Food In The Military

[StInGeR]

No offense Mabelline - or Beto (and this may seem out of line) but if you're going to look into "adopt a platoon", maybe check out some of the platoons that are further out of green zone - that's the supposed safe zone -where they don't have access to as much. Or hell maybe even adopt 2 platoons

Regards

Tom

[Mabelline]

StInGeR--how do you find them? Come up with some addresses. No offense taken, I admit I'm just bumbling along. Yes, we definitely need combat areas, they are needing some caring.

[StInGeR]

StInGeR--how do you find them? Come up with some addresses. No offense taken, I admit I'm just bumbling along. Yes, we definitely need combat areas, they are needing some caring.

I've got some contacts, so I'll do some homework and get back to you on that one Mabelline. It's been awhile since I was in the forces but some of my mates in the Australian army should def be able to help.

Regards

Tom

[Beto]

Stinger, no offense taken at all! There are lots of troops over here that have MUCH greater needs than mine. The "adopt a platoon" idea is a great one.

[StInGeR]

Hey Beto-- who are you with? I'm curious

Regards

Tom

[Pouncy]

My fiancee (a foodie as well) is in the Navy (and will be home in 11 days!!!), and here are some things I have sent him in care packages. Keep in mind my guy is based on a ship, and therefore has access to running water, electricity, and a little more storage space than his backpack. I can get addresses for people as well for other Navy personnel, and some Marines in the Gulf.

~OXO cubes (I worked at a British import shop, and these boullion cubes rock!)

~Spice blends, clearly labelled in plastic bottles

~Balsamic vinegar and good olive oil in smallish bottles

~Small bottles of Tapatio so he had a private stash

~Happy Mie Ramen from Indonesia - it's halal, so no problems getting it through customs, and it tastes like Mongolian BBQ. I get it at Ranch 99, along with instant phad thai noodles.

~Salditos, chili-dusted garbanzo beans, and other Mexican candies - if your guy doesn't like them, they have a high trade value.

~Chunks of Callebaut dark chocolate, and Black Magic chocolate assortments.

~GOOD pasta - generally Barilla from the Italian market

~Jarred sauces, generally Classico or Barilla.

~Pacific Northwest style smoked salmon. Packed in foil bags, the Sea Bear and ~Portlock stuff ships really well and is a BIG hit.

~Nutella, especially in the squeezy packs - it's a nice change from the peanut butter in the MRE's

~Good smelling non-foofy soaps - that Neutrogena one in the scrubby bag is a big hit because it exfoliates without looking foofy or adding baggage. Bottles of body wash that can hang on the shower head are another good one.

~Mini Toblerone bars or other small candy they can tuck into small pockets. Hard candy is best during the summer, to prevent gooey messes.

~A battery-operated pocket fan

~Pens with built in lights for working at night (The Weems & Plath chart pens are the best - get them at boating stores)

~Altoids mints (my guy loves the Ginger ones), and Listerine strips - being able to at least make your mouth feel clean when the rest of you is icky is a plus

~Mach 3 razor blades and Noxema cream

~Goofy holiday stuff - I sent him skeleton lights for halloween, and peanut butter coffins.

~Bass or Guitar Player magazines - A lot of guys have guitars and other instruments onboard ship, and magazines that have tablatures in the back always give them new stuff to try to play. On bigger ships a lot of times there will be a Battle of the Bands!

~Lever 2000 wipes, preferably anti-bacterial

~SOCKS!!! Black cotton and white cotton athletic socks of medium size. They get icky really fast, and guys come home with what we refer to as "zombie foot". It's really gross.

~Lamisil cream and spray. If they don't need it, someone they know does.

~Taped shows on VHS. Buffy, West Wing, Enterprise, Charmed, Smallville, all the primetime stuff. Bootleg DVD's are another hit.

~CD's burned with movie trailers, ebooks, assorted MP3's, and the like. My bootleg episodes of Iron Chef have been a big hit. If you KaZaA, this is a good one. Episodes of 80's cartoons abound on the Net, and guys have a good time watching them.

