Military Food!

Xracer
*TFF Senior Staff*
Posts: 2081
(5/2/02 8:10:51 am)
Reply | Edit | Del All Military Food!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speaking of military food (see: New U.S. Army Secret Weapon).....

What was your favorite and least favorite food in the military?

My favorite (and it still is): SOS....both the Army and Navy type. For you civilians, SOS stands for Sh*t On A Shingle. The Army type was crumbled up hamburger in brown gravy over toast. Navy type was creamed dryed beef on toast. Mmmmmmm......yummy!

Least favorite: Powdered eggs and powdered milk......yeeeecccccchhhhhh!

ldsteff
Member
Posts: 45
(5/2/02 9:54:15 am)
Reply | Edit | Del Fav foods
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was Air Force last two years was Okinawa and SEA we never had all the food we could eat--but when we had liver no one wanted it(had a greenish hue) I grew to love liver days! SOS was my all time favorite at midnight chow.I have a great recipe from a Military magizine if anyone wants it!

Xracer
*TFF Senior Staff*
Posts: 2084
(5/2/02 11:11:04 am)
Reply | Edit | Del Re: Fav foods
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Idsteff....did you know you can get SOS (Navy Type) at your local supermarket?

Look in the frozen food section for Stouffer's Creamed Chipped Beef. It's a "boil in the pouch" and very good!

Edited by: Xracer at: 5/2/02 12:11:55 pm

warpig883
*TFF Staff*
Posts: 3370
(5/2/02 1:01:33 pm)
Reply | Edit | Del
ezSupporter
Re: Fav foods
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Used to get the Army SOS with the dried beef for breakfast and have them pour it over my omelette or over easy eggs.
"I'M NOT GOING TO HAVE SOME REPORTERS PAWING THROUGH OUR PAPERS. WE ARE THE PRESIDENT." - Hillary Clinton commenting on the release of subpoenaed documents

Tac401
Administrator
Posts: 4351
(5/2/02 1:04:51 pm)
Reply | Edit | Del
ezSupporter
Re: Fav foods
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I can only speak of the newer type MRE's in the
past 10-15 years or so and my all time favorites
are the chicken chow mein and the beef stew.
TFF VMBB Email Tac

Tank commanderA24
Member
Posts: 14
(5/2/02 8:26:10 pm)
Reply | Edit | Del Army Food
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grew to love Creamed beef, Had "biscuits and Gravey" at Fort Knox great stuff. Cream Beef is ground beef in a cream sauce, over butter milk bisquits with scrambled eggs yummm.

I started in the Army with C-rats and went though the entire evolution of the MREs. I like MREs better, the vegatarian meals are the best. The chow mein and the burritos are also very good as far as rations go. The key was the heaters that they put in, the stuff always tastes better warm.

the worst was the freeze dried meats from 15 years ago, they were like eating card board especially if couldn't add water.

Mess hall food was good at times and awful at other times it depends on the cooks.

I still hate liver!

TCA24

Tac401
Administrator
Posts: 4365
(5/2/02 9:08:44 pm)
Reply | Edit | Del
ezSupporter
Re: Army Food
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hate liver too!
TFF VMBB Email Tac

WyomingSwede
*TFF Senior Staff*
Posts: 386
(5/2/02 10:33:58 pm)
Reply | Edit | Del Re: Army Food
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I loved the old C-rats...especially the pound cake that doubled as a weapon. Could never handle the MRE's (meals rejected by Ethiopians) only when really hungry. Loved the chicken...hated the hamburger or sausage patties.
I foind it really humorous how the MRE's flew out of here when the Y2K thing was going on. I dont think that I would want to survive if I had to spend a year eating that gunk. I figure an awful lot of dogs have been eating an awful lot of MRE's since Y2K. swede
Wyoming Swede

kdub01
*TFF Senior Staff*
Posts: 582
(5/2/02 11:59:05 pm)
Reply | Edit | Del Re: Army Food
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ya' know - the newer (1980's on) really aren't too bad..........except for the ham & eggs!

I usually keep a case of them in the pantry and toss in the truck when going out hunting or on a trip. Never know when you can be stranded and hungry. They pack easy in a saddle bag or backpack and can be eaten cold or hot. Takes quite a bit of liquid to wash the salt down, but I guess that's one of the main preservatives.

shooter22
*TFF Staff*
Posts: 1068
(5/3/02 11:14:06 pm)
Reply | Edit | Del Re: Army Food
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Man, I was hungry till you all started in.


17th FA Bn
V.I.P. Member
Posts: 110
(5/4/02 9:47:42 am)
Reply | Edit | Del Love that canned fruit cake!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the old Army canned c-rats I loved all the canned breads and cakes especially the fruit cake. I could always trade with others to get more fruit cake, I seemed to be one of the few who appreciated that delicacy!

I like chili-mac, but had enough of it in the Army to last two life times. Chili mac must have been the official food of the filed artillery in the 80's.

