<p>What's the food like over there? Is it really 4000 calories a day? And would people who are weird eaters starve?</p>
<p>I don't know about 4K calories, but if it's anything like it was, you won't go hungry.</p>
<p>Every now and then they'll serve a real loser. I still remember the ONE night they served something called "Shalm Caserole". I've never seen so many people eating PB&J sandwiches for dinner. That stuff was NASTY!</p>
<p>My favorite was always Broiled Strip Steak with Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions, and Sea and Field (Surf and Turf with fake lobster).</p>
<p>Have they brought back Beat Army cakes?</p>
<p>Did you know any vegetarians...?</p>
<p>Nope. Not a one.</p>
<p>ETA: Don't try it as a Plebe. Not a good idea.</p>
<p>Hmm...</p>
<p>10ch</p>
<p>My mid has never eaten red meat, but she enjoys a wide variety of food. She says the food is gross, and she misses really fresh fruit, European salad mix, and simple unadulterated foods. On the other hand, last week she spent some time at UCLA with her friends and she said the dorm food was excellent in comparison. Another USNA parent at the airport on Sunday said her son spends a lot of money on take-out food (like $50-$60 a week). I frequently send fresh fruit, EasyMac, aseptic-packaged yogurt, nuts, canned pineapple, Pepperidge Farm cookies, Toblerone chocolate, tea bags, Starbucks doubleshot, soup, etc. She has use of the microwave and refrigerator in the company ward room. I don't know if plebes in other companies have access to their respective ward rooms.</p>
<p>Does UCLA even serve meat?</p>
<p>Look, folks. Let's get our priorities in order, here. Are you going to USNA to become a Naval Officer, or a meal critic?</p>
<p>The food in King Hall is pretty damned good considering they have to feed 4500 hungry mouths in less than 45 minutes, three times a day. It's never going to stack up against Che Luis or Ruth's Chris, but I'd stack it against any other similarly-large place any day of the week.</p>
<p>As for what you keep in your room (and what you're allowed to), is up to each individual. My roomates and I kept all kinds of stuff. PB&J, cans of chili, packets of instant soup, microwave popcorn, granola bars, soda, the works. When care packages arrived from home, we added Cuban empanadas, Spanish tortilla (which bears no resemblance whatsoever to anything you see in a Mexican restaurant), bread pudding (LORD, I miss my Mom! :(), etc. </p>
<p>There is a deli in town that delivers boxes to the Academy. You just go down to Main-O and pick them up. They make killer sandwiches with chips, pickles, a drink, and a brownie. I know this because my roomie's mom used to send him two or three a week, and sometimes I'd get one, too. I wish I could remember the name, but it was located right near downtown.</p>
<p>Is Drydock the place in Dahlgren Hall? I remember going there on Sundays as a Plebe for lunch. It wasn't open during the week, though, and we never had the time anyway, but I do remember pretty decent subs there.</p>
<p>Steerage is a hoot, but don't expect it to do much for your waistline! Remember the old Soloflex commercials? Well, we once had a cartoon of a fat mid sitting on a bench with the legend, "Body by Steerage".</p>
<p>Do they still serve Yakisoba? That was another brilliant idea of LT Food (the nickname given to the King Hall SUPPO) that didn't go over very well. I know what yakisoba is supposed to look and taste like. THAT wasn't it.</p>
<p>Oh, and unless the rules have changed, you can pretty much scarf whatever you can get away with from King Hall. I remember guys carrying loaves of bread and in some cases entire food servings back to their rooms. Lasagna in the aluminum serving dish was a big favorite. You took it upstares and (since we lived on 1-4) we put it outside the window in the gutterwork to keep it cold (who needs a refrigerator, you newbie wimps? ;)) and nuke it later. </p>
<p>Believe me, food will never be an issue unless you're really picky, in which case you may want to reconsider joining the military. They're not know for gourmet fare.</p>
<p>Hey, now - Navy knows breakfast!</p>
