if the job doesn't kill ya the hamburger's might....

*NOTE: this photograph is NOT taken at a Chayvo dinner table

Probably the most popular conversation topic in Chayvo camp is food. Today's lunch is compared to yesterday's dinner and tomorrow's breakfast will be judged against last week's dessert. It doesn't matter what is being discussed and with whom. Eventually the conversation will digress to food topics. "Remember the previous catering company and how good their meals were?" or "was your hamburger raw in the middle too?" For months we had no fresh vegetables and only occasional fresh fruit. Then they brought in the ice cream machine that was supposed to divert our attention away from the half cooked dinners. Of course it worked! Unfortunately machines have a habit of breaking down just when there's a terrible dinner. So half the time you can count on a paper cup of ice cream if nothing else. The food is much better at the Bridge Camp so our crew spends most coffee breaks indulging in tasty pastries and kasha in the country kitchen atmosphere. Robin Friend, Veco Project Manager's most memorable comment at any of the weekly site safety meetings was "is it too much to ask for a firm stool????" The up side of the poor food is you are inclined to lose weight so many of us returned home much slimmer. The only people who actually gained weight were some of the locals who were eating better than they do at home. Most of the Russian surveyors stated that they hate the food as much as the expats so generally speaking the topic of food is an excellent opportunity to vent daily frustrations.

I love peas I love peas I love peas I love peas I love peas I love peas