the primitives may rejoice: The Triumph of Virtue

[franksolich]

Offering an Emeritus DOTY to anybody but Omaha Steve - who's dying, doncha know - would be an insult to the very process. In fact; he probably needs elevation to the exalted rank of Moron Of The Millenium or some such... 

One has to admit the big guy from Bellevue is surely one of the most sui generis  primitives in existence.

[franksolich]

The vast majority of the Great Ones are gone, or severely debilitated, but it was nice to see the sparkling old dude, despite his old age, has recently become a youtube star.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2kXIlqM2NU

He certainly looks younger than his eight decades of life.

By the way, for those to whom this is all Greek, the sparkling old dude is "Stinky the Clown" on Skins's island--he was "Husb2Sparkly" during his long-ago glory years, the peak of his fame.  "Sparkly" was, or is, his much-younger trophy wife, his second wife.

I've always been mystified about something, though.

The sparkling old dude is an authentic culinary star and expert who parleyed his experience and appreciation into some big bucks in the institutional food service field. He cooked chow on a U.S. Navy mine-sweeper off the coast of South Carolina back in 1965-1967.

I'm mystified because of most of the professional cooks I know, were trained in the U.S. Navy.  Somehow, one finds it difficult to equate "fine food" with "U.S. Navy." 

I mean, these guys weren't down there in the hot steamy mess conjuring up canapes and hors d'oerves and faison sous cloche and foie gras for the shipboard crew; if old movies are to be believed, they spent all their time stirring up some glop or gorp in a gigantic pot over a natural gas burner.

[Eupher]

The vast majority of the Great Ones are gone, or severely debilitated, but it was nice to see the sparkling old dude, despite his old age, has recently become a youtube star.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2kXIlqM2NU

He certainly looks younger than his eight decades of life.

By the way, for those to whom this is all Greek, the sparkling old dude is "Stinky the Clown" on Skins's island--he was "Husb2Sparkly" during his long-ago glory years, the peak of his fame.  "Sparkly" was, or is, his much-younger trophy wife, his second wife.

I've always been mystified about something, though.

The sparkling old dude is an authentic culinary star and expert who parleyed his experience and appreciation into some big bucks in the institutional food service field. He cooked chow on a U.S. Navy mine-sweeper off the coast of South Carolina back in 1965-1967.

I'm mystified because of most of the professional cooks I know, were trained in the U.S. Navy.  Somehow, one finds it difficult to equate "fine food" with "U.S. Navy." 

I mean, these guys weren't down there in the hot steamy mess conjuring up canapes and hors d'oerves and faison sous cloche and foie gras for the shipboard crew; if old movies are to be believed, they spent all their time stirring up some glop or gorp in a gigantic pot over a natural gas burner.

Far be it from me to comment on any DUmmy, since I don't do the DUmp and I don't wade through the evident sewage at DU, but being a former US Army cook, I can comment a bit about military food service.

Granted, my time as an Army cook spanned from early 1975 to late 1977, but I also moonlighted here and there and I have always appreciated the culinary arts. Definitely learned a few things.

This is not to suggest that I am a foodie on par with Alton Brown. That guy is not a trained chef, but he's forgotten more than many of the rest of us will ever know.

My point is, whether you're slinging hash on a minesweeper or serving chow out of a mermite container out in the field, every cook starts somewhere. For many, that "starting somewhere" happened in the military and progressed from there.

By all means, Carry On! 

[SVPete]

While I doubt many military cooks can do Gourmet Delight, I suspect most would rather not be the least popular guy/gal in the unit or aboard ship. I would guess that some, on getting out of the services, saw the slightly lesser pace/volume and the higher quality fresher ingredients at a good restaurant and thought they'd gotten into a slice of heaven.

[FunkyZero]

My point is, whether you're slinging hash on a minesweeper or serving chow out of a mermite container out in the field, every cook starts somewhere. For many, that "starting somewhere" happened in the military and progressed from there.

I've personally never been a military member, but the food is one of those things I've heard my dad talk about. He was in the Air Force and did Naha back when etc, and he has more than once commented on how talented the cooks were both at Edwards and at Naha

[Eupher]

While I doubt many military cooks can do Gourmet Delight,

You might be surprised.

I would guess that some, on getting out of the services, saw the slightly lesser pace/volume and the higher quality fresher ingredients at a good restaurant and thought they'd gotten into a slice of heaven.

What makes you think that "good restaurants" have a "slightly lesser pace/volume" than military dining facilities or on board Navy/CG vessels?

Have you ever cooked for a living? And no, I'm not talking about slinging burgers at Mickey D's. That's not cooking - that's processing already-processed food.


 

[Eupher]

You might be surprised.

What makes you think that "good restaurants" have a "slightly lesser pace/volume" than military dining facilities or on board Navy/CG vessels?

Have you ever cooked for a living? And no, I'm not talking about slinging burgers at Mickey D's. That's not cooking - that's processing already-processed food.

Well, it's been a day and a half since I posed these questions to SVPete and once again, when he's confronted with a query, he's failed to reply.

There is no doubt in my mind that SVPete - you know, the guy that never passes up an opportunity to comment on EVERYTHING - knows nothing about institutional or professional cooking. I'd be willing to bet, however, that he could make a righteous tuna salad sandwich, or even rustle up a pan of Rice a Roni (it's an SF thing, after all), but having an opinion based on personal experience?

Nope, not this guy. He's just going to offer up his worthless opinion and then fail to back it up.

So rather than address the questions in the open and subject himself to perhaps some criticism, SVPete runs and hides. He's done it before. Remember the very polite Fight Club thread I initiated more than a year ago, Pete? You failed to respond to that one too. 

What's it like, Pete? To be a 

[SVPete]

Wow, I was obligated to reply? Maybe you should arrange for Cave Mods to clue me in before your reply-mandated-posts.

I don't know why you seem to have a thing about me, but I don't do s.

[Eupher]

Wow, I was obligated to reply? Maybe you should arrange for Cave Mods to clue me in before your reply-mandated-posts.

I don't know why you seem to have a thing about me, but I don't do s.

Good Lord, Pete, you're the LAST person on this planet I'd have a "thing" for. 

No, for a guy who never fails to comment on just about everything, your failure to answer a couple of simple questions is telling. Not the first time that's happened.

Just sayin'.