Seventh Week Winter Quarter

We are watching a professional ice carver teach us what to do if we find ourselves in the kitchen of a cruise ship, providing the decorations for a midnight buffet. Obviously there is a big artistic component to being able to make ice look like a recognizable figure. Of course that eliminates many chefs. He tells us that ice sculpture is more of a lifestyle than a business, since insurance and equipment costs make it almost impossible to earn a living. He frequently enters international competitions and is planning to attend the next winter olympics to be held in Whistler, Canada.
Outside the building we watch him carve the standard size 20by40by10 inch block of ice with a chain saw. They use large tongs to move them in place and the second year students use scraping tools to complete the sculptures. They create figures of rabbits, penguins, fish, 4 aces of playing cards, and a bowling ball.
I get a chance to try making breakfast on the grill in the snack bar. It would take plenty of practice and plenty of butter to make over easy eggs turn out perfectly. Actually the hashbrowns and french toast I make look pretty good.