A Culinary Assault with a Breadly Weapon

UNITED STATES

10.31.2017

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Tristan Lotz 

USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77)

I’m back, shipmates! MC3 Lotz here once again to give you the latest low-down on October’s menu review board.

Held on Tuesday, 24 October, this menu review board offered four different choices of hors d’oeuvres: mushroom truffles, mini quiches, chicken tenders, and beef wellingtons.

First I sampled some mushroom truffles. They had an immediate, striking, pleasantly salty taste that packed a punch to the taste buds. The texture was excellent, and chewing them was a satisfying experience I recalled with pleasure for the rest of the day.

Next, I sampled a mini quiche. It looked exactly like what it was: a small version of the classic, savory pie. Its exterior had a nice, bready quality whose taste served as an excellent prelude to the feature presentation that was the cheese and vegetable mix within. It was definitely an “adult” food, in that its muted, complex sequence of flavors is more suited to a mature palette.

Third on the list was the chicken tenders. These seemed to be the star of the show, going off of how many times I saw people going back to grab more of this specific item. They were your standard fare, nicely cooked chicken with a tasty breading. The breading was subtly spicy and the full volume of the flavor was not immediately apparent. Like a time bomb or a hang-fired missile, its flavor takes a moment to hit you, but when it does, it really does—in a good way! The chicken was chewy and delicious, and the spice was moderate enough to be accessible to all but the faintest of heart.

And last, but definitely not least, were the beef wellingtons. They were a savory treat disguised as a sweet pastry. You bite into one expecting a dessert flavor of flakey pie crust and find you’re eating a hardy beef snack instead. The meat was gentle and strong, giving the eater a pleasant, filled-up sensation as they chowed down. The outer crust was a breadly weapon of subtle deliciousness that encased and kept warm the tender meat within until it reached its destination in the hungry Sailor’s mouth. Truly, this was an odd little treat that seemed to suffer something of an edible identity crisis; it was a pastry that thought it was a meat pie.

In addition to the food sampling, supply department personnel took comments and suggestions from attendees regarding food standards and options, and Ensign Joe Andersen displayed a new knit blanket bearing the GHWB insignia available at the ship’s store for $50 either to keep oneself warm during chilly winter nights or as a gift to a loved one back home.

Supply department holds menu review boards in bay 2 of the aft mess decks every month at 1000 on board GHWB. All hands are invited to participate, eat some food, give feedback, and take part in their ship’s food service production.

• Date Taken: 10.31.2017
• Date Posted: 12.11.2017 18:58
• Story ID: 258347
• Location: US