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What's the food like on course? (BMQ, DP, ect...) [Merged]

AoD71

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I am going to basic this January (RCR) (uber-excited!!). I am just curious about the FOOD you get while on training and during your military career ::) . When you eat at the mess hall, is there variety and choice? I like international food a lot (mexican, italian, chinese - pretty much everything) but I also like an effing burger every once-and-a-while. Are you guys content with what they feed you in there? I'm asking out of pure curiousity, so don't bash me and say "If you like what your momma cooks too much, you should stay home. You're not hardcore enough for the infantry... etc etc"  :blotto: . Also, is the mess hall at Petawawa good (if anybody from there cares to answer)? Thanks in advance for your posts.
 
We have some of the best cooks on the planet - you've got nothing to worry about.
 
In fact our cooks are so good, that many soldiers are unable to restrain themselves from seconds, and thirds, and fourths, and dessert....

And now we have a problem with fat troops  :-[.

We have the best food of any military I've served with/visited (europeans, US, aussies,kiwis etc).

 
They would provide food for every day of the week? Even snacks? And with that monthly rations card, is that all you can eat anytime?
 
GO!!! said:
In fact our cooks are so good, that many soldiers are unable to restrain themselves from seconds, and thirds, and fourths, and dessert....

And now we have a problem with fat troops

We have the best food of any military I've served with/visited (europeans, US, aussies,kiwis etc).
seconded. (See what I did there?)
And yet, these spoiled little kids in uniforms constantly whine about having to pay rations, or having to eat in the mess. They'd rather spend twice the money on McD's every day, recieve half the nutrition, and wonder why a 40 year-old Sgt PTs their arses into the ground.  ::)
Eeeeediots, Stimpy!
 
Can we make Paracowboy and GO!!! the offiical Army.ca Gut Police?  Give them their
own video blog?  I can't stop laughing.  I'm thinking of those two guys on SNL who
pump people up.  ;D
 
Franz: Hello! We're back!

Hans: I am Hans.

Franz: And I am Franz.

Together: And we just want to.. [ clap ] Pump.. you up!

http://www.svensworld.com/cartoons/images/hansandfranz.jpg
 
Generally I have to agree the forces messes are or were quite good. Some are better than others. As for Trenton in years past it was excellent but the lobster meal at Larr, Germany (special) was tops.
As for the combined mess at Petewawa not overly impressed (about 10 years ago).
 
And in some army units, when you go to the field, the food is even better...
 
Lol I remember back in the day when I was a young army cadet I was in summer training camp. We had a night out in the field and we got to eat IMPs (individual meal packages, for those of you who probably know them as something else). It was the highlight of summer camp and we got to sleep in hootchies!  :blotto:
 
AoD71 said:
Lol I remember back in the day when I was a young army cadet I was in summer training camp. We had a night out in the field and we got to eat IMPs (individual meal packages, for those of you who probably know them as something else). It was the highlight of summer camp and we got to sleep in hootchies!   :blotto:

got to eat IMPs, got to sleep in hootchies.......

If I could just view those two activities as priviliges again...
 
Yup...good grub in the army.  As GO!! and paracowboy said though, it can be too good!

Hay-box meals in the field were always top-notch!  But they were a very rare occurence...
 
I absolutely love box lunches. That little mustard pack turns any regular sandwhich right into a gourmet sandwhich. Who's agrees?
 
GO!!! said:
got to eat IMPs, got to sleep in hootchies.......

If I could just view those two activities as priviliges again...

Or better yet, start out at the begining, and refuse to ever look at those things as anything but privelages, and then you'll always love your job ;)

But yeah, to echo what everyone else has already said several times, Canadian mess food is generally great (I've had a few bad meals, but really, it's only been a few)

Most messes (Actually, saying most, only because I haven't been in every mess in existence, but yeah, every mess I've been in) offers two main courses, two starches, and an vegetable (For example, the steam trays might include pork chops, chicken wraps, baked potatoes, rice, and mixed vegetables, another day it might include poached fish, burgers, rice, fries, and green beans). You pick a main course, a starch, and vegetable.

There's always variety, the mess may repeat itself on a weekly schedule, but certainly don't expect to get the same thing two days in a row (Most messes also have a "steak night", depending on the mess, this may be a thing to look foreward to or dread, no mess names no pack drill ;) ). Every once in a while you might get a "theme meal" of sorts (Always loved when they put out a "chinese food" spread... I think one of the best meals I've ever had was at a small airforce mess on an evening when they put out chinese food, can you say home made egg rolls? Mmmm...)

The messes also generally include a salad bar (The size and variety of which depends on the mess, but at minimum, there'll be a green salad, some sort of macaroni or potatoe salad, a good selection of fruit... that's for a small mess, the salad bar in kingston was probably 20+ feet long, all sorts of goodies, used to love the cheeses)

Most of the bigger messes also offer option of a sandwhich bar during the weekdays at lunchtime (A half dozen different options of meat, and a selection of sandwhiches, just walk and up and tell them what you'd like).

