• tunetardis@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    135
    ·
    6 months ago

    I’m in a band that performs on occasion at CFBs (Canadian Forces Bases). We typically eat there and spend the night either in barracks or guest housing.

    I have noticed that when we play for officers, dinner is like steak and lobster. When we play for enlisted, it’s more like high school cafeteria. The one and only time I had to excuse myself towards the end of a concert and miss the closing number was after eating at the enlisted mess and getting explosive diarrhea.

    • redcalcium@lemmy.institute
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      75
      ·
      6 months ago

      The one and only time I had to excuse myself towards the end of a concert and miss the closing number was after eating at the enlisted mess and getting explosive diarrhea.

      I guess they’re training their soldiers for biological warfare.

      • tunetardis@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        54
        ·
        6 months ago

        I suppose it is a kind of survival training? One of my bandmates who’s served came up after. “So here’s the deal. You watch what everyone else is eating. If they’re meticulously avoiding the peach cobbler or whatever it is, you F’ing stay away from that S if you know what’s good for you!”

    • Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      ·
      6 months ago

      I know from my wife that food in the CAF varies wildly from base to base. Some places are pretty good, others are dogshit.

    • HKPiax@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      65
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      6 months ago

      That’s one jucy plate of bread, green beans, lettuce with cum, and diarrhea. Accompanied by a glass of piss.

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      46
      ·
      6 months ago

      Maybe it’s because I grew up poor with a single parent who couldn’t cook, but I thought that the Army food was great. When I got to AIT and could eat as much as I wanted, I realized that I had essentially been starving my entire life. I put on 19 pounds between starting basic and finishing AIT, when most people were losing dozens of pounds. I would eat 3000 calorie breakfasts, and then burn most of it off with an eight mile run.

      • gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        17
        ·
        6 months ago

        the army food was great

        me too. I was with the military for 6 months (it’s obligatory in my country) and the food was delicious. Not just very nutritious and also healthy, but it really filled you, and made you feel good. Much better than what I got at home.

        • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          15
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          edit-2
          6 months ago

          I did say “most of it”. That was just to start the day. We’d often run again in the evening, lift weights, do pushups and sit-ups throughout the day, and do a full day of work. I was eating more than I was burning since I was able to put on muscle, but not by much, since my body fat percentage was low. The point of the story was that I had enough food to eat for the first time in my life thanks to the Army mess hall, and I thought it was great.

          • QuizzaciousOtter@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            4
            arrow-down
            6
            ·
            6 months ago

            I would guess it’s more like 1000 tops. Sorry, I just like to be precise and the number seemed off. Doesn’t really matter to the story. I’m sure you’re able to burn a lot calories during army training.

    • Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      29
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      6 months ago

      Legitimately looks like prison food. And you don’t even get metal cutlery?

      • BakerBagel@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        57
        ·
        6 months ago

        Thats how pretty much all food made in giant quantities for 1500+ people is gonna look. Looks like every cafeteria meal i have ever eaten.

        • TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          11
          ·
          6 months ago

          Looks a hell of a lot better than what they served to us at school on base when my dad was in the military.

          In the late 90’s they used to have this baked spaghetti that was served in little squares. They were too hard to eat unless you poured water on it and let it soak for a bit. You could throw them across the room or bang them on the table and they wouldn’t lose their shape.

          I’m pretty sure the elementary and middle schools just reheated yesterday’s left overs from the chow hall.

          • lud@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            6 months ago

            Can you really compare military school food to school food though?

        • theneverfox@pawb.social
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          7
          ·
          6 months ago

          It’s institutional food - a restaurant can serve 1500+ people if they’ve prepared for it. For example, take a college cafeteria - the food usually isn’t bad, even though it’s made in massive quantities

          Institutional food only comes into play when the institution takes the lowest bidder. Like most public school districts, prisons, and whenever else the state runs cafeterias directly

          It’s a small but very meaningful distinction

      • zaph@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        6 months ago

        Depends where you’re at. It’s been more than a decade but the cooks at my dfac in Afghanistan told us prisoners get higher grade beef.

        • insufferableninja@lemdro.id
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          6 months ago

          bro, your mistake was eating the beef, instead of whatever the locals were making for themselves. there was always a long ass line for that shit, but it was always the best chow in the place.

          • zaph@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            6 months ago

            Not enough time to stand in line. I was picking up chow for my whole unit and bringing it back so we didn’t get to pick what we ate

    • yokonzo@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      13
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      6 months ago

      Wtf that looks delicious, a little small portions but other than that it’s fine

    • Obi
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      22
      ·
      6 months ago

      Yes it actually looks great in the correct context, tbh.

  • Etterra@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    39
    ·
    6 months ago

    Hey, my dad was a Marine and I take great offense at the suggestion that he ate crayons. He served in Vietnam; they smoked crayons, thank you very fucking much.

  • Uriel238 [all pronouns]@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    24
    ·
    6 months ago

    The Vietnam vets I knew from the US army talked about the weirdly green gravy which was good, just green.

    And a WWII Navy vet stationed on a carrier said the food was fine, but it was all piled on top of each other.

  • tal@lemmy.today
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    21
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    6 months ago

    Food in the US military

    Is this actually credible?

    No. The CIA isn’t military.

  • Maggoty@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    16
    ·
    6 months ago

    100 percent. Just never mix Army and CIA. It spawns a level 5 entity that the black helicopter guys have to take care of.

    • thechadwick@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      29
      ·
      6 months ago

      If you ask a Marine they’ll confirm that they’re a department of the Navy, but then qualify it as “the men’s department” before devolving into a yut-fest

    • MrShankles@reddthat.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      17
      ·
      6 months ago

      Well, they often enjoy eating a variety of crayons, for one?

      USMC is an independent branch, but does serve under the Navy. They used to be completely independent, until they were placed under the Navy in 1834.

      Different responsibilities, roles, training, structure, culture, etc… but they still report to the secretary of the Navy.

      I wanna know what Navy Seals eat

      • Got_Bent@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        6 months ago

        Don’t they use Marines to man the brig on ships?

        Not sure where I heard that, so could totally be talking out my ass here.

        • Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          6 months ago

          Historically, yes. The Marines were responsible for discipline on the ship, including arresting sailors, guarding the officers, and manning the brig.

    • RedC@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      6 months ago

      Easy, the navy flies the big boats and the USMC get set loose to weed out a country’s crayon supply.

    • ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      6 months ago

      From what I heard while joining the marines were originally the ones that would defend the crew of military vessels.

      Like in old ship combat if your ship was boarded the marines were the ones fighting them off.