VARIETY & DIETRY

Arawa Guerilla, Issue 1, 1 April 1942, Page 2

VARIETY & DIETRY

“Come to the cookhouse door boys,” is one of the most familiar bugle calls in the Army. Few of those who line up with their, plates to receive their share of the GOOD things realise what a multitude of organised work has gone into their being able collect their meals on the dot for .each of the three meals a day. It is the delivery of the cooked meal which is the final effort of many starting from the producer to the vendor to the Army purchasing officer who in turn distributes to the various camps.' Here the Supply Officer takes up his' responsibilities and issues to the Q.M., whose cooks serve up the finished article be it roast beef, with vegies., apple pie or plum duff. Here, in our camp we are fortunate that in the main all our fresh vegetables are bought locally and it would be safe to say that there are none better procurable in the whole of the Dominion. Our supply officer, a tall, wiry individual, has gained quite a reputation around the gardens for his. stature enables him to see over large plots of cabbages and lettuce. He watches these almost from seed to head and has a personal interest in the whole affair right to the picking. Almost every day he returns to the camp with a truck laden with good things from

the bountiful earth ■ and frequently the fine fresh heads of lettuce which reach us in cut up salads are not many hours from being cut at the gardens. But this is not all, for there is often the element of surprise when he picks up a particularly good line of beetroot,. some excellent pumpkins or marrows arid great bundles of silver beet. The greens used for our meals have the highest nutritious value. There is well matured cheese from our dairy factories, while the “cow juice,” which is from the contented cows of the smiling farmlands in the district, helps to build - sturdy soldiers. From Central Otago’s sun-kissed orchards come . many , of the peaches which have . been supplied to the. men when available. Apples are from Hawke’s Bay and Auckland, but it must be remembered that no commodity can be procured unless the supply be adequate enough to meet the requisite requirement of all ranks. The civilian population, too, has a call on all such foodstuffs. The soldier of to-day on the present ration scale, particularly in this camp of ours, has a greater variety from that supplied three years, ago. Occasionally through some reason, a meal might not be quite like a man would ’like it to be. The kitchen staff in a camp often works under , difficulties but they work without stint as part of a great organisation, which strives to give variety and dietry, that all may be well fed, without undue waste.

BREADOver 8000 slices of bread are consumed in our mess each day. This is cut from long loaves each morning so as to be ready for you at each meal.