~Tylenol Sinus and NyQuil. It's a nice, symptom-specific change from Vitamin M.

~Sun-dried tomatoes in oil or just in bags.

~Individual Kleenex packs. When one person gets the sniffles, *everyone* gets the sniffles. Or Martian Death Flu.

Packaging tips:

-Fill out a white Customs form listing generally what is in the box. You may not need it, but better safe than sorry.

-Wrap glass jars and the like in socks or bubble wrap and put in the center of the package.

-Packing peanuts are a pain in the ass. Bubble wrap is a lot easier cleanup, and provides hours of entertainment as well.

-Put any bottles of shampoo, sauce or other gooey things in a plastic bag, *just in case*.

-During the summer, chocolates will melt. Plan accordingly. Snickers and the like are easily obtained, send harder to find things like good dark chocolate.

-Vacuum packers are your friend. Just put layers of paper between cookie layers or you get the Unicookie. Or as we put it, "One cookie to rule them all, and in the darkness bind them."

-Gladware is great for sending goodies in - it keeps things separated, packs all nice and modular-like, and is reusable. Divinity ships really well, separated by layers of wax paper.

I hope this helps people with general care package ideas. I know tortilla kits can be had under the Taco Bell label as well.

[Mabelline]

Pouncy, you are a veritable blessing ! Thank you so much for that info! And let me say I am glad for you that in only 11 days your man will be back

[Pan]

What's Vitamin M?

[Pouncy]

What's Vitamin M?

Motrin. According to military medicine, it cures everything from hangovers, to anthrax vaccine reactions to broken bones. Hence, it's referred to as Vitamin M and dispensed like candy.

[SobaAddict70]

Hey Beto please don't tell me you're a REMF     

J/K

Hokay.

What iz dis?

PM me the answer in case the answer is a bit "rough" if you know what I mean.

Soba

[Chris Cognac]

Hey Beto please don't tell me you're a REMF     

J/K

Hokay.

What iz dis?

PM me the answer in case the answer is a bit "rough" if you know what I mean.

Soba

Its a term for refering to anyone Non Infantry or Non Combat arms...Rear Echelon Mother Fucker R.E.M.F. Its an insult when said directly to a REMF, but most were not man enough to speak up for themselves....They would just mumble some comment about "stupid grunts" blah blah blah....REMF's are usually clean from the frequent showers and baths they take and often suffer from weight gain from the good chow...REMF's are often clad in the latest gear like desert boots with no eyelets in them....Grunts are often in ripped, rotten old dirty smelly gear from not being able to bath for 4-6 weeks....and have (had) worn out, jungle boots with eyelets in them (which pop out and let sand in) that are black in color, so you feet can get that much hotter while you are carrying 120 plus lbs of gear 10-20 klicks at a time inthe sand....

REMF's are the ones that tell the grunt (who has managed to make it all the way back to the rear on a day with no mission so he can get much needed equipment) that he can not have any because they are not alloted enough, allowed to have it or they dont want to give it to them.

REMF's are the ones who compound and area the grunts have to pull guard duty around when the grunts are rotated back to the rear for 14 days to "rest". But I must admit, I took my liberty of taking whatever I could from them while I was patroling the compounds!...They always had plenty of pepsi, candy bars, king fahd (pastries the king would send the troops but never would make it out to the grunts)...oh yea, I would start guard duty with empty pockets, and leave with full ones....hell what were they gonna do, they were REMF's and I was an Airborne Infantryman with a full combat load pulling security for them on my"off days"

OK time to watch survivor!

Former Spc 4 United States Army!

Edit: stupid ex grunt no spell

Edited February 27, 2004 by Chris Cognac (log)

[fifi]

Soba... A retired military friend of mine says it means Rear Eschelon Mo Fo... if you get my drift.

General Mabelline... Sign me up. What I am thinking is Beto and some of his buddies need some seasonings. We can do that. What I don't know is how many they are cooking for.

Sounds like we have two types to take care of. The guys with facilities that would like to be able to add "a taste of home". Then there are the guys that are up front. If we got some addresses and had some idea where the folks are and what they need that would help.

