alaska in august

as many know, we are headed to alaska in august. for months i've wanted to make some thoughts more durable, but as with most things on my todo list that get prioritized as later we may as well prioritize them as never. it seems now is as good as a time as ever to get started. the best way to start is to start?

the desire to document this moment was inspired by a purchase, specifically the purchase of two orders of chinese herbal flavor jing si noodles. i was informed today at 2:18pm by an e-mail that landed in spam that 'your product just came back in stock'.

a big part of my motivation for alaska, is food. for forever, i've had a personal interest in instant foods, the just add hot water kind. the curiosity comes from a desire to discover a just add hot water kind of food that tastes just as good or better than the not just add hot water kind.

since i started caving, i've spent a significant amount of time testing on myself instant just add hot water foods. when others make instant just add hot water foods that taste great, they have my undivided attention.

the chinese herbal flavor jing si noodles, i discovered through my mom. somehow every time she returns from taipei, there is one packet of these noodles in her checked luggage. jing si is a company created by members of tzu chi foundation, a buddhist organization founded in taiwan. my mom claims that these are the same noodles the foundation drops by plane to those in need of food during natural disasters. these noodles and the other products they sell are produced as a response to the tastes and eating needs of the women monks in the monastery.

supposedly, the tzu chi foundation, has next-to no paid staff and the help of over 100,000 full and part time-volunteers. the women monks in the monastery, are expected to support themselves. naturally, business.

side note: from time to time my mom teaches non-violent communication workshops for the monks at the tzu chi monastery.

this post is about food, not about tzu chi, which maybe i can elaborate on another day.

part of alaska is packing. i've budgeted $10,000 for the trip, which should be more than enough. the budget covers everything me and denny need to get to the middle of nowhere in alaska, do the science, survive, and return to hawai'i.

i mostly want to know through practice how much it costs for scientists to participate in these types of expeditions. ok, i lied. i mostly want to support my buddy riley in her endeavors.

that's all for today. we are now awaiting our two packs of chinese herbal flavor jing si noodles.

maybe i can make writing about alaska a habit and in that habit we'll encounter other parts of our process as we experience being made by our work.