Re: Food from the Seven Summits
Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 10:46 am
DnD,
Yeh, it's something to do with craving salts and fats, but also variety, as expedition food in general can be pretty same-y. Altitude plays havoc with appetite in general, and most people don't eat much, but it's back down at base camp that the unusual tasty things get gobbled up. At BC for G1 a few years ago the sundried tomatoes, smoked mussels in bbq sauce and Vegemite did not last long.
In the case of longer expeditions, particularly polar trips, it's the things you can't have that often lure you - bananas, fresh milk, bread etc. When people get back from skiing to the Pole, one of the most popular meals requested was always bacon and eggs, regardless of time of day. On the other hand, I remember years ago being stuck at Vinson BC for several days, waiting to fly out, and in the beginning Mark Tucker of IMG had this great semi-cooked freeze-dried bacon of which the rest of us unguided peasants were jealous, but after a few days of that, as much as they could eat, they got sick of it pretty quick and Tuck couldn't give it away.
It took me a few trips to both the Karakoram/Himalaya and Antarctica to get my food right, sometimes ditching regular items and timings. For Antarctica, I factored in much more the use of soup, cheese and nuts before the main dinner course, whereas in the Karakoram I'm sick to death of bloody soup. Just remembering it makes me gag. For breakfast in Antarctica I'll usually have a packet of fruity/oaty type cookies - the Chilean version I use give around 450 Calories a packet. Great with a big mug of tea for breakfast and they can be opened and eaten while still deep in your sleeping bag, unlike cereal & milk etc. We never have 'lunch', just a constant supply of snacks. Chocolate in Antarctica is OK when you're moving all the time, but after a day or two in the tent you can't stand it - savoury snacks are better. Whereas in the Karakoram chocolate does not usually survive the heat of the approach, at least not in any recognisable form.
D
Yeh, it's something to do with craving salts and fats, but also variety, as expedition food in general can be pretty same-y. Altitude plays havoc with appetite in general, and most people don't eat much, but it's back down at base camp that the unusual tasty things get gobbled up. At BC for G1 a few years ago the sundried tomatoes, smoked mussels in bbq sauce and Vegemite did not last long.
In the case of longer expeditions, particularly polar trips, it's the things you can't have that often lure you - bananas, fresh milk, bread etc. When people get back from skiing to the Pole, one of the most popular meals requested was always bacon and eggs, regardless of time of day. On the other hand, I remember years ago being stuck at Vinson BC for several days, waiting to fly out, and in the beginning Mark Tucker of IMG had this great semi-cooked freeze-dried bacon of which the rest of us unguided peasants were jealous, but after a few days of that, as much as they could eat, they got sick of it pretty quick and Tuck couldn't give it away.
It took me a few trips to both the Karakoram/Himalaya and Antarctica to get my food right, sometimes ditching regular items and timings. For Antarctica, I factored in much more the use of soup, cheese and nuts before the main dinner course, whereas in the Karakoram I'm sick to death of bloody soup. Just remembering it makes me gag. For breakfast in Antarctica I'll usually have a packet of fruity/oaty type cookies - the Chilean version I use give around 450 Calories a packet. Great with a big mug of tea for breakfast and they can be opened and eaten while still deep in your sleeping bag, unlike cereal & milk etc. We never have 'lunch', just a constant supply of snacks. Chocolate in Antarctica is OK when you're moving all the time, but after a day or two in the tent you can't stand it - savoury snacks are better. Whereas in the Karakoram chocolate does not usually survive the heat of the approach, at least not in any recognisable form.
D