bad coffee

After suffering through four years of the "Junior School", I pretty much had the feel of the mechanics of FUMA. I became a faculty mess hall waiter along with my friend Steve Backerman my first year of the "Upper School" (73-74). I believe the compensation was $200.00 deducted from the tuition.That was for the WHOLE YEAR! My intentions to become a faculty waiter were not based on the monetary gain, but the fact that I didn't have to attend ANY mess formations for the whole year and I ate the BEST food on campus. We had eggs cooked to order, bacon right off of the grill, all of the best that FUMA food could possibly be. We dumped and scraped plates, took out the garbage, racked glasses, wiped tables, sucked down all of the soda and second hand smoke from Sgt. Markam that we wanted, and got to gawk at the faculty daughters! Now that I'm thinking about it, that was possibly the best job I've ever had. I'm sure the coffee was good but I didn't drink it at the time.

I remember substituting for one of the waiters one weekend. He had something he wanted to do, and I was willing to help him out. As I recall, there was little or no training involved. Basically, it was take food out. Bring empty stuff back.
I got to see that caste system from the inside. It was very real and those poor guys new it.

That kitchen, like many, was a sweatshop. Those waiters should have earned a ribbon just for dealing successfully with the job.

I've worked in food service for many years, mostly for the Dept. Of The Army at a local military installation. Food service can be a big pain in the ass, but it can also become compelling. I wonder how many of our former classmate waiters went on to make a big splash (or maybe found a great career) in the food service industry?

Jon

swalby,

So glad you remembered the waiters! Capt Dan had me thinking I was losing it already.

Yes, scholarship students they were, and it was a very subtle caste system. Funny, I don't remember it as being something I noticed very much, but we all knew they were on scholarship. I'm not sure I knew what a scholarship was back then--it was only a word to me. As for treating the waiters differently, I think the officer who sat at the head of the table would have some unkind words for them every now and then, and I know that getting a good waiter at the beginning of the year was VERY important. For all I know, the officers has some sort of system going. I faintly remember us getting a new waiter once or twice over the years due to complaints by the officer. I would guess that captains got better waiters than lower-ranked officers. Just not sure how it worked, really. I was only an officer for a short period of time and simply don't remember.

Cheers!

Richard

The coffee in the mess hall was terrible. I couldnt drink the stuff at all. However, Sgt Maj Sidwell really liked me, and let me get coffee from the TAC lounge whenever I wanted some. That was good coffee, he really knows how to make it. When the pot was empty, I made some, so I was sure it would be a good pot. That was wonderful.

Back in 2002 was my last visit since I was TDY to a facility in Reston from my post in Columbus, New Mexico in late September when I worked for the once INS. Col Hitchcock showed me around and we had a meal in the new Mess Hall. All I can say is WOW! FUMA did all right with the old chow hall but the new one is heads and tails over the old. Loved the salad bars.

Capt Dan! No memory of the waiters?? I guess you need to ask someone who was there in the late '50s, early '60s about it. As I said, I THINK they were scholarship students at the time. It was kind of a game for your company commander to scope out a section for the company that had the good waiters, or to make sure the good waiters were assigned to your area. The difference between a good waiter (one favored by the kitchen staff) and a bad waiter (one not in their good graces) was the difference in actually getting food or not. This was specifically true on those much anticipated "seconds" that we always asked for. The waiter would tell us at the beginning of the meal (he stood by the table leader--usually an officer or high-ranking non-com) at parade rest until summoned, which was often. I think they each did 2 tables, but someone will have to clarify that part. Anyway, if you had a good waiter there were seconds on pretty much anything you wanted. Also, waiters who had been there for more than one year knew the ropes and would run back right after any basket or platter was empty to get in line for seconds. I remember being told to take food to empty the platter so that the waiter could run back for seconds. This was especially true when we had a good or popular meal, and resulted in some rules, I think, that the waiters were not allowed to go back for seconds until x minutes had passed, or something like that.

