Watanuki chef talks about working at a Japanese station in Antarctica
Japanese chef Junko Watanuki, who worked at the Showa Antarctic Station in 2016–2017, spoke about her experience providing meals for expedition members and the lessons of frugal consumption. Together with another chef, she cooked for 30 expedition members over the course of a year, planning the use of limited food supplies without replenishment.
As The Japan Times reports, Watanuki underwent several months of training and ordered in advance the food that was to be delivered from Japan. She departed for Antarctica in the winter of 2016, boarding the icebreaker Shirase in Fremantle, Australia. According to her, during the first months at the station, the greatest concern was the need to calculate daily food consumption precisely so that supplies would last for the entire period.
Holiday events at the station
Along with other expedition members, Watanuki organized treats for New Year, Halloween and Christmas. At the request of one team member, she also recreated the well-known Jiro ramen establishment at the base. To do this, the chef visited the restaurant in Japan in advance, made chicken broth herself, and 8 kilograms of moyashi bean sprouts were grown in the station's greenhouse.
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Lessons of a waste-free life
Under expedition rules, participants must remove all waste from Antarctica in order to preserve the continent's natural environment. Watanuki said that observing the economical use of water, energy and resources changed her attitude toward everyday life. At the station, she also saw atmospheric monitoring data: as ships approached, carbon dioxide levels rose even before the vessel became visible.
After returning to Japan, Watanuki focused on reducing waste, from food to paper napkins. She gives lectures on sustainable development and food loss, and in 2023 published the book “Antarctic Table” about her experience working in Antarctica.
