One enjoyable aspect of international science is the exposure to many and varied cultures. Our hosts on the Akademik Fedorov have taken us on a culinary journey to Eastern Europe and beyond, with meals being the typical home-style fare of Russia. There are four meals per day; Breakfast (7:30am), Lunch (11:30am, the main meal of the day), Afternoon Tea (3:30pm) and Supper (7:30pm).
Grain-based porridges such as semolina have appeared for breakfast, as have a selection of cheeses and cold meats. There is usually a large slab of butter on the table along with light and dark breads, plus at least one type of preserves or jam. On occasion, eggs have been prepared fried or very hard boiled for the morning meal.
Afternoon teas have ranged from sweet sugar buns with raisins, to baked cottage cheese cake, to a simple bowl of cornflakes with milk, all the way through to smoked fish with fried potatoes. Apples, oranges, pears or grapefruits have been added as an accompaniment. Breakfast and afternoon tea feature a hefty metal kettle at the end of each table for tea or coffee.
Lunch and supper both feature a soup as the starter. The soups are typically hearty, highlighting items such as onions, mushrooms, and potatoes, and often a meat is included for extra flavor. The traditional beetroot-based soup of borscht has been served up once or twice in proper style, of course, with small dabs of sour cream floating amongst the crimson. A glass of compote (a drink derived from stewed fruits) is also served with lunch and supper. For some NABOS participants, dishes such as beef tongue in a sauce of sour cream, onions and pungent garlic is quite an adventure in dining. Other meals are not so exotic but maintain a cultural twist, such as simple sausages are served with boiled buckwheat.
Diversity in dining is always interesting.
– Drew, Instructor, NABOS Summer School
Hi Lindsey, What is the current conditions in the Arctic, how are these conditions affecting our lives, and how will it affect our future?
Hi Rachel, currently, the sea ice conditions in the Arctic are coming off of a record low extent in 2012, and the extent of sea ice has been decreasing for the most part for the last few decades – which I think is a frightening signal for the future of the climate. And one of the main things you can see firsthand on this ship from all the different kinds of scientists onboard (who are all studying different aspects of the same thing – climate) is that the climate, from the tropics to the poles, is connected. Scientists are still studying the details of all of these processes, but one thing for sure is that atmospheric effects, ocean currents, they connect the globe, and changes in one thing can affect another.
Hi Lindsay, its crazy how you have breakfast so early hah. i was wondering, how long have you been in the Arctic?
Hi Helene, we have been on the ship for about 3 weeks now, and we have almost 2 more weeks. And in that time, most of us have only gotten off the ship one time, and that was to step onto the ocean and take measurements of the ice!
Is soup the only food you have on the boat and why…
Hi Kelvin, no, we have lots of other food on the ship, but soup is the common factor that always appears every day, for lunch and dinner. We have other food too, like meat and pasta or potatoes (or a vegetarian option if you prefer), along with the soup. Some of the food has been an adventure for some people, in terms of trying new things, but the food is always good!
It’s always a great pleasure to read your descriptions of any events going on in Akademic Fedorov. Our days are filled with the research and events you are taking part in. And here’s even your meal:)! Looks so familiar and delicious! Hope you really liked Russian dishes. We are so proud of our cuisine. Schoolgirls from Grade 8A have just made biscuits at the lesson of Cooking. They’d like to treat your team!
Dear Valentina, your comment made my day! I’m so happy you are enjoying the blog and all of our stories. We are enjoying the Russian food onboard too! I will let the others onboard know about the offer of homemade biscuits from the Grade 8A girls – I’m sure they are delicious! 🙂
Hi Lindsay, it’s Chris from LEOM. Is there any physical differences down south than being north here?
Hi Chris, not sure if I understand whether your question is about the difference between the Arctic and the tropics, or the difference between the Arctic and Antarctic? For the first comparison, the main difference is of course the temperature, although climate, ocean, and atmospheric processes in both places are connected. The Arctic and Antarctic are different (for one reason) because the Arctic is ice on an ocean, and Antarctica is ice over a continent/land.
Hello Lindsay,
Is Soup The Only Thing Available ? Or Is That The Only Main Dish Served Because Of The Cold Weather Up There?
Hi Nicki, soup is served every day for lunch and dinner, but it’s not the only thing they serve. The soup is part of the whole meal which almost always includes meat and potatoes or pasta. They feed us well here!
Do you have to follow a strict diet while in the Arctic? and if so what can’t you eat?
Hi Selvin, we don’t have any specific diet we have to follow, but we do have meals prepared for us, so you eat what they serve. They feed us well though, 3 meals a day plus a snack, and it is a lot of traditional Russian style foods, since this is a Russian ship. The food is tasty, but everyone also brought a few of their own favorite snacks, since it is a long way to the nearest grocery store! 🙂
Hi Lindsay! I was wondering if you guys only drink soup to try to keep your body temperature warm or if its because you have no other food available with you.
Hi Stephanie, it’s warm on the ship, so we don’t need a specific kind of food to keep warm. We have soup I think mainly because it’s a traditional part of many Russian meals, and this is a Russian ship, so we have been trying some Russian dishes while onboard. They feed us well, so I have no complaints about that!
Hello i am one of ms.gilbert student.. This is my question are there special material use to find data on certain inventions?
Hi Shantrell, if I understand your question, you are asking about materials to find out more? If you want to see the data from our ice observations, you can go to: http://www.iarc.uaf.edu/icewatch, or if you want to find out about what a buoy is doing that we put out on the ice, you can go to http://www.whoi.edu/itp. Look for #59 and #72, which are the “ice-tethered profiler” buoys that we most recently deployed!