Summary

The author appreciates the Army's food system for providing consistent meals, saving money, and offering a break from cooking, with highlights like Taco Tuesday enhancing morale.

Abstract

The article expresses the author's positive experience with the Army's food system during a deployment, emphasizing the benefits of having all meals provided. This arrangement allowed the author to save money that would otherwise be spent on food, enabling investments in other areas like stocks. The absence of cooking responsibilities freed up time for personal development activities such as reading, writing, exercising, and socializing. Despite some monotony in the meal options, the predictability of special themed meals like Taco Tuesday contributed to overall satisfaction and camaraderie among the troops.

Opinions

The author views the Army's food system as a financial advantage, having saved a significant amount of money by not dining out frequently.
While acknowledging that some may find the food unappealing, the author appreciates the nutritional variety and the fulfillment of dietary needs provided by the chow halls.
The author enjoys the convenience of not having to cook and values the time freed up for other activities.
Special food events, particularly Taco Tuesday, are seen as a morale booster and a way to bring people together within the military community.

3 Reasons Why I Love The Army’s Food System

Deployment Series #5

One incredibly beneficial thing about serving on my deployment with the Army is that they feed you breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Although there’d be times when the military food was plain and unbearable, I avoided being a picky eater in order to save that money!

I never had to worry about what I was going to eat next. It was a fantastic time because I was able to focus all of my extra energy on other things in life.

Some soldiers and airmen say the military chow halls serve horrible food options. But I’m a fan of them! Although they may not have what you’d like to eat every single day, they do cover all of the food groups necessary to live a happy and healthy lifestyle.

Here’s a little snippet of my relationship with military food.

I Saved So Much Money

If you’re someone like me who tends to go out a lot for food, then the military may benefit you heavily. We were gone food about 334 days, and I purchased meals outside of our Army DFAC a total of 20 times at most. That’s a lot of meals that I didn’t use my money on.

Thanks to the spare change I kept in my pocket from eating Army food, I was able to invest some into my stock portfolio, which was more fulfilling than eating some slightly better food.

For active duty status, soldiers that live in the barracks eat for free while soldiers who live off-post pay $5.99 per meal. There are pros and cons to both!

Purchasing groceries to make quality meals can add up! Since the only groceries I ever purchased were snacks for my work shifts, I was able to save a lot more.

Not Having to Cook

As you know, dining out saves you one thing, and that’s time. Since the food was free and always set at certain times, I was able to relax and wait for that chow time.

I’m not that much of a cook back at home, but I can definitely eat. With all the extra time I had, I was able to read more, write, exercise, and spend more time with my friends.

There were times when I really wished I was able to cook, but for the most part, I enjoyed this little cooking free-vacation I was on.

Sure, there were lots of chicken and rice days! I definitely got tired of some of the food out there at times, but it was bearable. Things could have been worse.

Taco Tuesdays!

Can things be that bad when you know you’ll have a weekly taco Tuesday? No, they can’t! But Taco Tuesday isn’t all they offered.

We had Mongolian Monday, Taco Tuesday, Wing Wednesday, and so much more. The variety wasn’t luxurious at all the locations, but the Army always stayed true to the taco Tuesdays.

Food brings people together! If you’re a cook and want to find a way to make lots of people happy, try committing to a specific meal on a particular day.

Give your guests something to look forward to. It can really go a long way.

Final Thoughts

Although a lot of people may not have great things to say about eating Army food, I still don’t have too many complaints about it.

If you want the most accessible and consistent guarantee for free food, you can join the military and live in the barracks!

It may seem like a bit of stretch, but hey, free food is free food.