“I love the casual / journal format and am impressed that you made that work so well. Love the recipes as well, and how all the little details of daily life get wrapped up into the larger ideas. It’s also a very beautiful book-object.” Anne Percoco, sculptor, New Jersey
“This week’s travel inspiration comes from The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning – It’s a real life story of 54 people from 5 countries who volunteered their summer to clean up 28 years of garbage in Antarctica and it’s simply fascinating.” @taggio #instareads
Saw a couple at a Brooklyn resto reading @ABCCAntarctica & not talking to each other. Decided to give it a read myself, it’s amazing so far! @jiwon_bang
“Some shoulder rehab: making your big batch is honey oatmeal bread. Boules out, buns in the proverbial oven. Made the choc cake with ganache yesterday. Caroline [daughter] said that when I’m a grandma it ‘will be my signature cake, just like you made it today. So good.‘” Justine Price, Peterborough
Wendy Trusler and Carol Devine transport readers back twenty years and thousands of miles to Bellinghausen, the Russian research station that became their temporary home. [They] use journal entries, letters, provision lists, recipes, and menus to document their voyage. They share pithy, insightful observations on life, food, science, politics, and the environment. Showcased throughout are modern and vintage photos and vignettes from Antarctica’s short history—all of which add delightful color and warm detail to this unique book. Off the Beaten Stacks, a library run-blog
“A diary that intersects with a recipe book: it is not the first book of this kind but The Antarctic book of Cooking and Cleaning has a new flavour, is full of heart” Dove, Corriere Della Sera, Italy
“Delighted to acquire this beautiful maintenance & travel book.” Anne Percoco Artist, Jersey City
I love this book and feel you have created a unique hybrid charming memoir. Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agent, New York
Just finished @ABCCAntarctica by @caroldevine and @voicesathand. Wonderful book that had inspired me so much! Fiona Rita Gillespie – Scientist. Publishing Editor with the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, UK
“Your book is so beautiful. I love that it is so many different things in one: cook book, chronicle, journal, history, confession, feminist manifesto if I dare say so… I think a lot of people will be interested in these experiences and that it has a very universal appeal on top of being flat out gorgeous and full of amazing recipes. I’m taking a copy up to the cottage where I know it will be read, enjoyed and appreciated.”-Rita Leistner, author of Looking for Marshall McLuhan in Afghanistan (2013), former tree-planter (1982-1992)
“Popsie enjoying his new book – a Polar journey, documenting adventures, first civvi Antarctic cleanup exped, photos, anecdotes and lots of recipes. He keeps relaying stories from the book – it really is great :)” Duffyee on instagram
“I congratulate you on a wonderfully unique contribution to Antarctic literature. What an experience! The book is a fascinating combination of expedition diary, historic reference material, (some of my favourite images and quotes), original photography and culinary multiculturalism. A beautifully designed and executed book.” Paula Shackleton, British Columbia.
“…unsynthesizably dimensional and deeply gratifying in its totality…an extraordinary tome blending the enchantment of Thoreau-like journaling (“A brilliant morning. Sun turns berg in bay into gold.”), the fascination of scientific observation and philosophical reflection (“[The Chilean Commandante] said you can’t write about something of which you are not a part. I disagreed, and agreed.”), and the pure delight of delicious, immensely inventive recipes for meals cooked with minimal ingredients and maximal imagination (“sea cabbage salad made with laminaria [fresh kelp]”). Maria Popova Brainpickings
“Expedition cooks and cleaners in the frigid wastes of the Antarctic: a truly different book.” Jude’s Book List, Readers’ Books, California Summer Reading List.
