First, I want to add my thanks as well. Your word choice caught my eye, "geedunk." Is that mostly a navy term, or something you picked up from someone else? Curious, bc my Father-In-Law calls it that, too, and he's retired Navy Reserves. Thanks! -edited bc I can't type.... ← Greetings, Chief, Welcome to eGullet! I say this as a new member myself, although I have been lurking for a while before joining. I am no longer in the Navy; I was with NAVAIR, but also spent some time on board a destroyer, which is probably as close to sub-sized crew as the Navy gets. The food was quite good, but the destroyer cooks always seemed to have a chip on their shoulder, because some socially inept someone could always be counted on to say, “yeah, but it still is not as good as (fill in various sub numbers).” LOL, all legends have a core of truth… Have you heard about the push to send Navy cooks to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA)? As I understand it, this was intended to both increase the quality of Navy cooking, and to enhance the career certification development of Navy food service personnel. I think this program was beta-tested a couple of years ago with one carrier group, but do not know if it was implemented Navy-wide. Allura, the term “gedunk” originated with the sound that a vending machine makes as it delivers a drink or snack that you have selected and paid for. You put your money into the soda or soft drink machine, press the button for your selection, and… GEDUNK! Your snack or drink arrives. “Gedunk” ration definitions onboard ship seems to have evolved to include any quick-grab food not taken as a regular meal. It has become a noun, designating the snack food area or room. In recent years it sort of overlaps with what is still called MidRats, or Mid-Watch Rations. MBC