When I was stationed out of Roosevelt Roads P.R. with the Coast Guard they must have had a glut of sheep in Puerto Rico. We had lamb at lest once a week. Our first cook had no idea how to cook it and it always tasted like musty dog. Our second cook who was from Puerto Rico did a much better job. It was an enjoyable meal when he cooked it.

The best military cook I ever saw was a former marine who I served with out of Miami, Fl. His meals were as good as mom's or your favorite aunts best. We had the district 7 commander on board once and he cooked a meal for him. The district 7 commander was so impressed that when he was promoted to Vice commandant he stole our cook and took him to Washington with him.

Put me down in the I hate liver category!

Edited by: 17th FA Bn at: 5/4/02 10:52:46 am

Xracer
*TFF Senior Staff*
Posts: 2098
(5/4/02 5:26:31 pm)
Reply | Edit | Del Re: Love that canned fruit cake!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17th.....that "lamb" at Roosie Roads was probably goat.

I shot a whole bunch of Puerto Rican weddings, and main course was usually curried goat!

I hate liver too!

17th FA Bn
V.I.P. Member
Posts: 112
(5/4/02 10:41:48 pm)
Reply | Edit | Del Puerto Rican lamb
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xracer, you could have convinced me that the "lamb" was dog!

Xracer
*TFF Senior Staff*
Posts: 2109
(5/7/02 7:27:47 am)
Reply | Edit | Del Re: Puerto Rican lamb
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Generally speaking, Navy food wasn't too bad. On shore duty and large ships, it was the usual "steam table" stuff, but on small ships, it was pretty darn good.

C'mon sailors.....what kind of ships did you serve on, and how was the food?

Different name
*TFF Staff*
Posts: 1850
(5/9/02 3:23:18 pm)
Reply | Edit | Del
ezSupporter
Re: Puerto Rican lamb
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I always ordered mine --- TA GO!
Pathfinder Special Forces.....
C-Rations is NOT where its at!

Charlie D

jimejones
Member
Posts: 41
(5/9/02 5:15:02 pm)
Reply | Edit | Del Navy chow
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some of the best food I ever ate was in the Navy, and also some of the worst. Boot camp was poor. The Treasure Island receiving station chow was awful. For that and other reasons, "if your son is in Korea, write to him. If he is on Treasure Island, pray for him." The communications station at Kamiseya, Japan, was bad when the station opened. A few years later it was one of the best in the Navy. Unfortunately, I was a plank owner. The top cook on the USS Jamestown (AGTR-3) was a CS1. As a result, the CPOs and most of the crew ate poorly. The PO1 mess was something else. Unfortunately, (?) by then I was a chief.
As for SOS, the creamed chipped beef variety is still a favorite of mine. To differentiate between it and its poor cousin, we called the former "foreskin on the slab." I've had too much of the ground beef in tomato sauce variety.

[tim.sr]

O my did I love the C-rats never got to get a mre.

[ampaterry]

I was Air Force -
Food was OK -
Chipped beef on toast WAS very good!

But during my entire hitch, the BEST chow I ever had was during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when I was operating out of Sanford Naval Air Station in Florida and ate in a NAVY mess -
I could not BELIEVE that anyone in the military ate that well!
Tons of FRESH FRUIT -
STEAKS!

My gosh, I am hungry just thinking about it -

[Insulation Tim]

The only thing that I despised, and still do today were the Lima Beans.....yuk! Everything else was okay, but then I wasn't exactly a gourmand back then (probably not now either).

[Pistolenschutze]

Originally Posted by Insulation Tim

The only thing that I despised, and still do today were the Lima Beans.....yuk! Everything else was okay, but then I wasn't exactly a gourmand back then (probably not now either).

Lima beans and ham would gag a maggot at 100 yards, Tim. The guy who put that stuff in C-rat cans should have been water boarded with the the stuff, then shot at dawn.

[oldogy]

I did enjoy Army SOS.
oldogy

[army mp]

C Rats the canned pork had to be the worst . at least they put the cigarettes and ckicklet in the box, to take the nasty taste out of your mouth.

[ampaterry]

We were in the great flood in Fairbanks, and ended up stranded in a friends apartment on the third floor of an apartment building. I waded/swam back to our apartment several times, hauling all the canned goods I could salvage out of the mud, and when they were gone we did without.
Then the Salvation Army came through with big trucks, and off-loaded C-rations to the several THOUSAND people that were stranded there.
The red cross was there selling sandwiches, but that is a different story - - -

While in the service, I spent a lot of time in the field, ate a lot of C-rations, and griped about them along with everyone else.
But I will tell you this; when we got those from the Salvation Army after going hungry for several days, it was the BEST tasting food I had ever had in my life.

It is all a matter of context, isn't it?

[bcj1755]

When I was in the AF, the food was pretty decent. Except the eggs. We never knew if we were going to get real eggs, or powdered eggs. It was a total crapshoot.

