Dispatches From The Field

1 August, 2003 -- Shaun Dunn and Ted Gilliland

Marshmallows

The other day Dr. Julie Pomerantz, the fossa team vet, pulled out a little surprise for our team: Marshmallows! As we were gulping down these sweet treats from back home, the idea came to us to get back to camping basics: roasting marshmallows. We all grabbed a few marshmallows and the nearest stick we could find and made a mad dash for the kitchen, apologizing profusely to the local cooks who had no idea what we were doing!

After the initial race to the kitchen, we decided our special sweets would be utilized in the best fashion by teaching the local cooks how to roast marshmallows. We taught them all the basics: slow roasting to a light golden brown; the medium roast to an extra soft gooey middle; and the classic quick-blow-it-out-it’s-on-fire charred to a crisp! In the end fun was had by all, especially our cooks who now have a new use for the open fires in the kitchen.

P.S. On our latest journey to Tana we have secured a new supply of marshmallows to be roasted…

-Shaun and Ted