# Military question - the cooks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 2, 2017, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-question-the-cooks/785741 "2017-05-02T19:47:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-question-the-cooks/785741/61 "2017-05-06T23:49:47Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > I constantly see soldiers earning medals and accolades for bravery on the battlefield or serving extra terms but I’d like to ask, what about the cooks? > > Have you ever seen for example, a cook earning the bronze star or some other reward or medal for valor or service? Is their work rewarded as much as say a pilot, or machine gunner? > > Does their service ever get recognized even if they really go above and beyond to give the men good food? To get those medals (Bronze Star etc.,) don’t you have to have incurred major risk to life or limb; getting shot at, etc.? Only way a cook could get that would be something like, “Heroism in saving people from big kitchen fire?” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-question-the-cooks/785741/62 "2017-05-07T13:43:09Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Is a cook allowed to freelance outside of official supplies, legally, by bringing in his own Tabasco/truffles/heirloom mushrooms/whatever? My guess would be no, as introducing something like fresh mushrooms comes with a risk of food poisoning. Also, food produced for thousands of meals per day needs to be pretty generic and easy to prepare. Just procuring enough of some unique ingredient to feed that many people would be prohibitive for one person. “Edible” is what the goal is, and in 23 years, I never had what anyone could call a memorable meal in a military mess. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-question-the-cooks/785741/63 "2017-05-07T14:09:18Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > In the documentary I saw called _[Under Siege](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Siege)_, Casey Ryback was a cook on a US Navy vessel who fought off a band of mercenaries. I’m not sure if he earned a medal but he should have. Not for his cooking though. That l i t t e r a l l y made me lol. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-question-the-cooks/785741/64 "2017-05-07T17:11:30Z")
yanno, thinking about this, what most people are describing as army cooking, is not what my experience was in the army. out in the field, a dedicated cook was unusual, but if you got one you did what ever to keep him happy. My CO at Ft. Stewart took special care of the cooks, we always had fresh baked cake with frosting out in the field. In garrison, for breakfast, the cooks cooked the eggs to order right there in front of you (if you were having eggs for breakfast) along with pancakes and French toast. lunch and dinner were no worse than a decent restaurant. How long ago did y’all serve in the military that the food was that bad? (yes I’ve had powdered eggs, once, in the field, they were terrible but so was that particular cook) On the other hand a cook can only do so much with the rations supplied. Never eat an army steak out in the field, unless you LIKE gristle. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-question-the-cooks/785741.md?page=3)