6 - In the Vise of the Strict Regime

Summary

Camp Food

Food was prepared by a special team of prisoner-cooks assigned to this work duty. I am certain that our cooks, like the Lithuanian Antanas Terlackas, did everything possible to prepare meals that were more or less edible, given the ingredients they had access to. Obviously, that was not an easy task. Luckily, the Chronicle of Current Events recorded some notes that provide a good overall picture. Here are just three illustrations:

[Based on M. Kiirend's report to the Executive Committee of the Soviet Societies of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, dated December 31, 1977.] Kiirend gives a table, which he composed, based on the official food menus. It indicates the average quantity of food which a prisoner receives daily. The author takes into account the fact that the prisoner actually receives even less than this, as part of the food is inedible. Kiirend concludes from his calculations: “The energy deficiency is 436 calories, or 15%; the protein deficiency is 27.2%, the figure for animal protein being 68%; the fats deficiency is 64%, and that of mineral salt is 53%; the following vitamins are deficient: Vitamin A (100%), Keratin (78%), Vitamin B1 (8%), B2 (47%), PP (48%), C (63%).”

11 June [1979]: Inedible food in the refectory. Mass food poisoning. Six people were sent to hospital.

In October and November [1978] the quality of the food deteriorated; the choice of groats was limited, and out of the kinds of fish prescribed for supper the prisoners were almost always given so-called herring, which disintegrates as soon as it is cleaned. As reported above, large worms were found in the food on several occasions. Fat disappeared from the shop; for two months only about 200 grams of margarine per prisoner were sold.

There is a humorous story associated with the aforementioned worms: having discovered them in our bowls, we summoned Captain Rak, who was on duty that day. He lifted the spoon containing the worms that we had collected as “material evidence,” popped them into his mouth and chewed them up, and announced: “Those are not worms, that's porridge!” He destroyed our “libelous evidence.” The whole zone had a lot of fun with that.