[Philmont] Sterilizing the dishes, a better idea

I bought medium large plastic bowels (pretty thick plastic I might add) at
target for 25 cents each on clearance. They had plates and cups and all
sorts of plastic kitchen ware dirt cheep and lots of colors too. I bought 36
of the bowls. all exactly the same. 20 oz filled to the brim and 16 oz
filled to a comfortable non spill level. Cost me $12 and I now have 3 times
as many as I currently need! I have froze them and boiled them and tried to
crack them. pretty tough plastic. by sunday they will all have a small
drill hole too.

Troop gear for everything you can think of is the way to go and a good way
to build team work.

yis kirk maes 62608

On 10/24/07, John LeBlanc <philmontjohn@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Dave,
>
> Reference below. With regards to style, besides the pinkies, hold the
> other eight fingers out while dunking the dish and spoon in the hot water
> least the dish run away with the spoon!
>
> Now my side is bursting with laughter.
>
> I've seen that and a lot more when dealing with Scouts over the past 50+
> years. As time goes on, they simply get more creative, but "try anything"
> comes to mind quite readily.
>
> Just this past weekend, I attended a very good Cub Family Weekend campout
> at Camp George Strake near Conroe, Texas. The camp has a really nice
> facility just for Cubs. When I say nice, I mean there were sufficient
> campsites AND restrooms AND showers for the 500 Cubs and their families that
> were there so that tthere were no waiting lines for restrooms or showers.
> That's the definition of nice at any large gathering. And push button hot
> water to boot.
>
> So on Sat evening after supper a nice lady was passing out marshmallows
> for the Cubs to roast. First she passed out the marshmallows and I'm sure
> in a well thought out safe idea, waited to pass out the hundreds of coat
> hangers she had straightened to roast the marshmallow on.
>
> Well, being inventive as eight year olds are, some just couldn't stand the
> wait so they grabbed the first stick they saw which happened to be well
> encrusted with dirt and plunged it into the marshmallow without even a hint
> of wiping it off much less properly cleaning it and they beat everyone to
> the fire, burned their marshmallow properly which only a kid can relish and
> feasted on the sweet desert. As Dave states below, to each his own and I
> nearly fell over laughing as the mothers made a mad dash to prevent their
> child from engesting dirt, dog pooh or racoon turds. It was really kind of
> funny to watch.
>
> Thank goodness most improve on their sanitation technique by the time they
> reach a trek at Philont but not all do.
>
> OK, fast forward a few years to a PhilTrek.
>
> Gear list.
>
> You tell everyone to bring a bowl, cup and spoon. You recommend a Lexan
> bowl and spoon but what you get is a conglomeration of all sorts. Some of
> which break on the second or third day as two did on my last trek in 2002
> and then the Scout says "Mr. LeBlanc, look my bowl just broke". Then you
> give your bowl to him and make do with yoru cup.
>
> Well, he was in the proverbial pickle because he listened to the well
> meaning ranger when she said "you don't need both a bowl and a cup, leave
> one behind so he left his metal cup behind."
>
> Quite frankly if I had to choose, I'd left the plastic bowl, I NEVER am
> without my metal cup as previously stated a few days ago.
>
> Anyway, when it comes to sterilizing the dishes time, you have to use the
> large pot because SOMEONE brought a wide, I mean WIDE bowl or much worse, a
> plate!
>
> So EVERYONE crowds around or lines up or both to sterilize their eating
> tools. It's mass confusion at the place where you DO NOT WANT ANY
> confusion, the large pot of boiling water sitting atop a blazing gasoline or
> propane stove. Not a good idea.
>
> As Jim would say "a better idea" is needed.
>
> Furnish identical Lexan bowls and spoons for the entire crew.
>
> You can buy them cheaper but the REI Internet price today is $3.95 for a
> bowl and $1.25 for two spoons. That works out to be $4.57 per Scout or
> about $0.38 per evening meal. That's pretty cheap.
>
> You keep all the bowls and spoons together and treat them as creew/patrol
> gear throughout the trek. When the trek is over, distribute the bowls and
> spoons as a lasting momento if you wish.
>
> Technique.
>
> Drill a 3/16" hole in the rin of each bowl in the same place. Ditto for
> the handle of the spoon.
>
> Take a three foot length of light nylon cord ( right now I'm looking at a
> spool of #18 tan braided nylon from Walmart wihch is ideal. Tie the cord
> into a loop. Thread the loop onto one bowl. String the rest of the bowls
> opn the string and secure them. No lost or missing or left behind hanging
> on the buch to dry bowls. Do the same thing for the spoons.
>
> When it comes sterilizing time, place the first bowl into thepot of
> boiling water and slide subsequent bowls down the string into the water.
> Let then set for a minute or two. Lift the string out and air dry/cool to
> desired temperature to use. Do the same thign with the spoons
>
> The only disadvantage is that the Scout doesn't keep up with their bowl
> and spoon as personal gear, it's crew or patrol gear.
>
> The advantage is that they all get the same treatment and it is a lot
> quicker and more efficient than each person doing their own. Efficiency is
> the name of the game at Philmont to get the most bang for the buck. Every
> crew has the same amount of time to do it in.
>
> Another advantage is the all cooking and eating gear is CREW gear. A
> little more attention will be paid by the dish washer if they know that each
> bowl and spoon may just be the very one they get next, a point which you
> make several times so it will soak into their brain.
>
> You can do the same thing with a cup, but I'll leave it to you to decide.
>
> I showed this trick to Mark, the California Blankie Kid at AA and he liked
> it so much that he sat right down on the porch at Miranda and drilled a hole
> in his spoon with his Scout knife and attached a string to it.
>
> Your mileage may vary, but there will be a lot less burned fingers for
> those having trouble determining the level of the boiling water in the pot.
>
> And that's a safety issue.
>
> John LeBlanc
>
>
>
> *********************************************************************************
> OK.. OK... my sides are hurting. The image of a
> staffer swishing hydrating oatmeal from to cheek to cheek is just too
> much... must get up off the floor...
>
> If you are after class and style, be sure to hold your
> pinkies out while the cook pours water in your oatmeal package.
>
> This also reminds me of the scouts who crush up a
> Ramen bag and eat the contents dry. Then they take a drink, and I shudder
> at
> the thought of that stuff expanding in their guts...
>
> To each, their own...
> Dave
>
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Received on Wed Oct 24 19:04:42 2007