7th Cavalry

Among the many places I've traveled during the previous 2 months time perhaps my greatest culinary experiance was found in a large mess tent in the middle of a vast desert. It was there that I stayed for two nights with the United States 7th Cavalry, the deadliest and most overworked members of the famous/infamous 'Blackjack Battalion'. These men spend their days scouting and chasing extremely bad guys but at night they rustle through their allotment of M.R.E's to offer to the most skilled 'foodie' among them... First Sgt. Allison 'Chef' Garland, to formulate their govt. issued loveless mash into a taste of home. Our boys don't get shown a lot of love over there but 'Chef' makes sure they have bacon,butter and sweet kernel corn to transform the cold meals that they are given into something much better..far better..than the food these repressed and forgotten souls have ever been allowed to pursue to eat. The fact that the '7th' eats bacon with ALL of their M.R.E's is a point of pride among these sons of mothers, in a land where it is forbidden and is assured to them because of previous agreements hastily formulated so that the 7th would risk themselves to relieve and more often 'SAVE' the beaten down divisions that seemed to have been forgotten by their own battalion commanders in the previous 6 Wars( including Indian,Mexican, WWI,WWII,Korean,Vietnam and Iraqi missions.) Around here if you say you don't want bacon added to your 'Chicken Chow Mein,Chicken n Dumplings,Salisbury steak or Lasagna Meal Realy to Eat... you better run like hell, because the 7th will call in a gunship to smoke your sorry ass... Vegetarians and people that don't eat Bacon are not fit to fight and think too much before pulling the trigger. Everyone eats bacon round here. It's 6:30pm and the base is preparing to eat... Imagine... a squad of 130 Soldiers having earlier handed over their agreed upon and govt. issued M.R.E base ingrediant for the night and sauntering into the mess tent and being seated..wanting to eat Anything, but expecting it to be as close to Mommas home cookin as possible, and you're the cook, and your customers all have high powered assault rifles... One would think that in the year 2005 the Pentagan would equip our most at risk soldiers the common decency of fresh garlic cloves, Olives,butter, Kosher Salt, Peppercorns and perhaps even Shallots... but NOOOoooooo.... apparently we have not achieved the level of technology of logistics to provide such essential culinary items for men and women stuck in a situation that may require that they die all of a sudden.... In the absence of such foresight.. Sgt.'Chef' Garland has procured these and more for his fighters. The Meal began with Hot Coffee and caramelized figs,the figs being purchased from the local village Fig Farmer for the princely sum of 5 dollars. He only wanted 2 dollars but these were good figs,legendary even, so Mansu was paid 5 dollars. He handed over an armload of amber colored sugar snap candies in return for the gracious purchase. These went well with the after dinner Hot Tea that is becoming popular with most of the veterens. First course was portioned into the Army issued 'cups' in the form of a thick soup. Thick with barley and mutton,3 Military issued Crackers dusted with garlic and served with goat cheese. Delicious after being drizzled with the tart yogurt recieved from a wonderful Arab family in exchange for 'information'. 2nd course(Also the Main course) was (per individual) One ladle of Bacon flavoured Chicken Ala King, studded with corn kernels flash fried in bacon grease and combined with the ramen noodles every soldier ask for and recieves from back home. (Yes, it seems as though Ramen noodles are now and forever going to be desired and consumed by American men..in college,unemployed or in the military). Dessert was comprised of standard issued Military cookies( Cookie:Chocolate covered) sounds delicious! well it is when dipped into heated pots of reduced Figs spiced with cloves and sugar. This meal was prepared by 6 men under the strict guidance of Sgt. Garland and is always well recieved... If they don't like it, thats ok... the 7th Cav is an American force... and makes sure that crazy people recieve latrine duty. I'm back and I'm talking...