The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Kelly Carrington Staff Writer Would you be able to cook a good meal with only the contents of a preparedness kit? That was the challenge issued to four teams last Saturday afternoon, Aug. 18, in the Walmart parking lot. Teams of two were given 45 minutes to prepare a meal and dessert based on items in both their preparedness kit and a free-for-all table with items like Dream Whip, beans and instant brown rice. The Red Cross Disaster Dining 101 Cook Off challenge hit Flin Flon for the second time in three years and put the contestants to the test. Terri Chisolm and Kriss Rummerfield of Walmart picked up first place in the cooking challenge. Second place went to fellow Walmart employees Rhonda Fidler and Curtis Post. Flin Flon city councillors Tim Babcock and Karen MacKinnon earned third place as Olaf Hettrick and Shirley Neault of HudBay placed fourth. 'I thought it went really well,' said Cherlyn Cain, the Red Cross' disaster management support worker for northern Manitoba. 'We had a great time...and we brought awareness to the need to be prepared. And we had fun doing it.' All who were involved, as well as the crowd of spectators, enjoyed themselves with the healthy competition. Teams were given a Coleman stove, a frying pan, a small pot, a plastic container, a spoon, a plate, napkins and three litres of water. Teams were required to share can openers and whisks. In their kits, teams were able to work with instant brown rice, pasta, beans, chicken broth, canned ham, tomato soup, canned corn, skim milk powder, instant pudding and dream whip. In addition to the ingredients given, a free-for-all table let the contestants choose from items such as Vienna sausage, brown sugar, oil, vinegar, mandarin oranges, salt, pepper, spices, soup base cubes and salsa, as well as cutlery and plates. The challenge is to make people aware of the items they need in an emergency, said Cain. On Saturday, after the judging took place, Cain said 'see, it's possible to create a great meal while in an emergency.' 'You need to be able to whip up a meal without running water and electricity,' she said in a phone interview. The cooking challenge was held in the parking lot with a table for cooking, a judges' table, and chairs placed around for spectators. 'I think...the setup made people more aware of preparedness,' said Cain. 'That was my goal, anyway.' Throughout the course of the afternoon Cain was asked several times about what goes in a preparedness kit. Along with the food items, a kit should contain basic essentials like blankets, a big plastic water jug, a flashlight and a First Aid kit. See 'Only..' pg. 5 Continued from pg. 4 The judging left only five points between the first place winners and the fourth place team. 'The judges were really impressed,' said Cain. 'They said everyone did a good job and it was hard to decide.' The Disaster Dining 101 Cook Off is held, typically, every two years in Flin Flon. Last year a scavenger hunt was held in Walmart with items needed for a preparedness kit. Cain says next year's event is a mystery for now, but she is sure it will be a good one.
