# Peeling potatoes in the army **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [November 1, 2022, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peeling-potatoes-in-the-army/974155 "2022-11-01T16:19:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peeling-potatoes-in-the-army/974155/61 "2022-11-04T15:51:24Z")
And high in calories, which isn’t a bad thing when soldiers burn something like 4000+ calories per day when in combat. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peeling-potatoes-in-the-army/974155/62 "2022-11-04T18:43:42Z")
At least according to the book I read about the USS Nevada in World War 2, they were being given 4,600 calories a day for all the manual labor they were performing on the ship. It was three heavy meals and then cold roast beef sandwiches for snacks in-between. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peeling-potatoes-in-the-army/974155/63 "2022-11-04T19:28:20Z")
The usual joke went something like An American and a Soviet general are at the UN and are bragging about who has the best soldiers. The American says: “We train our men hard; our boys march 100 miles a day in basic training”. The Russian says “Da, so what? Our soldiers march 200 miles a day and double on weekends”. The American retorts “Well… when our GIs march they do it carrying 90lb packs without so much as a complaint”. The Russian goes “Lazy, decadent Americans! When our troops march we give them 150lb packs _and_ they thank us for it”. The American thinks for a moment before saying “When on manoeuvres, our soldiers eat 4000 calories a day”. The Russian jumps to his feet “AHA! Now I _know_ you are lying! Nobody can eat that many potatoes!” ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peeling-potatoes-in-the-army/974155/64 "2022-11-04T19:48:01Z")
I think the idea that you should where possible eat the skin and other bits of vegetable, as that’s where the nutrients are, is a pretty recent one. To previous generations the idea of serving potatoes (except baked potatoes, or boiled “new” potatoes) with the skin on was anathema. My mother was shocked when I once made mashed potatoes with cleaned but unpeeled potatoes when entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peeling-potatoes-in-the-army/974155/65 "2022-11-04T20:21:43Z")
Depends on whom in the previous generation you ask. To my grandparents, the peel of a potato was still food, and you didn’t waste food. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peeling-potatoes-in-the-army/974155/66 "2022-11-04T20:25:32Z")
To mine it was food, but for the chickens, not people. My mother could never really accept eating the skin of a baked potato, for example. Just wasn’t _right_. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peeling-potatoes-in-the-army/974155/67 "2022-11-06T16:54:20Z")
Actually Alf Wight took his name from a footballer. [https://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/biography/?id=WH0090&type=P](https://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/biography/?id=WH0090&type=P) I saw this version of All Quiet yesterday. It’s very good. But boy its depressing! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peeling-potatoes-in-the-army/974155/68 "2022-11-06T16:58:06Z")
They’re actually quite tasty when deep fried. I sometimes eat the jackets on baked potatoes if they’re crispy as well. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peeling-potatoes-in-the-army/974155/69 "2022-11-06T17:25:05Z")
IMO a baked potato whose skin isn’t crispy is simply a badly-made baked potato. Doing them crispy is just as easy and _much_ tastier. YMMV, _de gustibus_, etc. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peeling-potatoes-in-the-army/974155/70 "2022-11-07T01:26:44Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > At Great Lakes Naval Station Boot Camp there was absolutely potato peeling. I was thankfully on it only 1 day of hell week. I was at Great Lakes in '82, but I was sent to the drill hall for service week, so I no nothing about the spud locker. I don’t remember my mother’s ever serving me a peeled potato. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peeling-potatoes-in-the-army/974155/71 "2022-11-07T02:29:27Z")
I’ll throw another anecdote in there. Basic training at Fort Knox in 1989. We rotated through KP. Everyone had it once some may have had it twice. The mess crew were civilians. It was one of the most relaxed days in Basic. A whole day inside with no Drill Sergeants. We helped clean and helped serve but did no cooking. Lots of extra food to be had. I had no complaints about the quality of food in Basic. On active duty we had cooks in the unit. No KP in garrison but we had to work KP in the field. Later when I was in the National Guard eating in the field meant mostly picking up meals from a mess hall staffed with civilians. Lower ranks had to pull KP and that was mostly cleaning. I never once peeled a potato or knew anyone who did. That was over 27 years. ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peeling-potatoes-in-the-army/974155/72 "2022-11-07T02:41:10Z")
SNL spoofed a commercial of the US Navy in 1979, and there’s a scene of seamen peeling potatoes. (Starts at 0:16) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/jhioeOeOHsA/hqdefault.jpg "SNL "The Navy" S4E15 1979") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhioeOeOHsA) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peeling-potatoes-in-the-army/974155.md?page=3)