Post the Christmasteenth (Part 1)

I know, right?  Christmas is so last year, and everyone has moved on.  Except I have this here blog to write, and I have these here photos that were taken.  So Deck the Halls with Good King Wenceslasty the Snowman, etc.  Here are yet more Christmas leftovers.




Christmas in Antarctica.  More specifically, Christmas at Davis.  NOT, as everyone seemed to imagine, a white Christmas, since there is no snow and ice at Davis.  Instead, we had a brown Christmas.  Hardly the stuff to inspire Bing Crosby to fire up the ol' vocal chords, is it?

Not that it mattered that much to me.  Christmas Day was a working day for me - and what a working day!  Team Kitchen was hard at it all day, providing festive delectables for the station's population.  I started at 6:15 in the morning, but Rocket (the wintering chef) was already well underway when I turned up to work.

And here is Rocket, not long after I showed up, in the midst of crafting some nom-noms. 

π

So much to do!

As a lovely surprise, it seemed that some of the station's Christmas fairies had been hard at it the night before.  (And I don't just mean in the bar, but my sources indicate that is also true).  They had spent some time making some homemade decorations for the mess, and this is the sight that presented itself as I arrived.

Just like bought ones

And that, gentle reader, is the closest thing we had to snow at Christmas.  So good on you, Christmas fairies!  I hope that their hangovers were slight.

While I was gadding about with the camera I nipped upstairs and took this shot of the Christmas tree which had been seriously enhanced by the addition of all of the station's Kris Kringle presents.

Loot

Everyone who had wanted to be involved in the Kris Kringle had brought a gift south with them (without knowing who would be the eventual recipient) and included it in the pool.  Later on Santa would be along to assist in their distribution; an event eagerly awaited by all.    How excitement!  The gift I brought with me is included in that agglomeration somewhere.

But what was I doing blithely wandering around taking photos?  There is the collective station stomach to fill with seasonal happiness and joy!  Into the kitchen!

And it is in the kitchen that we find Lesley, the summering chef, hard at work making terrines.  This one is a smoked salmon and cream cheese terrine which (I can say from later experience) was unbelievably superb.  Yum!

Terrine-fic

But it wasn't just Team Kitchen in action today.  No sir!  Fuelled by good will and cameraderie (and doubtless just a dash of "bugger-all-else-to-do"), there was a steady stream of helpers throughout the day popping in to assist in the preparations.  And thank goodness for them!  It would have been nigh impossible to get it all done without their input.

Here 'copter jockey Dave assists me in the manufacture of meat patties.  And a darned fine job he did of it too.

Dave diversifies.

So helpful was he that I have resolved to return the favour.  The next time I am in his helicopter I am going to surprise him and help him to fly it!   I hope he will appreciate my helpfulness as much as I appreciated his.


In another area of the kitchen our local Rock-Cod-ologist, Trish, is also playing her part.  Normally Trish spends her time studying the local populations of Antarctic Rock Cod, but this time she is busying herself with smoked salmon.

Trish also diversifies

I suppose there's not as much scope for publication in a scientific journal, but the end result is likely to be much more delicious.  My opinion only, of course.

Moving right along, we find Bob the Christmas Elf doing a stint at my workstation.

Christmas Elf spreading Christmas cheer.  And suds.

Don't you change my password, Bob!  Ha ha ha!

Eh.  Feeble workstation humour.  It is what it is.


The preparations for the big day didn't begin on this morning.  Or even the day before.  Oh no indeed!  Rocket had been beavering away on his Christmas baking for over a week.  And here is a portion of it, laid out for all to wonder at (and snack on).

Temptation Table: approach at own risk

But much of this day's nosh has to be prepared on the day.  Fruit, for example.  And, having spent some time with a melon baller, AGSO Rachel proudly displays her lovely melons!  Er...  balls!

Fruity goodness

11 o'clock rolls around, and the first official gorging session meal, Christmas Brunch, is seconds away from being open for business.  In this photo we see the cold elements laid out in preparation for the locusts.  Whoops, did I say locusts?  Sorry.  I meant locustpeditioners.  I mean exedocusts.

Ah, stuff it.

A paltry offering

But wait, there is more!

There is hot food too, laid out to satiate the gastronomic desires of the locus...  people coming for brunch.  Such delights as eggs benedict, poached eggs, bacon, roast potatoes, muffins, button mushrooms, tomato, sausage, *dribble* etc.

However will we cope with such poor fare?

And standing by at Workstation Jeff we have Storeman Paul lending a helping glove.  Thanks Paul!

I never thought he could *sink* so low.  Heh heh.  Sorry.

And, finally for this post, I present for you this blurry photo of the eager... people... lining up to partake of this magnificent repast.

Why blurry?  Is it because of my poor camera work?  Not a bit of it!  It's blurry because all of these people are so excited by the prospect of the brunch ahead of them that they are all rapidly shimmying and shaking.  My camera just did not have a fast enough shutter speed to get a clear photo.  True story.

And that's it for this post.  Tomorrow we will see what happened when Santa came to visit Davis, and also more kitchen fun as the monster gargantuan leviathan Christmas dinner feast was prepared and served.

Be sure not to miss it!

Or, if you miss it, read it later.  Whatevs.