Meals at USMA

My son is a plebe at USMA and he really likes the food in the mess hall. Not sure if that is a reflection on my cooking or not?! His girlfriend is at USNA and in conversations with her she seems to like the food there just fine. Personally, I think they both have it really good. When we ate there over Family Weekend, I could recognize all of the food items as, well, what they actually were. I can't say that about my college dorm food experience...at all.
 
Labrador said:
My son is a plebe at USMA and he really likes the food in the mess hall. Not sure if that is a reflection on my cooking or not?! His girlfriend is at USNA and in conversations with her she seems to like the food there just fine. Personally, I think they both have it really good. When we ate there over Family Weekend, I could recognize all of the food items as, well, what they actually were. I can't say that about my college dorm food experience...at all.
Click to expand...

LOL

It’s a reflection on the parents cooking! That’s the bottom line.

My daughter thought the college food sucked! Not as good as dad’s cooking.

My son was impressed at CVW.

I would go with her opinion over his.
 
My two cadets like the food and feel it is sufficient in quantity. Everyone loves crispitos and dislikes Indian food Night. However PB&J can be a lifesaver and they never go hungry
 
USMCGrunt said:
Couldn't agree more.

Old timer alert! Back in the day, there were only 12 C-ration meal choices. Imagine living in the field for weeks with that limited variety - talk about repetition.
Click to expand...
When I deployed for the invasion of Haiti our LOG officer messed up and got a single lot of T-Rats that were all the same. Ham and cheese loaf. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every day for two weeks. At one point a pilot lost it during chow, stood on a table and started shouting "Soylent Green is people!! They're feeding us people!!" The commander was not amused.
 
Last edited:
UHBlackhawk said:
USMCGrunt said:
Couldn't agree more.

Old timer alert! Back in the day, there were only 12 C-ration meal choices. Imagine living in the field for weeks with that limited variety - talk about repetition.
Click to expand...
When I deployed for the invasion of Haiti our LOG officer messed up and got a lot of TRATS that were all the same. Ham and cheese loaf. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every day for two weeks. At one point a pilot lost it during chow, stood on a table and started shouting "Soylent Green is people!! They're feeding us people!!" The commander was not amused.
Click to expand...
Excellent!
 
I've eaten at Washington Hall several times. I found breakfast to be the best meal in my experience. I would have no problems eating there for breakfast daily. Lunch has a salad bar most days and several other choices. Dinner would be my last choice. But no one has to go hungry.
 
In the military, especially when deployed, sometimes you get to say “ooh, real food.” And sometimes, “OK, this is fuel,” and break out the coveted Tabasco minis.
 
P.S. I really, really don’t like powdered eggs in steam trays. 100% fuel category. At least with long-life milk, I can pour copious amounts of chocolate syrup in.

These are definitely first-world problems!
 
Capt MJ said:
In the military, especially when deployed, sometimes you get to say “ooh, real food.” And sometimes, “OK, this is fuel,” and break out the coveted Tabasco minis.
Click to expand...
I still carry a bottle of Cholula sauce when I travel.
 
I fully recognize broadening of the thread is occurring, but the original question has been addressed from several perspectives. The additional posts demonstrate the central role food plays in military life. It’s right up there with uniforms and other favorite and perennial topics.

Here’s an interesting article on Tabasco - created by a Marine, of course!

https://taskandpurpose.com/mre-brief-history-tabasco-became-militarys-favorite-condiment
 
Last edited:
Capt MJ said:
I fully recognize broadening of the thread is occurring, but the original question has been addressed from several perspectives. The additional posts demonstrate the central role food plays in military life. It’s right up there with uniforms and other favorite and perennial topics.

Here’s an interesting article on Tabasco - created by a Marine, of course!

https://taskandpurpose.com/mre-brief-history-tabasco-became-militarys-favorite-condiment
Click to expand...
That kid just deviated his septum....
 
UHBlackhawk said:
USMCGrunt said:
Couldn't agree more.

Old timer alert! Back in the day, there were only 12 C-ration meal choices. Imagine living in the field for weeks with that limited variety - talk about repetition.
Click to expand...
When I deployed for the invasion of Haiti our LOG officer messed up and got a single lot of T-Rats that were all the same. Ham and cheese loaf. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every day for two weeks. At one point a pilot lost it during chow, stood on a table and started shouting "Soylent Green is people!! They're feeding us people!!" The commander was not amused.
Click to expand...
The funny part about that is if it happened today, not sure if most of the crowd would have understood it
 
There is plenty of good food to eat at USMA - you have it delivered from Highland Falls.

Apologies to those who think the meals at USMA are acceptable. They are not to those who ate in Washington Hall decades ago and now return to cold cuts and powdered eggs. Budget cuts over several years have resulted in a steady decrease in the quality of meals served in the mess hall. That low standard has become the status quo and is considered normal. Once visiting dignitaries were served the same meals as cadets. Now they order from a separate menu - the food served to cadets too sub-par to offer important guests.

Sit-down meals were once a venue for teaching plebes proper table manners and etiquette. I took a few cadets to dinner and was surprised at how they shoveled food into their mouths like NFL linemen. I asked about how etiquette is taught during Beast and plebe year and was met with blank stares. I'm sure they still get a little cadetiquette, but not enough to make it stick. :director:

Many things have improved at USMA over the years; the mess hall is not one of them.
 
My old grad DH still thinks fondly of the days when the Navy mess cook basic school was located at USNA, and the instructors were some of the best cooks in the Navy. All freshly prepared food, no freezer packs. The Naval Academy Dairy delivered excellent milk, butter and ice cream. I was on staff during the last years of the Dairy. Those milkshakes...
 
Capt MJ said:
My old grad DH still thinks fondly of the days when the Navy mess cook basic school was located at USNA, and the instructors were some of the best cooks in the Navy. All freshly prepared food, no freezer packs. The Naval Academy Dairy delivered excellent milk, butter and ice cream. I was on staff during the last years of the Dairy. Those milkshakes...
Click to expand...
I did not realize the dairy was shut down. :(
 
UHBlackhawk said:
I did not realize the dairy was shut down. :(
Click to expand...

Yes, BRAC thing in 1998, the Navy stills owns the land, an organic farm leases it, and certain goat-like animals may still reside there. It was originally founded to protect against disease and to provide reliable and safe dairy products, but there was no economic or health reason to continue.
 
@jl123 - I"ve heard mention of Grade C meat served in the mess hall. It makes me shudder.
Lately they have been experimenting with soy and my cadet has some 'colorful' vocab to describe those menu options.
 
LOL I asked my son how CVW was.

He said “Dad, they have powdered eggs. The breakfast is ok if you can get over that”.

Powdered eggs? Isn’t that what ****ty hotels serve for breakfast?

He thought the dinner was great ... but they probably served a good night of food on CVW.
 
UHBlackhawk said:
When I deployed for the invasion of Haiti our LOG officer messed up and got a single lot of T-Rats that were all the same. Ham and cheese loaf. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every day for two weeks. At one point a pilot lost it during chow, stood on a table and started shouting "Soylent Green is people!! They're feeding us people!!" The commander was not amused.
Click to expand...

I just had flashbacks of T-Rats. I need to go sit in the corner for awhile and get those memories out of my brain. They made MREs look amazing. Ham & Cheese Loaf... (looks deep into the night with a traumatized expression).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top