Sushi at Hut Ten

Today Lynn and I were invited by our friends
Sara and Dave to hang out at Hut Ten. Even
though I love sushi, I've never actually made
it before...until today. I have to admit that
I don't think I was very good at it. Although
each of my California rolls didn't fall apart
when I made them, they were far from the best
I've ever seen. Sushi is a magic word around
here as people's eyes light up whenever the word
is spoken. People dream of which sushi restaurant
they'll go to first in Christchurch and have
detailed notes and tips on each location.
Between scavenging ingredients from the galley
(veggies, salmon, shrimp) and items brought in
from the world (seaweed wraps, wasabi) a very
roll can be made. All of this happening in
Hut Ten.


Hut Ten is the oldest building at McMurdo. Even
though it was fully remodeled in 1988, it was
built in 1957 and once served as the base commander's
residence. Now it's "rented out" by individuals or
groups within the community for fun get-togethers.
It would be just another dumpy ranch-style house in
the States, but here's it's special. I've attended
all sorts of events at Hut Ten, including a Thai cooking
class, a meal where everyone sat on pillows and all the
walls were draped in sheets, a root beer making event
and countless birthday parties. Now I've become a
(very) novice sushi maker skilled in rolling sticky
rice in seaweed while comparing the merits of different
movie versions of Pride and Prejudice. What a versatile
building this really is.