“Devine and Trusler…share pithy, insightful observations on life, food, science, politics and the environment. Showcased throughout are modern and vintage photos and vignettes from Antarctica’s short history”. Fuller’s Bookshop, Hobart, Australia”
Anyone who has ventured out of the city to spend time in the wilderness knows that it takes planning, talent and ingenuity to create an appealing meal and that some of our most vivid and satisfying food experiences are heightened during such travel. Now imagine that your voyage has taken you to the polar region of the planet and your makeshift kitchen must somehow sustain the palates of a consortium of hungry volunteer workers who have joined you from seven nations and four continents for the exclusive purpose of an environmental clean-up project. That is exactly the challenge and the feat accomplished as told in The Antarctic Book Of Cooking And Cleaning, the story of Carol Devine and Wendy Trusler’s “journey through an austral summer” to a small island 120 miles off the Antarctic Peninsula…Part travel/work log, part cook book, and part homage to historic expeditions of the past, this volume will capture your heart and your stomach as you follow the team from concept to completion (and from strangers to an esprit de corps) in this collaborative effort to return the pristine environment of one of the world’s last remaining wilderness destinations. The fact that it occurred 1995-96 marks this as a formative example of the positive trend toward eco-conscious travel.” Book Buffet
“I am an Antarctic marine biologist and contemporary jeweller. For the past few years I have been invited to present a series of 3 lectures on Antarctic Art as part of the Bachelor of Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania. I came across the fabulous book (I have just pre-ordered a copy!) “The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning”! I would dearly love to use a couple of images in my lecture where I talk about the ‘unheroic era – images of everyday life in Antarctica’.” Dr Karin Beaumont, Oceanides – art of the ocean, Australia.
“I have been meaning to write to you to congratulate you on the book. It is beautiful. Not only that, but it’s a great read. I am only a chapter or so in, but I find it both a page-tuner and, yet, poetic! It’s far more than Cooking and Cleaning. I guess the way that Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is not just about Zen and Motorcycles, really. That’s a rare feat and one you should be very proud of. ” -Joy Roberts, Ph.D. Ontario
anecdotes, journal entries, vignettes…I really do insist people to read this – Blaine Quillin on Facebook.“When I opened it I had a hard time figuring out whether I wanted to flip through it and take it in visually, or sit down and read it like a novel. It’s a magnificent book, from the archival photographs, both personal and historical, to the eccentricity of your writing…and especially for the tone, the project of it, ethically – and your curiosity and generosity towards the people you were with. It’s been a real joy to encounter a kind of wonder I recognize and relate to so strongly. And I love any cookbook that also includes recipes for cocktails.” -Soraya Peerbaye, author of Poems for the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names
“The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning is very elegant. The pictures are beautiful and the recipes look delicious.” -Elena Pontiatowska Amor, Mexico City
“Recipes AND Adventure. Highly Recommended.” Julia Florio, twitter
“Made mulled wine from Wendy Trusler’s recipe taken from The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning. What can I say…this book truly inspires even an I-never-cook person like me to change the habit and add more color, flavor and delight to the day, which is to take a risk on uncharted territory. Love. Spasibo!” Nika Klimash, Peterborough
It’s a cookbook, yes, but it’s also a detailed record of their journey: from the first planning phases and boat journey from Argentina to King George Island, to their last meal with the international researchers they lived among that summer – a feast of roast leg of pork, potatoes a la Volodya, honey oatmeal braids, and frozen chocolate cream. Each recipe in the book tells a story. While food is always at the forefront of The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning, the main character is Antarctica itself: beautiful yet dangerous; mysterious and fragile. GustoTV
Having read it from cover to cover, I remain very, very glad that I gave in to the impulse and brought this treasure trove home…The story within (for it really is a story) speaks not only to the project, but to those scientists from all over the world who have given such a large part of their lives to study in Antarctica. The friendships and the lessons learned on behalf of everyone were, to me, just as vital as the overall cleanup project. –Beth Cummings, Good Reads
“Thank you for sending us a copy of The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning. This will be a valuable addition to our Library and undoubtedly prove very useful to our readers.” – Heather Lane, Librarian and Keeper of Collections, Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, UK
