Alaskan Fur Seals - Earthwatch Institute

8. FOOD
The Facility Manager will prepare dinner each evening, with help from the team. Typically some research staff
members will share this meal with the volunteers. Dish duty will be rotated among team members. Volunteers
will be expected to clean up after themselves and will be welcome to assist with food shopping, preparation, and
cooking. Team members will be responsible for making their own breakfasts and lunches. The kitchen will be
supplied with everything needed to prepare meals and a local store nearby has basic food items available for
purchase. Snack food and thermoses of hot drinks will be provided to take into the field.
Below are examples of the foods you might expect in the field. Please bear in mind that variety depends on
availability. This list is intended to provide a general idea of food types, but it is very important that volunteers
be flexible.
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:
Snacks/Other:
Beverages:
Hot and cold cereal, eggs, sausage, waffles, pancakes, etc.
Meat and/or cheese sandwiches, bagels, cheese and crackers, soup, peanut butter and jam,
cream cheese, etc.
Baked halibut, traditional local fish pie, stir-fried or stewed reindeer, spaghetti, lasagna,
chicken, pizza, roasts, salads (fruit, green, potato, macaroni), baked or mashed potatoes,
canned or frozen vegetables, dessert (cakes, pies, ice cream, etc.)
Trail mix, mixed nuts, energy bars, apples, oranges, bananas, pilot bread (a kind of hard
biscuit), etc.
Soda, milk (sometimes fresh, but more often in aseptic packages), juices, water (tap water is
safe to drink), tea, coffee, hot cocoa*
* Bottled water, beer and wine (for volunteers of legal drinking age) are also available for purchase locally at your
own expense. The legal drinking age in Alaska is 21 years of age.
Special Dietary Requirements
Most special diets, including vegetarian, can be accommodated with advance notice, however, it is important to
remember that St. George is a remote island without easy access to things like tofu, soymilk, etc. Please alert
Earthwatch to any special dietary requirements (e.g. diabetes, lactose intolerance, nut or other serious food
allergies) as soon as possible, and note them in the space provided on your volunteer forms. Food may have to be
ordered and sent to the island. This can take weeks. If you need or want specific food items (e.g. special tea, snack
bars, etc.), it may be best to bring them with you to the island. Accommodating special diets is not guaranteed
and can be very difficult due to availability of food, location of field sites, and other local conditions.
Special note to vegans and strict vegetarians: Please be aware that it is often difficult to accommodate strict
vegetarians and vegans. It may be possible to get meatless meals but vegans and strict vegetarians may have a
problem avoiding animal products altogether. If this poses a problem, then participation on this Earthwatch
expedition should be seriously reconsidered.
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