<p>Can't say how it is at USNA, but out in the fleet it's pretty good. We've never seen a galley that didn't put out quite a spread in the morning (even in Italy where the local brakfast is usually nothing more than a hard roll & a tiny cup of coffee!). You can ALWAYS count on tons of bacon, sausage, eggs, grits, biscuits & gravy, S-O-S, toast, juice, the best coffee, large selection of cereal, fruit - the works!</p>
<p>And the Sunday Brunch at any Officers' Club is something to look forward to. Can't say I've ever had bad food on a Navy base anywhere (now Army is another story!).</p>
<p>P.S. I have both editions of "Brigade, Seats!", the cookbook from USNA & there is quite a varied selection of recipes. It is truly an herculean feat that they serve the entire brigade all at once! Some of the recipes show the quantities involved to feed everyone - to make blueberry muffins it takes 360 pounds of flour; shrimp creole takes, 850 lbs of shrimp & 350 lbs of onions; spaghetti takes 1,278 lbs of ground beef; mashed potaoes takes 1,575 lbs of potatoes, 34 lbs of margarine, 13+ lbs of salt, & 67+ gallons of milk - unbelievable!</p>
<p>Zaph - did you have any favorites from King Hall??</p>
<p>GlitterHairDye: Food is indeed an issue, especially for female mids. (And I certainly wouldn't suggest that having food concerns is in any way a negative reflection on one's commitment to the military or service!) It is managable, but you will want to be very conscious of your choices to maximize your nutrition and keep your body in peak shape during your years at USNA.</p>
<p>Plebe summer probably won't be a problem -- your level of physical activity will be so high that the caloric content of King Hall meals probably won't hurt you, and you'll have too much else on your mind to worry about the taste/quality ;) </p>
<p>During the Academic year it's a different story. Most of the women I know there, particularly the smaller ones, find they have to choose what they eat carefully to make sure they are getting the right nutrients without gaining weight. Not fair, but true. The options will be available for you if you pay attention to what you eat. Generally, breakfast and lunch are mandatory during the week, but attendence is required at only certain dinners (mando-meals). This year, Wednesday night is a mano-meal. </p>
<p>Adequate, low-fat protein is the hardest thing for women. I hear the eggs are wretched at breakfast and you'd probably want to avoid the fatty breakfast meats anyway, but whole grain cereals, low-fat milk and yogurt will be available. Fresh fruit is available, mainly the usual: apples, oranges, bananas. For lunch you can make a sandwich with cheese or lower-fat meats like turkey. </p>
<p>Some dinners are better than others in King Hall. The menus are repetative-- you'll get to know which you like. If you can afford to feed yourself you will probably skip those that you don't like (if its not mandatory). In that case you can eat from your room stash, order carry-out, or carry-out from the Drydock restaurant.</p>
<p>As noted you can keep non-perishable foods in your room, but Plebes can't have small refrigerators and food tends to "disappear" from the company refrigerator in the wardroom :( </p>
<p>Most of the restaurants that deliver in Annapolis know about Gate Zero -- its a old gate no longer used for pedestrian or vehicular access, located near the seawall. You wait there and the delivery person hands your order to you through a small opening in the gate.</p>
<p>Drydock Restaurant is in the lower level of Dalgren Hall. Plebes can't sit down there unless they have visitors, but you can buy pizza, sandwiches and even a few microwavable dishes that you can take back to your room. The sandwichs are actually pretty good!</p>
<p>If you have friends or relatives in the Annapolis area, they can bring you food, even on week nights. You just meet them in the parking lot (if they have a pass) or at the gate if they don't. I've delivered more meals to the Yard than I can count!</p>
<p>And there certainly are vegetarians at USNA -- again, it takes some thoughtfulness but it can be done.</p>
<p>No joke about repeating menus.</p>
