Dessert

• Raspberry Almond Cake
• Chocolate Cake

The Regulars - available daily

• Egg Line - eggs to order tonight sausage and diced potatoes were also available.
• Pizza
• Waffles
• Cereal
• Sandwiches
• Cookies
• Frosty Boy - soft-serve ice cream

Frosty Boy

The soft-serve ice cream machine is called Frosty Boy. The original Frosty Boy was retired years ago and the current machine is apparently much more reliable. The first few days we were here in McMurdo our mealtime conversation was dominated by Frosty Boy discussions. Diana, Ross, and Byron told us all about the historical and cultural importance of Frosty Boy at McMurdo.

When Frosty Boy is not working the galley workers put a "Time Out" sign on the machine. You can watch people approach the machine with enthusiasm only to turn back in disappointment. Occasionally all eyes in the galley will turn to watch some brave explorer try the machine while it is in time out. Typically they get an unsatisfying runny spray of ice cream mix and everyone returns to their meals convinced that the machine is indeed not working. Occasionally that brave explorer will get a good "pull" and will return triumphant to their seat with a loaded bowl of ice cream. This starts a cascade of people willing to ignore the sign and try for themselves. Invariably by the time two or three people get their ice cream Frosty Boy is back to spraying liquid mix. This series of events is quite comical to watch. Several members of our team have become dedicated Frosty Boy fans and have ice cream with lunch and dinner.