“I love the whole package – well written, great photography, personal adventure, good cause, lots of great polar exploration history and reference, etc. . Something we would all love to do but just could never allocate the time, even if we had the balls to step out into the unknown like that. [I am ordering six more copies to] share with friends who might have that same sense of adventure and creativity trapped deep down inside themselves. This book is a way for them to access their “inner explorer.” Michael Young, Dallas
“I can’t tell you how much I’m loving your book–it is beautifully put together for starters. There is so much personality in it. I love the journal entries spliced with the recipes and the mix of old photos with new ones. I love the food photography also, which is so highly appealing. I’m vegetarian and I’m so happy there are a number of recipes I can try. The sense of place is wonderful–after reading so many books on Antarctica, it’s great to come upon this particular one, which is unique and contemporary and from the point of view of women. (And which is also so keenly aligned with the importance of well-prepared food in all circumstances!) I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the interactions with the Russians, as well as details of how the expedition was put together. It’s a wonderful, adventurous book–very transporting! I hope you do so well with it.” – Maria Mutch, author of forthcoming Know the Night, A Memoir of Survival in the Small Hours (weaving stories of isolation, disability and hope through the lens of her son’s experiences and Admiral Byrd’s solo exploration of Antarctica in the 1930s, Knopf, 2014)
Did I mention how obsessed I am with this new fashion of part-cookbook, part-journal style books? No. Well I am. And this book designed by Canadian Isabel Foo looks like it would make a fascinating (and beautiful) read. Anneke Short, AMS Design Blog
Snow, penguins, ice, more snow…food? Food is not one of the first associations that typically crosses the mind when thinking of the world’s windiest, coldest, driest + most desolate continent, but that is about to change. The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning is a cultural history and recipe book based around a Russian-Canadian environmental clean-up expedition on King George Island, 120 miles off the Antarctic Peninsula.
While garbage exists everywhere, it cannot even decompose in Antarctica, so 54 individuals set out to pick up 28 years worth of garbage place in the summer of 1996, hence the “Cleaning” [Carol Devine]. The “Cooking” comes from the author, Wendy Trusler who fed the crew with her own recipes from home, ones she came up with on the expedition + borrowed from their international neighbors, including Brazilian, Uruguayan + Chilean dishes. 42 of those recipes can be found in this book, along with breathtaking photographs, journal entries, letters, menu plans + provision lists.
This book will leave you as inspired as it does hungry. Food broke the ice on the icy continent when language stood as a barrier between the temporary neighbors in Antarctica. New friends feasted on Wendy’s honey oatmeal bread, rosemary maple borscht + chocolate crème, and now you can too from the comforts of your own home.
The sublime images of the dreamy atmospheric landscapes evoke such tranquility, this collection could stand alone as a coffee table book even if the recipes weren’t tried in the kitchen. Beyond the illuminating photographs + delectable cuisine, The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning shares a truly original story from the bottom of the world + teaches us a lesson in the wonders we can make from close to nothing in our own. – Drake General Store
“I finished your book in two days- I quite simply couldn’t put it down. It was an engaging and inspiring read which painted so many incredible pictures in my head. I don’t cook and I hate the cold, but somehow wanted to enjoy both as I read both your descriptions, stories, thoughts and recipes. The teens were also momentarily distracted from Candy Crush as I read out loud some chapters. That is probably about the highest praise you can get.” Ngaire Blankenberg, Barcelona. Museum specialist
“Glad to hear about your work on polar “housekeeping” . . . which is as Ursula Le Guin writes, not for “amateurs.” And I think you know what kind of history she was indicting. Good wishes for your project — it is ecological in the best sense, paying attention to the whole process, what goes in our systems and what comes out again — and must be cleaned up.”
-Elena Glasberg, author of Antarctica as Cultural Critique: The Gendered Politics of Scientific Exploration and Climate Change
“I believe the project was among the first of this kind and this was the most significant value because it helped to draw attention to Antarctic environment protection. Also it was very much in the spirit of Antarctic Treaty provisions when people of different countries and of social status worked together following the dictates of their hearts. I do remember Wendy’s delicious food and how she fought a stove which run poorly due to bad quality of gas or other reason and she was covered with black soot almost all the time. I always admired Wendy’s food, and admire it now. I still use her recipes for cinnamon buns and turkey.”
