By Evan Olson of University of Vermont
Like most people, when I wake up every morning, I like to eat food and drink something caffeinated. Here at camp, breakfast is a very personal experience. Everyone has their own way of going about it. Before we go out on transect everyone tailors a specially crafted form of sustenance to prepare themselves for the day ahead.
For example, Patrick likes to make banana porridge with muesli. A type of granola and cement-like mixture that he describes as tasting like “banana bread”. Oscar likes to make about 10 servings of coffee for himself and then precedes to pour all that coffee into his 32 oz water bottle with non-dairy creamer and some form of sweetener. As for myself, I usually wake up about 15 minutes before it’s time to leave, so I tend to skip breakfast and then consume all the communal snacks during our 4+ hour transect drives.
Lunch is a much different experience to breakfast. It’s slightly more social while also being passive. Lunchtime generally hovers around 12 pm on average, but unlike breakfast there aren’t any time constraints. This allows people to prepare food whenever they feel like eating. Other factors that determine lunch include things like weather, stomach space, eggs, peri-peri sauce, leftovers, personal motivation, etc. A classic lunchtime meal here at camp Dizhana involves grilled cheese. The idea was birthed by Oscar and perfected by Grace and Maddy. The grilled cheese represents everything good about food here at camp. It’s cheesy, bready, and can be consumed every day with an equal amount of satisfaction.
The last, and in my opinion best meal, dinner. Dinner is by far the most communal and social meal. It’s made by 2 individuals chosen at random every day. Regardless of the meal we all tend to gravitate towards the fire and reflect on the great time we’re having in the field.
