Foreigners attracted to Chinese food in Antarctic

A Chinese expedition team prepares to depart from the Zhongshan Research Station for the Kunlun Research Station, China's closest station to the South Pole in Antarctica, on Dec 16, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

"Everyone is treated equally here in the Antarctic expedition stations. No matter if you are an electrician, doctor, chef, or machinist, the standards of food, clothes, and even salaries are almost the same," Wang said.

A chef like Wang earns a yearly salary of 200,000 to 250,000 yuan ($ 31,440 to 39,300), which is nearly two to three times that of a white-collar worker in in Chinese cities.

"That's much higher than what I could make before," Wang said.

Dai will set out for his second mission to Antarctica in December, where he will be in charge of the nutrition service at China's Great Wall Station.

In 2009, he cooked for the Zhongshan Station and stayed in Antarctica for 555 days.

He had to pass the required physical, psychological and professional tests before he was picked over hundreds of competitors to cook for the research team.

Wang said that three chefs work in shifts, which means he works for eight hours in a 24-hour day.

"It's not tiring working in the Antarctic," Wang said.

But chefs, electricians, and weathermen are relatively busy.

"Because people eat every day, the electricity must be ensured 24 hours a day, and the weathermen forecast weather four times a day," Wang said, adding that other jobs can be adjusted according to the weather.