Product Description

"Antarctica on a Plate" is a joyful account of a career woman who lobbies shamelessly to get to Antarctica - despite her utter unsuitability for the job. The book captures her sheer exuberance at finding herself on a continent that defies description. It's the story of three short months on a blue-ice runway where the accommodation is basic but the food is five star. Armed with an old cookbook, Alexa attempts to create three-course meals with no electricity or running water and struggles to defrost meat in the coldest place on Earth. Life in a thin mylon tent in the company of scientists, explorers and eccentrics soon begins to take on extraordinary dimensions. As 75-mile-an-hour winds blow and tensions rise, friendships - and love - are forged in this frozen neighbourhood.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #178999 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Sir Ranulph Fiennes
Sheer exuberance. A captivating story of three adventurous months on a continent that defies description.

The Bookseller
This is a unique tale, well told.

About the Author
Alexa Thomson has been a web designer for an investment bank and a writer for Salon.com. She divides her time between Sydney and San Francisco.

Customer Reviews

Exhilerating!
If you would like an insight into Antarctica, then this is the book for you. Beautifully written, the words flow off the page. The author has a real gift for conveying what it would feel like to be actually there and she describes her companions so that you feel like you know them.

Bluffing her way into getting the job as chef at Blue 1 camp in antarctica, it is her sheer determination that pulls her through, as she battles with catering for large groups of visitors.

Plenty of humour, excitement and love!

The book was passed round our family, three of us read it and enjoyed it and we all have very different tastes, which shows what a great book this is.

I would highly recommend it.

Gave me an appetite for Antartica
I had never really been interested in antartica before I received this book as a present... but as i love books and travel, one of my friends thought it might appeal! I couldn't put it down... I loved it! Its been a couple of years since I read this book, but i really thought that it was well written, provided enough anecdotes to keep you interested but also taught me quite a bit about antartica. I've since gone on to read several other books about antartica...and would love to go (but would be too cold!!) The other book i'd recommend is sara wheeler's terra incognita. Happy reading!