As far as the IMPs go, they're rations with a self life of what? 4 years? 5 years? Either way, that being considered, they're delicious. I mean, in comparison to say, mess food or a home cooked meal, they're not so great, but really, as far as rations go, they're delicious, I get irritated to no end by people who complain about them, I've never had a problem eating an IMP (Particularly because I'm usually hungry in the field). Lots of food, reasonable variety, even vegetarian alternatives (If you can get your hands on some veggie IMPs for a couple of meals, go for it, they're great)

Beyond the rats (rations), you'll get the LMCs (Light Meal, Combat) once in a while, also known as patrol rations, basically quick snack food (Beef Jerky, Pepperoni Snacks, chocolate bars, granola bars, hot chocolate, all sorts of goodies that you can cram in your webbing for later consumption), issued for various reasons, dependent on your supply chain and the nature of the exercise.

Hay boxes in the field can't be beaten either, always sucks for those of us on shift work (Read: Siggies doing rad shifts) though, because it means either wake up half way through your off time for a delicious hay box meal, or scavenge under the seat in the pod for left over rations when you get up for your crap later (Most people have the sense to leave instructions with their fellow det members before they go to sleep if they want to be woken up for meals or not, as nothing feels worse then deciding whether or not to go poke your buddy before you go to breakfest to ask him if the wants some or not, when he's got three hours of sleep left).

But seriously, in reference to hay boxes, generally, it's whatever the nearest mess happens to be serving that evening, but you only get one each of main course, starch, and veg, still delicious. They always send out some fresh fruit, some juice, probably a bit of desert, some milk, coffee, lots of nice stuff.

Field Kitchens also rock, basically, a mess in the field, anything a small mess can offer you, only in the field, including the salad bar (Nothing like a big slice of water melon in the field on a hot summer day, yummy...)

End result, I just spent a good chunk of time writing probably two pages on food in the CF... as Napoleon said, an army marches on it's stomach, and apparently, our army took that to heart.

P.S. Box Lunches... what the heck is up with the butter on the Sandwhiches? I'd take soggy bread over butter on a sandwhich any day, or at least give me an extra mustard packet to cover up that magarine taste :p
 
I'm on my basic right now and the food is pretty good. There always seconds and were always throwing out a couple garbage bags full of food.
The desserts are freaking awesome. Lots of milk and juice boxes. Lots of toast and jam.

:salute:


 
Just a Sig Op said:
Or better yet, start out at the begining, and refuse to ever look at those things as anything but privelages, and then you'll always love your job ;)

How long have you been in the army?

As far as the IMPs go, they're rations with a self life of what? 4 years? 5 years? Either way, that being considered, they're delicious. I mean, in comparison to say, mess food or a home cooked meal, they're not so great, but really, as far as rations go, they're delicious, I get irritated to no end by people who complain about them, I've never had a problem eating an IMP (Particularly because I'm usually hungry in the field).

Until you have consumed IMPs/MREs day in, day out for half a year at a time, you can just shut up! They are adequate, and consumable, and that's about it, only people with little experience with them still consider them to be a "delicious" novelty.

Beyond the rats (rations), you'll get the LMCs (Light Meal, Combat) once in a while, also known as patrol rations, basically quick snack food (Beef Jerky, Pepperoni Snacks, chocolate bars, granola bars, hot chocolate, all sorts of goodies that you can cram in your webbing for later consumption), issued for various reasons, dependent on your supply chain and the nature of the exercise.

In all of my time in the CF, I've only seen these once, and it was being eaten by a Bde HQ sig op - go figure...
 
Wow! Reading these posts is giving me the feeling that I'm going to love my military career on the food alone! Damn, it sounds just as good as eating at a buffet. I gotta thank you guys for your posts, especially Sig Op with his lengthy and informative piece.
 
Damn, it sounds just as good as eating at a buffet.

Yeah on basic that is kind of what it is like. Except you only get 6 minutes to eat all you can and the line is out the door and half way around the block.
 
GO!!! said:
How long have you been in the army?

Sorry if you're jaded and bitter about what you do, but I'm a reservist, your job is my hobby ;)

(But seriously, blatently inflamatory commenst aside, I'm also an optimist, I refuse to look at the negative side of anything, always the positive side, it's been my experience with everything, that if you approach things with a positive attitude, you're more likely to get a positive result, approach things with a negative attitude, you're garunteed to get a negative result, the suggestion was more intended as a way of suggesting to the original post that it's always a good idea to look on the brigh side of things)

Until you have consumed IMPs/MREs day in, day out for half a year at a time, you can just shut up! They are adequate, and consumable, and that's about it, only people with little experience with them still consider them to be a "delicious" novelty.

I certainly wouldn't consider them a "delicious novelty" but again, I'm an optimist, considering the fact that they've got a shelf life of what? Three years? Five years? And compared to other rations available? They're not that bad... I just can't stand people who complain about them on day two... I'm not saying they're great by any standard of food, far from it,   just by good by standards of comprable rations.

In all of my time in the CF, I've only seen these once, and it was being eaten by a Bde HQ sig op - go figure...

Complain to your supply chain.

P. S. Beef Jerky is the one to aim for, the pepperoni is terrible, and the dehydrated cheese is, well, an acquired taste.
 
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