-Lena Nikolaeva, Russian Antarctic Expedition, Liaison officer Joint Russian-Canadian Ecological Project, Bellingshausen 1995-1996
A truly amazing creation. It’s a book, yes, but it’s also an art object, a personal journal, an environmental meditation and more, with mouth-watering recipes to boot! Nancy Payne, Editor Kayak, Canada’s History Magazine for Kids
“Dear Carol: Having had the good fortune to spend time with you and Wendy in Antarctica in 1995/96, I have no doubt that your book will be as much fun, and as insightful, as the expedition itself was. Interweaving the contemporary with the historical, especially since some of our own experiences were not so different from those of the early visitors to the continent, will, I suspect, result in a fascinating read. It should be of interest to everyone from armchair travelers, to adventurers, to environmentalists, to foodies who will want to know how to re-create Antarctic cuisine at home (first, set yourself atop several miles of ice).” -Bob Payne, Contributing Editor, Conde Nast Traveler
“My favourite art so far this year: The Antarctic Book of Cooking & Cleaning, out now!” Twitter Victoria Ward, Gooderham, Ontario @hotspurstudio.
“[We] often recall this extraordinary expedition! It was a difficult but exciting time and a good example of cooperation between the NGO and the national expedition. Your idea about the book is very interesting. Original recipes, features of everyday life, meeting extraordinary people, cultural differences and mutual understanding problems – all this gives us the Antarctic. It would be wonderful if this book will appear.”
-Victor Pomelov, Environmental Manager, Russian Antarctic Expedition
“Dear Wendy,
I had a delightful half an hour on the Only Patio yesterday, awaiting breakfast and laundry being done, and I finally opened and delved into The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning … I can’t wait to get back to it!! Things I loved about it: the fresh hardcover book smell when it opens, the beautiful images chosen for the frontispiece and opening pages, the perfect prose of the introductions and diary entries… And I haven’t even gotten to the recipes yet! Can’t wait to spend more time in Antarctica – thank you for going and bringing back such treasurable memories to share.” Elizabeth Fennell, Peterborough
I just spied this gem today, and can’t wait to get my hot little hands on it. If there is anything that I really enjoy, it’s a good Canadian winter. I’m not one to complain about the snow or cold (as long as I’m properly dressed). When I was a kid walking home from school through the fields, I would imagine myself in a blizzard in the North Pole. That is how much I love winter…this is all to say that I love the cold and I love food. So the two put together in a beautiful book is too much to resist. Here’s to hoping I can make my own trek up somewhere cold, north or south. from vouloirvouloirvouloir, Feb 5, 2014
So an invitation to an “Antarctic Winter Dinner” showed up in my inbox today, and how could I not be intrigued? These two cool ladies just published the “Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning,” an account and recipe collection from a “makeshift kitchen at the bottom of the world.” This, needless to say, is rad. biplaneglobal.org
“Got my copy of the #Antarctica book!! It’s AWESOME! Kudos & Good luck.” Paul D. Miller @djspooky, author of Book of Ice.
I devoured virtually every word and picture of your book. It most certainly will be a family heirloom. It is so beautifully put together and incorporates so many cultural aspects. I’ve also been reviewing the website which is also so impeccably done. Congratulations you and Carol and everyone on your team for a most deserved short listing for the Taste Canada awards. Janet Harris
“This book is like chips and chocolate – the more you eat, the more you want. I keep going back for more. Thumbing through back pages to find out which Vlad was the lech and which Sasha was not. Whether the cazuela was soup or stew. When the volunteers arrived, and who slept where. But the best part is the journal, the planning, and the provisioning. It took me back to my epic canoe trip days, responsible for the meals. The ease, once you’re out there, of just “making do”.” – Mary Gordon, Canada
I love the casual / journal format and am impressed that you made that work so well. Love the recipes as well, and how all the little details of daily life get wrapped up into the larger ideas. It’s also a very beautiful book-object.