And having been around the Navy most of my life, I have to say that some of the food they got was decent. The food at King's Bay NSB in GA was excellent (NJROTC field trip). And anyone around Mayport NS in Jacksonville, FL should try the bowling alley. I kid you not. That place had great food, at least when I ate there in 95. (My great uncle and I stopped there while arranging my grandfather's burial at sea. My uncle was retired AF and even he was very impressed with the food at said bowling alley.)

Another one of my uncles (my mother's brother) spent a couple years in the Army. He told me if i wanted decent food, join the Air Force.

[FJF0311]

Green eggs and ham! It was a b3, so it came with canned fruit, pears! My favorite!
Worst, Spaghetti with beef chunks. being infantry, particularly, my time with recon. Lighting fires was a no-no. so all rats were consumed cold. the grease in the spaghetti would congeal onto the spoon. Turning the bowl, as round as the back side. You would have to stop, take your K-Bar and scrape it off in order to continue eating.
Of course, you usually broke the spoon, and had to finish it off with the lid bent in half.

[Snakedriver]

I preferred C-rats to Army Mess Hall chow. I rarely ate any of their nasty breakfast foods beyond coffee and maybe some juice if they had any. Always had C's for lunch while we were out and about, mmmm Beefsteak with fruit cocktail and a John Wayne bar was my favorite. I actually gained 15 lbs. while I was away in Vietnam. My mom was disappointed when I got home, I guess she thought I should look like a concentration camp victim. Thank goodness for care packages from home with goodies.

P.S. I hated lima beans even before I joined the Army.

[guntutor]

Well, I've probably eaten a lot more military food than some, since my career spanned from 1968 to 2004. C-rations were infinitely better than MRE's. I am sure some of you remember the "dehydrated" products in older MRE's. What a brilliant idea...reduce the soldier's drinking water supply by inventing food that requires adding water in order to be eaten in the field! On occasion, I had to eat those meals without the water, and that REALLY dehydrates you!

Favorites? Well, the thing I liked BEST was the COLD BEER that was sling-loaded to my infantry company in Vietnam, when we were in the field (which was almost always). I know a lot of Vietnam vets never had the pleasure of that experience, but those of you who did, KNOW what I am talking about! Of course, 3.2 beer is nothing to brag about, and some of the brands were better used as engine degreaser...but having a cold beer in your hands after a b*ll-busting mission in 105 degree heat was AWESOME!

I loved the beans and franks from the older C-rations. When I was in Vietnam we were actually eating rations left over from the Korean War era, with the dates on the packages and cans. Those beans were great if you used some C-4 to heat them up to boiling temperature. Kudos for the comments about the pound cake and fruit cake!

In Germany with the 3rd ID, our mess hall used to serve grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and as bizarre as it may sound, they were delicious!

Back in the day, when there was a draft, my battalion had a "cook" who in fact was a chef before he was drafted; he was a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, and a Master Pastry Chef at one of the most prestigious hotels in the USA. You absolutely would not believe the delicacies we had in our mess hall while he was doing his time in the Army.

Ah, fond memories! Pass the Doritos....

[17thfabn]

The best meal we had in the Coast Guard was London broil. I would love to have the recipe they used. It was tender, and very good tasting, yet very lean. I've tried to cook it at the fire house, and have never gotten it as good as they did. My wife has come close at home.

[kutaho]

SOS & pwdred eggs were a favorite, when there a side dish to what ever you cought and cleaned.
once a month they treated use to lobster tail. To bad Cook didn't know how to prepare them
Was on a MSO.

[cycloneman]

After Katrina we ate MRE's for about a month. No power so ice was in short supply. MRE's just made sense. Especially when you had to go to work, there was nothing, I mean nothing to eat. MRE's are OK for about 2 weeks, after that i want real food. I still buy MRE's but in small amounts for leaving on the boat for emergencies only. For SHTF time it's all dried and can goods now.

[AL MOUNT]

Originally Posted by Snakedriver

I preferred C-rats to Army Mess Hall chow.

Just a hunch..... but I'm guessing you didn't eat C's for 8 out of 9 meals

for months on end...... Sir...

[carver]

My favorite, believe it or not, was the C-rat crackers, followed by the apricots, and fruit cake. I think I got addicted to the crackers!

[Snakedriver]

Originally Posted by AL MOUNT

Just a hunch..... but I'm guessing you didn't eat C's for 8 out of 9 meals

for months on end...... Sir...

Well it's true, I didn't have to eat them more than once or twice a day, and if I was in the field for long periods like you guys the mess hall gruel might have even looked good to me. I can remember on more than one occassion looking at the mess hall meal that was being served and then going back to my hooch for some C-rat's and peaches instead.

To all you grunts who lived endlessly in the field you have my undying respect. The lack of decent chow was only one of the many comforts you had to do without. YOU ARE REMEMBERED ON THIS MEMORIAL DAY!!!

[TomsMustangGT]

What are C-rats?

[Crpdeth]

Originally Posted by Snakedriver

YOU ARE REMEMBERED ON THIS MEMORIAL DAY!!!

AMEN!!!!

Originally Posted by TomsMustangGT

What are C-rats?

Hey, check this out. C-rats


Crpdeth