: It's a pleasant diversion from the fact that yesterday's Salisbury
: steak is today's beef-and-barley soup. By the way, how come the
: Merchant Marine only permits barley to be served in soup, never as a
: vegetable?!? They serve white rice three times a day, every day
: (hint: former US colony); but barley, which tastes ten times better
: and is healthier, is taboo.

Raised on a farm in the true American style, I was amazed to find
upon joining the Navy that they served rice with every meal. In my youth
any rice on the table qualified as a (rare) "Chinese" dinner. Likewise such
exotic dishes as fried Okra. Side dishes other than some form of potato?
Incredible!
And what congressman did the folks at the "Trappey's Bull" hot sauce
company pay off to get that contract? There may be no salt and pepper shaker
at your table, but there were always multiple bottles of hot sauce...

: I'm surprised that the congressional delegation from North Dakota

I don't know all the details, but aren't there periodic spats about
the government requiring 'real' butter, no low cal/fat substitutes? Even
the Israelis had trouble matching the dairy lobby where I grew up... IIRC
local schoola are *prohibited* from even offering cows milk substitutes
(like soy milk), I wonder if the navy is the same...

When it's all said and done, however, perhaps the most telling
statistic about Navy chow is that 16% of people in uniform are 'obese' by
body fat standards. (that from the most recent 'Navy Times'). The Navy
is trying to get people to eat healthier, etc. Geeze, after going to all
that trouble getting McDs and BK on base..... :-)

regards,
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