I am ordering stickers. And I have all of these boxes and bubble wrap since I can't keep my mouse button out of amazon.com.

This could become an eGullet Airlift!

Awaiting your instructions... Ma'am! *snappy salute*

[Mabelline]

This here's a democracy, Queen fifi Should we have a certain day that's good for ever'body to send? Up for suggestions...

[StInGeR]

Its a term for refering to anyone Non Infantry or Non Combat arms...Rear Echelon Mother Fucker R.E.M.F. Its an insult when said directly to a REMF, but most were not man enough to speak up for themselves....They would just mumble some comment about "stupid grunts" blah blah blah....REMF's are usually clean from the frequent showers and baths they take and often suffer from weight gain from the good chow...REMF's are often clad in the latest gear like desert boots with no eyelets in them....Grunts are often in ripped, rotten old dirty smelly gear from not being able to bath for 4-6 weeks....and have (had) worn out, jungle boots with eyelets in them (which pop out and let sand in) that are black in color, so you feet can get that much hotter while you are carrying 120 plus lbs of gear 10-20 klicks at a time inthe sand....

REMF's are the ones that tell the grunt (who has managed to make it all the way back to the rear on a day with no mission so he can get much needed equipment) that he can not have any because they are not alloted enough, allowed to have it or they dont want to give it to them.

REMF's are the ones who compound and area the grunts have to pull guard duty around when the grunts are rotated back to the rear for 14 days to "rest". But I must admit, I took my liberty of taking whatever I could from them while I was patroling the compounds!...They always had plenty of pepsi, candy bars, king fahd (pastries the king would send the troops but never would make it out to the grunts)...oh yea, I would start guard duty with empty pockets, and leave with full ones....hell what were they gonna do, they were REMF's and I was an Airborne Infantryman with a full combat load pulling security for them on my"off days"

OK time to watch survivor!

Former Spc 4 United States Army!

Edit: stupid ex grunt no spell

Yup you've got it in one!!!!! It's good to see someone else with the same impression I too liked to liberate equipment and gear from them. My favourite conversation with them went like this:

Me: Do you have any crates of HE for the M-203's?

REMF: Yeah we've got about 30 crates HE and WP

Me: Well can I grab a couple of crates?

REMF: Well I could issue them to you BUT what if someone else wants them??

Me: <bang head against table>

Me: Waits 10 minutes until said REMF goes out the back and liberates 4 crates instead of the 2 we actually wanted. Me laughs all the way back to my platoon's lines, thinking about the REMF trying to explain that one.

[Mabelline]

I've had some other thoughts. We oughta get people who are gonna join in to say something, so that it can be noted for youall out there who do the writing-up stuff, and so we get an idea how many names we need. This may take a while, unless the eGers, StInGeR,Beto, Pouncy and anybody else does not come up with enough names, for I read adoptaplatoon.org's procedure, and there may be a wait there.So I reckon they are interconnected, aren't they? (What did I just say?)

[fifi]

Democracy? What democracy? There is no damn democracy in MY realm!

BTW... those stickers are big ones for your bumper and pretty pricey. I was hoping for the little things to stick on cards and packages. Oh well.

I don't know that we have to ship all in one day. We could keep it going. Beto is wanting some chiles and related ingredients. Someone else might catch on and hunger for some Camellia red beans and Cajun seasoning. Who knows? Right now, Beto is our only contact. Perhaps he can help spread the word there. That might take some time and if the word doen't get to that homesick Cajun right away, I wouldn't want him or her to think they got left out of a one time "airlift". After all... how long did we fly planes into Berlin. How the hell would we get someone in Afghanistan?

[Pouncy]

(What did I just say?)

Not sure...

[Mabelline]

Okay, then maybe we can keep a running post of names waiting, where they are, and what their druthers are. Then we can have somebody say they'll take, and post once it's been sent. Does that sound better? Is there a chance of a 2" diameter sticker getting made up on a sheet of say, 10, I wonder?

