To those sweating over hot ovens and temperamental meat thermometers, consider for a moment the oil sands cook — or, rather, team of cooks — who will spend the day staring down 1,500 kilograms of bird. Then consider that this tremendous volume of turkey will be served at just one camp, PTI Group's Wapasu Creek Lodge — which, with 4,500 workers, makes up roughly 10 per cent of those in the Fort McMurray region camps. In other words, simple math would suggest that oil sands workers alone will consume some 15 tonnes of Thanksgiving-day turkey. That is the weight, in turkeys, of a dozen Honda Civics. And though turkey is unusual in the oil sands, it's barely even the centrepiece for Monday dinner in the camps, where mounds of food are a deliberate consolation for days and weeks spent far from loved ones. For workers who might not like traditional fare — or just like the idea of a piled-high plate — the buffets will be full. Take Sunday Creek Lodge, a smaller camp run by a company called Black Diamond that is currently home to 500 people. There, kitchen staff will prepare 90 kgs of turkey alongside 75 kgs of ham and 20 kgs of salmon. Part of that comes down to decorating, and dining rooms across northeastern Alberta will be spruced up with Thanksgiving themes, providing a brief diversion for workers whose holiday really isn't a holiday. In an industry that doesn't sleep, a mark on a calendar doesn't mean much. Those running camps feed legions of workers, every day, and it's not just holidays that require giant quantities of meat. On prime rib nights at Wapasu Creek alone, the kitchen orders 200 prime ribs, each weighing over six kilos. That's one-and-a-quarter tonnes of prime rib, on a weeknight. The quantities are driven largely by the numbers of people, but also by the size of their appetites. These are regular 10-ounce steaks. That means some workers are individually consuming 1. This is your average guy. Kitchens don't bring in extra staff. Food deliverers don't send extra trucks. Perhaps the only difference involves the logistics of pumpkin pie — which some camps will bake fresh — and turkeys. They are big, and they take time to cook. Sunday Creek is equipped with two kitchens that possess a total of six conventional ovens and two convection ovens. Normally, dinner cooking would start at 2 p. On Thanksgiving, it starts at 10 a. At Wapasu Creek, the turkey is ordered partially taken apart — breast still on the bone, brown meat in chunks. It saves space in the ovens, and cuts down on one of the most laborious parts of handling any bird — even for the manufacturers of meals who keep the oil sands running. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. Non-subscribers can read and sort comments but will not be able to engage with them in any way. If you would like to write a letter to the editor, please forward it to. Readers can also interact with The Globe on and. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. Non-subscribers can read and sort comments but will not be able to engage with them in any way. If you would like to write a letter to the editor, please forward it to. Readers can also interact with The Globe on and. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. We aim to create a safe and valuable space for discussion and debate. This should only take a few moments. Commenters who repeatedly violate community guidelines may be suspended, causing them to temporarily lose their ability to engage with comments.
