No messin’: Army chow of yesteryear replaced by culinary delights

Tuesday, July 24, 2001 | 10:44 a.m.

Mixed Pickle Salad

8 oz cucumber (peeled, sliced)

6 oz turnips (sliced)

6 oz carrots (sliced)

1 tsp garlic (minced)

1 Tbs sesame oil

2 Tbs soy sauce

4 green onions (sliced)

2 1/2 tsp cider vinegar

1 tsp sesame seeds

1 tsp chili garlic sauce

1/2 tsp MSG (optional)

1 Tbs sugar

Cut the vegetables into small pieces or slices. Combine the remaining ingredients with vegetables and marinate for 45 minutes.

Serve either chilled or warmed.

Any old soldier will tell you that at breakfast he regularly filled up on a creamed beef on toast meal that he fondly called "stuff on a shingle" -- to put it less colorfully -- and was damn glad to get it.

The stomachs of the million-member-plus Army today run on that and a whole lot more -- much of it a lot more appetizing than the grub that was served to the troops of yesteryear.

"We still serve SOS, but soldiers today also can have omelets made to order," said Chief Warrant Officer Travis Smith, manager of the seven-member U.S. Army Culinary Arts Team.

The team is in Las Vegas this week attending the American Culinary Federation " Food for Thought" forum at the MGM Grand Hotel.

"I don't think we will ever get over the image (in films and on TV that Army food tastes rotten) until those old ex-soldiers die," said USACAT member David Turcotte, a sergeant first-class who, as a Pentagon chef, prepares fine cuisine for up to 40 generals a day. "Anyone who is in the military now knows the food tastes good. We have some pretty good-size soldiers to prove it."

Today's Army has changed a lot in the culinary field, providing its chefs and cooks with professional and management training, modern equipment and even a new attitude.

Smith, who won five gold medals for military catering at last year's Culinary Olympics, is proud to say that the Army no longer refers to its cafeteria by the unflattering term "mess hall" but rather calls it a "dining facility."

This week, Smith will serve as a judge in a chicken preparation competition at the convention that is drawing 2,000 of the world's top chefs. It is closed to the public and is slated to return to the MGM next July 21-25. On Monday, Smith joined forces in a demonstration with noted TV chef Martin Yan of "Yan Can Cook." Smith prepared one of his signature dishes, mixed pickle salad.

Smith, who has been in the Army 12 years and is stationed at the Army's culinary school at Fort Lee, Va., says he would put the cooking skills of the Army's food preparers up against anyone.

"The Army has a great (food preparation) program with a variety of dining -- everything from Asian stir fry to a pizza bar -- and it's served a la carte," he said. "We buy our groceries from the same quality places as the MGM Grand."

Staff Sgt. Rene Marquis, a chef on the USACAT and a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America who is also stationed at Fort Lee, said the secret to good cooking -- military or civilian -- is preparation.

"Having everything ready before you turn on the stove is essential whether you are cooking a meal for your family or preparing hot meals for 1,200 troops," Marquis said. "And something does not have to be complicated to taste good. For example, chicken with pasta is a simple and inexpensive dish, but a major restaurant will call it 'Tuscan Chicken Pasta a la Minute' and charge $40 for it.'

Marquis, a master of classical French cuisine, said he has served such a dish to the troops in the Army's dining facilities.

Although Turcotte today cooks meals for the big brass, he and the others didn't start out at the top. Turcotte, Marquis and Smith all had prior culinary training before entering the Army, but earned their stripes in the early years on missions that placed them in the field under combat conditions.

"It was most challenging when I was deployed to Alaska and worked as part of a group of 18 chefs, preparing hot meals for 1,200 troops at 15-20 different locations," said Turcotte, who has been in the Army 12 years. "It was hard work, but rewarding work."

The three chefs said that attending the ACF convention in Las Vegas is a golden opportunity to keep up with what is going on in the ever-changing world of culinary arts and other cooking-related areas. For example Turcotte and Marquis were excited over new shoes they purchased -- rubber ones that are comfortable and can be cleaned in the dishwasher.

Marquis, who has been in the service seven years, noted that the Army is in the process of changing the dress code to allow chefs to wear white chef jackets and exchange their clunky combat boots for comfortable but practical shoes.

The three chefs also watch many of the TV cooking shows and would advise casual cooks that many of the lessons they teach are good. But they also discourage the bad habits they see on such shows, like chefs test-tasting food with their fingers and chopping different types of foods on the same cutting board without thoroughly cleaning the surface after each item to prevent contamination.

"The military has the cleanest kitchens in the world," Turcotte said. "We have to be really careful because one mistake in temperatures or sanitation and we can easily wipe out a thousand people."