I read a really interesting memoir about being stationed at McMurdo. You’re essentially trapped in a building for months on end, and people tend to get a little odd after being there for a while. I think if you had a tendency to depression, it could really be exacerbated by the environment.
The book is titled Big Dead Place:
https://www.amazon.com/Big-Dead-Place-Menacing-Antarctica/dp/0922915997/
I read a lot and am dating someone who has walls lined with books (literally, it's a bit scary, but great). Bourdain's shows are one of only a few things I'll watch on TV.
Anyway, I picked up a copy of Kitchen Confidential recently at a used book store and realized I'd never read any of his stuff. I was super impressed.
If you like it, I'd also recommend http://www.amazon.com/Big-Dead-Place-Menacing-Antarctica/dp/0922915997
It's another easy read. My favorite quote from any book is from it. I'm literally sitting her snorting thinking of it.
Is life at McMurdo anything like the book Big Dead Place? It's an incredibly cynical account of a guy who went down there 10 or so years ago for a couple of seasons (including a winterover, I think - haven't read it in a few years) and worked in menial jobs.
He basically said it's boring, people are crazy, the bureaucracy is horrendous and they get through by drinking in secret dorm bars.
i always recommend this book to people when they ask about life at McMurdo.
Have you read The Big Dead Place? If so what did you think of it?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0922915997/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00
I prefer to think of Raytheon solely as the comedy authoritarian nitwits in Big Dead Place