Sorry, but it was a while ago and I forget all the details. Odd how that happens--I lived and ate there for 4 years and only remember some of the details. I am sure others who were there at the time remember. So, how is it done today, Capt Dan? Healthy food, I am sure, with self-service?

You guys were there much later than I was. The mess hall was a great new adventure for me--in my home the lady that cooked for us bought only farmfresh food (she lived on a farm) and it was pretty bland--this was the '50s.

So off I go to FUMA and the first meal (breakfast) they served biscuits! I don't know about now, but biscuits were pretty much the only thing I ate for about a month. We had some cereals one day a week, but mostly scrambled eggs (usually green in spots), fried eggs--don't even ask--and plenty of grits. We had metal pitchers of milk--the powder was usually in a neat circle around the top of the pitcher, and water, of course. Sausages and bacon--always undercooked--and sometimes toast, but I don't remember it very often. The best part was when the waiter brought the hot biscuits--usually the second basket (they were served in oval, plastic diner-type baskets. The melting butter and strawberry jam on a hot biscuit saved my life! Looking back, I realize this was my first introduction to what became known as "soul food" later on. I must say that the cooks at FUMA were pretty good at making it. I just did not appreciate it until my 3rd year or so. I suppose it is all different now, what with healthy foods being popular. Sunday lunch was either fried chicken--not very good--or steak--also not very good, but they were T-bones, so if you got one with a large filet section you were good. Sunday dinners were the worst--usually bologna and cheese with white bread and bowls of mustard. We always figured that this was our lunch, but it was Sunday so we got the good meal at noon. Old Southern tradition, I suppose. We ate French pastries and cokes at the PX between meals to survive. And peanuts, which some guys would poor into their cokes, as I remember. Also, I think we had Pepsi instead of Coke, but not sure.

I never drank coffee--still don't--but I don't think they served coffee to Jr. School cadets. I only did one year in Upper School, so I can't remember that either, but the food never changed from '57-'61 when I was there. We had many songs that described the food--can't remember them now but they were not complimentary. Looking back, I realize that they did the best they could. Look, we only paid $2000.00/year to attend, so I imagine the food budget was constrained! The cooks were local people who, I understood from the waiters (they were students on scholarship back then; not sure how it works now) that the cooks had "favorites" among the waiters, so you always tried to get a "favored" waiter if you could at the beginning of the year. Seats were assigned, and no one ever moved their seat in the dining hall. (I just had a flashback of walking from the mess hall to the PX on that sidewalk on the side of the building, Jr. School. Can't remember much else. I need to get out the yearbook! Only memory of the Upper School mess hall was sitting at a table in the front with our Company Commander, Bennett I think. I was in Band Co.

I would guess it is all different today, but who knows? I survived, but would not like to eat like that again!

I drink coffee and I know I've had FUMA coffee but since I'm not a coffee connoisseur I can't comment on that. Coffee shop or 7-11 doesn't seem much different to me besides the price. However, I am a BIG milk consumer and FUMA has the BEST cow! Kept at a perfect temperature and a near endless supply :D

Now back to the original topic...........

Barbara

Yo Sam: Joined the Navy fresh out of FUMA. First ship was the USS Hemminger, DE746. Pulled mess duty almost right away. Cook gave me a 5 gal stainless bucket and ordered me to draw 5 gal of sea water. ( We were about 400 miles in the middle of the Atlantic) "Tie the rope around your waist and don't you dare lose the bucket". Tried several times and finally got the sea water. Then had to clean the 20 gal coffee pot. When that was done had to draw another 5 gal of sea water. Set up the coffee maker in the galley with the sea water and 15 gal of fresh water. Added the coffee packet to the insert and let 'er rip. Took one sip and that was enough. You could stand a spoon in that stuff. Those 'ol Salts sucked that stuff up like it was ambrosia. No wonder they got ulcers. Now that was some baaaaad coffee.

Cheers, Joe K '55