A visually captivating, novelistic travelogue that chronicles the first civilian environmental cleanup expedition in Antarctica-an engaging true story told through anecdotes, journal entries, vignettes, recipes, and archival and contemporary photography. "The first thing that comes to mind about Antarctica is not likely the food. But if you are going there, it is the second." -Wendy Trusler and Carol Devine The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning is a unique journey through an austral summer, when a group of dedicated individuals-fifty-four people from five countries-picked up nearly three decades' worth of garbage during a three-month period in Antarctica. In this visually captivating polar journal, Wendy Trusler and Carol Devine transport readers back twenty years and thousands of miles to Bellinghausen, the Russian research station that became their temporary home. Devine, a humanitarian who piloted the project, and Trusler, a visual artist and cook, use journal entries, letters, provision lists, recipes, and menus to document their voyage. They share pithy, insightful observations on life, food, science, politics, and the environment.
Showcased throughout are modern and vintage photos and vignettes from Antarctica's short history-all of which add delightful color and warm detail to this unique book. Trusler reveals the challenges of cooking in a makeshift kitchen during long, white nights at the bottom of the world. While the dozens of eco-tourists strive to help preserve the continent, she must figure out how to cook for all of them in the small camp kitchen, using limited ingredients. The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning includes forty-two eclectic, tasty, and hearty recipes tinged with Russian, Chinese, and South American influences, such as Honey Oatmeal Bread, Cheese Fondue, Great Wall Dumplings, Roasted Pepper Goulash with Smoked Paprika, Roast Leg of Pork, and Frozen Chocolate Cream. All beautifully photographed, these dishes reflect the expedition's colorful cultural fabric and the astonishing raw beauty of their surroundings-a continent uniquely devoted to peace, cooperation, and science.
When I have some spare time, I love to just walk into a bookstore and peruse the shelves. I spend a fair amount of that time in the cookbook aisle, as I love to read them like books and have started amassing a fairly decent collection. It was during one of these spontaneous trips to the bookstore that I ran across this book. As a flipped through the pages, I became convinced that this was a book that just called to me. Having read it from cover to cover, I remain very, very glad that I gave in to the impulse and brought this treasure trove home with me.
The book is modeled like a scrapbook - it has journal notes, recipes, menus, and blurbs from others who have visited Antarctica in the past. Based off of an expedition of groups of volunteers who paid to go and help clean up many years' worth of garbage at Bellingshousen, a Russian research station, the authors were two of the small staff who took part. Carol conceived the idea and hired Wendy, who remained during the entire project as camp cook. Much of the book is from her journals, and the recipes are foods she cooked during her stay.
The story within (for it really is a story) speaks not only to the project, but to those scientists from all over the world who have given such a large part of their lives to study in Antarctica. The friendships and the lessons learned on behalf of everyone were, to me, just as vital as the overall cleanup project. And being able to read this not only reminded me how important the smallest efforts can be, showed how much people around the world have in common when allowed to forgo the usual politics.
Anyway, those impulsive purchases sometimes just don't work out the best. I'm thrilled to say that I absolutely love this book and will be adding it to my shelves. As for the recipes - I look forward to trying several of them, but most particularly the Honey Oatmeal Bread. A staple recipe that is used for a variety of other bread-based recipes in the book, it was both meal necessity and gift option during the time in Antarctica. And, while I hope that as humans we are able to slow the rate of glacier melting, I will also keep this book as a possible reminder of what used to be.
