Camp cleanliness: crux of the matter
Posted BY Ian under camping-advice
In this article we get to the very heart of Camp Cleanliness.
"Camp cleanliness - A good test of the cleanliness of a camp kitchen is the complete absence of flies."
That can be extended to any kitchen, and to just about an insect life.
"In order to ensure this, you must not attract these only too eager visitors by offering them free bed and board in the way of food refuse."
In the wild flies feed on other forms of waste, excrement for one, and so it really doesn't pay to have them anywhere need your food, cooked or uncooked. Making sure that you deal with rubbish is critical.
"The approved method of disposing of rubbish is to burn all that you can, and bury all you can't."
Well, no! In fact these days either method is going to get you some disapproving stares. I'll deal with the modern accepted practices in a later article. For now, two more useful quotes:
"If the camp is within easy reach of a farm, which is generally the case, the people there will probably be only too glad to fetch all suitable food refuse for pigs and fowls."
This may be so and is worth checking out. Some farmers may be unwilling to accept food scraps from just anyone in case anything harmful slips in.
"Remember that you can tell whether a camp is well-fed by the contents of the refuse-tub! It is always an ominous sign of bad cooking when platefuls of food, scarcely touched, are thrown away."
That's a timeless observation. It may be that the food is badly cooked or badly chosen. If the latter then no matter how good the cook/cooking, the food is likely to be wasted. Ensure you know your campers, and feed them accordingly.
All quotes from: Camp Cooking and Catering by J.T. Gorman, Late Commandant Army School of Cookery for India - Second Edition 1933