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Okay, I was told something extremely disturbing to me by my nephew who is stationed with the USS Abraham Lincoln during its refit and testing at Norfolk VA. At lunch in a restaurant last weekend, he mentioned that he had witnessed boxes of food labeled "Fit Only for Prisoner or Military Consumption".

 

I think so many people, if they knew about this travesty, would conclude that this is not what people in service of the defense of our nation deserve. Not even close!

 

It's sort of on the downlow because retaliation for whistleblowers is horrific in the military, but I found a few links that confirm it.

 

I believe my nephew. He's so honest he hurts himself in today's world. A nursing home resident came forward to say he'd lent a book to my husband who subsequently lent it to my brother, and he wanted it back. Well you know, dealing with a death, cleaning out the residence often leads to donating many things. A lot of work and expense. Nephew said he'd try to track this book down, but if unable to, he'd buy the lender another book. Do you realize how many details this kid has dealt with and still has pending plus the expense, and he's concerned about a lent book? I do not think he lied about the labels on this Navy food!

 

What do you think? Is this the level of food we should be feeding our captive audience of folks serving our country? 

[liuzhou]

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/false-swap-meat/

[JoNorvelleWalker]

13 hours ago, liuzhou said:

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/false-swap-meat/

 

But Battleship Potemkin is my favorite foodie film.

 

[rotuts]

Im very skeptical. 

 

some time ago there was a PBS series called " Carrier "

 

a film crew spent a ' cruse ' on the USS Nimitz   from SanDiego to the persian gulf and back

 

http://www.pbs.org/weta/carrier/

 

it followed a dozen or so Sailors  both enlisted and officers for the cruse.

 

one was an enlisted woman who worked in the kitchens.  she of course had to lug 60 lbs sacks of pancake mix while

 

the Chiefpetty officer loafed around.  but that;s the Navy.

 

the issue w the food was that there was a tremendous amount of waste :  you took all you wanted 

 

then dumped what you did not eat.   if less were taken , there would be better ingredients and more nuanced cooking

 

for the enlisted personal.

 

the food looked OK to me on the show.  a bit starchy  but there were salad bars etc.

 

and there was no 1 hour waiting.   for 5000 hungry people  , 4 meals a day , the amount of food was staggering 

 

and the eggs were fresh  , having a huge refrigerator just for them

 

one episode featured resupply of food as a segment.   fascinating.

 

and the officers ate the same basic ingredients as the enlisted men.

 

however it was better prepared.

 

the Admiral had his own Mess , and when invited dignitaries dinned in that mess , it looked like a stared restaurant.

 

so I doubt the military ( i.e. prisoner ) dsignations

 

I might be wrong.

 

if you get a chance to see these episodes , I highly recommend them.

 

they are gripping , showing aloo sorts of Walks of Life Ive never encountered.

 

The food service woman  , a late teen ager from the rural south explained why she enlisted for food service :

 

she said after her term was up , she would be better trained than any of her friends and

 

would get a much better job in the Food Industry , as her friends were limited to flipping burgers at McDonalds

 

extremely interesting show.

 

and as a PS  :  this is not an anti war series , but quite factual and showing what a cruse was like on a

 

massive aircraft carrier .

 

watch it here :

 

http://www.pbs.org/weta/carrier/full_episodes.htm

 

this is a segment on " Mess decks "

 

http://www.pbs.org/weta/carrier/full_episodes.htm

 

go to episode one , there is a drop down menu

 

select chapter 3

 

Bon Apetit 

Edited March 17, 2018 by rotuts (log)

[rotuts]

I just watched the segment I suggested.

 

there are a lot more segments that follow that enlisted person , but they are all woven into the entire show

 

its a very very long series

[gfweb]

Very skeptical.

[rotuts]

One last reason I doubt this :

 

One letter from an enlisted person to their congress(wo)man 

 

would incite a firestorm.

 

of course the congress person would care less what the Navy eats , he or she docent eat that stuff.

 

but the amount of free publicity would be priceless come re-election time.

 

and that's the Legal tender for congress.

Edited March 17, 2018 by rotuts (log)