Surprisingly, It Wasn't Good!

"An Army moves on it's stomach" is often heard when discussing logistics in the military. Napolean learned that lesson the hard way, when his invasion of Russia failed miserably, in large part due to his inability to feed his troops.

These days, soldiers don't usually live "off of the land." We bring in airplanes, trucks and ships full of food, water and all other sorts of supplies to sustain us during our mission.

We might have MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat) if we're traveling, but at established bases, we have a Dining Facility, or DFAC. The quality of the food varies from place to place, but military members are very adaptable. We can complain no matter how good or bad the food is...

A contractor prepares the meals at our base. In this case, many of the supplies are ordered through Europe, so just like in the classic song "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need!"

Some meals actually taste pretty good, even if they don't look it. The Beef, Fried Potatoes and Creamed Spinach that I had one night is a good example of this. I couldn't believe how bad it looked, so I had to record it for posterity.

Other entrees are just... Different.

Like the Fish Spaghetti they served one night... My buddy tried it, and when asked how it was, he simply replied, "Surprisingly, it wasn't good!"

This experience has given a whole new meaning to the phrase "It's to die for..." One day I had a great meal at another base a few miles down the road. BBQ ribs were on the menu, and they were cooked just right... We made our drive back through local traffic that day without incident, but the following day some misguided moron detonated himself in a vehicle bomb just outside that base... So I have to think to myself, is it worth the risk to go get that rib dinner? (For the record, no!)

I've had the opportunity to try and even enjoy many things that I wouldn't even think about eating at home... Even though I know it's just Chicken and Leeks (Like Scallions), I refuse to eat this soup. Though it may be common in England, the name of this soup sounds as if you have a personal problem that may require some medical attention...

Enjoy your meal!