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Lunch: Lunch may be warm if the party is stormbound in camp; cold if underway. It may also be eaten at one sitting, though it is better to take smaller, more frequent snacks throughout the day's climb. A canteen of sugar-tea made at breakfast will not only slake the thirst at lunchtime, but will raise sagging spirits as well. The skiing gourmet may well produce such delicacies as smoked oysters and french bread if the car is not too distant and the pack otherwise not overloaded. Dinner: Soup is prepared first from almost any combination of the following: powdered soup bases, butter, milk powder, onion powder, celery salt, dehydrated vegetables, minced bacon, salt, and pea flour. It is best kept thin, with few solid particles. The mulligan can be made from a base of spaghetti, noodles, powdered potatoes, or brown rice, flavored with a good quantity of cheese, tomato powder, and liberal doses of butter and salt. A fresh bell pepper or some celery sticks (chopped) will add immensely to the flavor of the mulligan if someone has been clever enough to bring them along. Meat items to be added can be: Frozen-dried hamburger or meatballs (precooked), steaks and chops (uncooked); bacon; ham; meat bars, salami, or bacon. The meat bar is precooked, weighs 3 ounces and is equivalent to about 1 pound of raw meat (513 calories per bar). Essentially a ration, it is however tasty and preferred by many ski mountaineers as a source of protein and fat. Frozen-dried meats rehydrate to about three times their dry weight and are a desirable, though more expensive, method of bringing protein to high camp. Don't waste fuel heating dish water; either wipe out the pots with snow, or allow the contents to freeze and then chip them out. These methods are fairly efficient and in any event, unless the pot is badly burned, a little carryover from one meal to the next will not be noticed and will do no harm for short periods at the low temperatures prevailing. Finally, let it be said that no skier's morale can be raised by unimaginative, ill-prepared meals. Take time to plan and prepare palatable meals but leave the experimental single-food ration for trial trips under less exacting conditions. |
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