Do any of the SMC currently do family style meals

VMI marches down to breakfast and supper. Upper classman can turn around once they get to Crozet (mess hall) and not eat at that time, but Rats must stay. I am not sure if it is necessarily family style but much of a time a good number of the cadets all eat together.
 
I guess it would be considered more cafeteria style than family style. Cadets select food cafeteria style from the various options, then sit down at tables versus being served at the table family style and passing dishes around.
 
Cid -- I think the only time at VMI you see "family style" (meaning Firsts at the head, Seconds on the sides and Rats at the end putting the proper utensil in each dish, filling the glasses with the proper beverages, eating at attention, being quizzed on knowledge during serving and the meal . . . ahhhh . . . the good ole' days . . . ) based on what I have heard, is during the 10 day "Hell Week" at the start of each year and at the meals during Ressurection Week and Breakout. After that I'm not sure . . . A current VMI Cadet would need to give input . . .

I'm not even sure the SAs do much of that any longer, except for part of the 6-week BCT . . . and I don't think they brace or strain any longer . . .
 
Texas A&M did back when I attended in the mid-80's. Over 4,000 in the Corps and all of us ate morning and evening meal at the same time in Duncan Dining Hall...it was mayhem. A lot of screaming and yelling. White jacketed waiters would bring platters of food to the table. I would doubt that it's the same these days. My DS will find out this April when he "spends a night with the Corps".
 
For me, same timeframe at USAFA. 79-83. Breakfast was a meager formation. All the freshmen and a handful of grumpy 3 degrees (sophomores) to march us in and sit the table. Lunch and dinner were full blown family style affairs 4000+ at one sitting for 20 minutes.

VMI still has Breakfast Roll Call formation for everyone Mon-Sat to raise the flag, and then the cadre march the Rats to breakfast. Lunch seems to be more cafe style, then they have Supper Roll Call mon-Thur and on Sunday I think. Current VMI cadets will correct me.
 
Rats eat at attention for all meals, Cadre sit at the head of the tables for BRC/SRC. For lunch Rats eat on their own on most days, but are required to eat at attention still. Days with midday Rat training usually includes a Rat march down and lunch with cadre. When I was a Rat, RDC would sit at the Rat tables when they went to eat, don’t know if that’s a dykeline tradition or if it’s been discontinued. By “family style,” I thought this just referred to having food in serving dishes brought to tables and passed around. This doesn’t happen.
 
VMI2017+3 said:
Rats eat at attention for all meals, Cadre sit at the head of the tables for BRC/SRC. For lunch Rats eat on their own on most days, but are required to eat at attention still. Days with midday Rat training usually includes a Rat march down and lunch with cadre. When I was a Rat, RDC would sit at the Rat tables when they went to eat, don’t know if that’s a dykeline tradition or if it’s been discontinued. By “family style,” I thought this just referred to having food in serving dishes brought to tables and passed around. This doesn’t happen.
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Must have been a dykeline tradition because we never ate with RDC, not even during Breakout.
 
At The Citadel, my understanding is all cadets stand morning formation. During Cadre training which lasts until Parents Day Weekend (October) when Knobs formally receive their Company letters, all Knobs march to Mess and eat family style with a Cadre Mess Carver. Upperclass eat cafeteria style. Apparently this is fairly new.
 
VMI2017+3 said:
Rats eat at attention for all meals, Cadre sit at the head of the tables for BRC/SRC. For lunch Rats eat on their own on most days, but are required to eat at attention still. Days with midday Rat training usually includes a Rat march down and lunch with cadre. When I was a Rat, RDC would sit at the Rat tables when they went to eat, don’t know if that’s a dykeline tradition or if it’s been discontinued. By “family style,” I thought this just referred to having food in serving dishes brought to tables and passed around. This doesn’t happen.
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Awesome . . . thanks for setting the record straight!
 
TexasAggie204 said:
Texas A&M did back when I attended in the mid-80's. Over 4,000 in the Corps and all of us ate morning and evening meal at the same time in Duncan Dining Hall...it was mayhem. A lot of screaming and yelling. White jacketed waiters would bring platters of food to the table. I would doubt that it's the same these days. My DS will find out this April when he "spends a night with the Corps".
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According to my two kids who've been relatively recent cadets at A&M, it is cafeteria style.
 
Lawman32RPD said:
TexasAggie204 said:
Texas A&M did back when I attended in the mid-80's. Over 4,000 in the Corps and all of us ate morning and evening meal at the same time in Duncan Dining Hall...it was mayhem. A lot of screaming and yelling. White jacketed waiters would bring platters of food to the table. I would doubt that it's the same these days. My DS will find out this April when he "spends a night with the Corps".
Click to expand...
According to my two kids who've been relatively recent cadets at A&M, it is cafeteria style.
Click to expand...
I would have surmised this had changed. The family style meals only added to the terror that was your "fish" year; Simply another opportunity to be harassed in this "family style" setting. Every once in a while, we be given the "privilege" to CHOW DOWN. This would be about a 30-second time window where we could shove anything we could into our mouths for sustenance. Even with this opportunity, I went from about 160 lbs. to 150 lbs. by Thanksgiving break of my "Fish" year. Ah, the memories...
 
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