h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Going well so far, got to work tonight

Awww, poor girl. But it helps keep that stuff called "food" coming to the table, eh?

I know, I've got 2 late nights this week too, I have to finish at midnight

Ah, true. I guess you don't need to meet many nutrient needs after midnight, eh? Milady had to have hot meals on-hand 24-hours when it was an infantry type exercise she supported. You see, we both learned to eat whenEVER you can, and sleep as you can manage. Because you could never guess when the next chance might occur. In 2 hours? Or 22 hours, ... maybe.

In many ways, I do NOT miss the uniform.

I only feed the Military staff, they are entitled to 2 hot meals a day, if they are on a night shift they still have to be cooked for

As a shift worker, in uniform, we were entitled to a cold meal around 3'ish in the morning. Otherwise, a normal working day allowed all 3 basic meals hot and fully loaded with options.

But then, we've a relatively small military and an even smaller budget.

Most have h hot meal but there is bread and butter and the like on the wards so they have toast if they get hungry and all wards have a microwave

Ooooo, ain't you folks all modern? For the most part, any of us that worked the night shift, ... we brought in a bagged lunch from home. Or if a single person still living in a barracks, the Mess would provide a boxed meal. Sandwiches, fruit, milk, just stuff like that.

That's what those on Guard used to get when I worked for the Army, plus tea and coffee

And what about those NOT on guard, but just kinda lazily hanging about?

Hopefully they bring their own Sandwiches, but as I'm a soft touch and if they ask nicely.......

Milady was the same way, ... a bit of a soft touch. And since every meal was prepared for atleast 25-30% than expected attendance, there was always enough.

I just like to annoy my boss, he says I have to stick to the menu, these people aren't entitled, etc, etc, ad infintum, ad nausium, you get the picture

Oh yeah. I imagine that "officially", you also have to follow the exact recipes for anything, with no deviation even if it turns cr@p into something good. And there will be precisely proscribed portions, ... so many ounces of the meat du jour, such and such a measure of potatoes, all of that. A very rare sergeant would insist on such compliances, making life a real nuisance for the front-line staff that had to deal with the "clients".

We had a Petty Officer Caterer like that about 18 months ago, he'd just come off ship and this was his first Land based posting for 2 years, he tried to get us to run our kitchen like a ship-board Galley, he made everyone bring their plates and cutlery back to the galley door, he made the Porters empty the fryers every night he learnt in the end

Our Navy food staff were always the most creative and co-operative. Especially as they were rather "captive" to their customers when at sea, eh?

That's true, we soon get them round to our way of doing things

It seldom takes long to straighten some of the idiots out, eh? Unless they are of such a high rank that they are a bit "out of reach". Those, you simply out-last. I've hadda do so with a couple of higher-ups. Eventually, they always get what they have coming.

They have no real power over us anyway, they're Military and we're civvies

In my case, they do decide if I retain my job. How-ever, in most circumstances, they need my experience and skills more than any one of the uniformed lads. So I'm fairly safe.