<p>Back in the day, Wednesday (and I do mean EVERY Wednesday) meant breakfast sandwiches for breakfast, hamburgers for lunch, and spaghetti for dinner. It was like the seasons, they never failed.</p>
<p>As for the rest of the week, we never really spotted a pattern, but it was the same menus over and over, at least once a month.</p>
<p>Favorites? Hmmmm.....</p>
<p>Broiled Strip Steak with Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions, Baked Potato with Sour Cream, Green Beans Almondine, Tossed Green Salad with Ranch Dressing, Dinner Rolls, Cannonballs, Lemonade, Coffee, and Milk.</p>
<p>Orange Juice, Assorted Cereal, Fresh Fruit, Scrambled Eggs, Broiled Bacon, Hash Browned Potatoes, Bagels with Cream Cheese, Assorted Cake Donuts, Coffee, and Milk.</p>
<p>Sorry, only two menus I remember somewhat by rote. ;)</p>
<p>Other favorites.... Hmmmm..... Sea and Field, Lasagna, ...</p>
<p>Gosh, it's been so long that I really can't remember too many. </p>
<p>Sometimes it was mundane (hamburgers or hot dogs), other times it was upscale (Prime Rib of Beef a Jus), the weird (I can't remember the official name, but we just called them Hamsters. Not bad. Kind of a rolled-up meat thing.), the awful (Shalm Caserole, but only once, thank God).</p>
<p>Individual Pan Pizzas were always a big hit. Hoagies for lunch were popular because you could make your own. I do remember always loving the soups.</p>
<p>If you are a vegetarian, you'll almost always have salads, and they rarely run out on the table. Even if they do, you can just ask for more and (usually) the stewards will bring it.</p>
<p>Ah, the memories.... "No mo' wata' mi'shi'man!" LOL! </p>
<p>During Plebe Year, a lot will depend on who your upperclassmen are. Some take it in their heads that you need to eat a square meal because otherwise you might get sick. Others leave you alone. NOT eating at all is an immediate red flag. I always, and I do mean ALWAYS, experienced it as a reasonably genuine concern for the health of the plebe in question. I NEVER saw or even heard of a Plebe being FORCED to eat anything in a hazing manner, so I wouldn't worry about that.</p>
<p>As for gaining weight, it's a known but never-spoken fact (because the last thing we want is the hyper-sensitive to start screaming "HARRASSMENT!") that, for some reason, the women at USNA almost always gain weight, and in some cases LOTS of it. Some guys do to, but for some reason, the girls get hit hard. An absolute knockout Plebe Year will morph into something very different. It's just bizarre.</p>
<p>And then there are those that don't. Go figure.</p>
<p>I do know that everyone, EVERYONE, loses A LOT of weight Plebe Summer, no matter what or how much you eat. I went from about 220 to 169 in 5 weeks. Please don't ask what I weigh now. :o</p>
<p>you can get a diet chit. go to the diet kitchen in king hall and get a bag full of goodies: applesauce, health bars, fruit, cereal, string cheese, blah.</p>
<p>I'd forgotten they had those. Good idea!</p>
<p>How does one end up gaining weight at USNA? Don't they have required PT???</p>
<p>I've heard that almost all of the women gain weight at some time or another, because the menu is geared towards the male metabolism. Without a little self control us girls had better worry.</p>
<p>Plenty of required PT during Plebe Summer, but not during the Academic year. There is no daily PT during the Ac year. Although most mids participate in some sport even if not on a club or varsity team (such as intermural soccer or softball) it's no where near the intensity of the summer. There is also Saturday Morning Training (SMT) which is managed at the company level and may or may not include PT on any particular Saturday. The women I know manage their fitness primarily by making time for personal workouts (running & weight lifting) and watching their diets to maximize nutrition while miminizing fat and calories.</p>
<p>That's about the size of it.</p>
<p>"I went from about 220 to 169 in 5 weeks."
zaphod</p>
<p>You lost 51 pounds in five weeks? :eek:
You're in the wrong business. Market that diet and you could pay off the national debt.</p>
<p>xiixxg has the gouge! :)</p>
<p>Sorry guys, my mid GAINED weight during plebe summer, about 6-8 lbs of pure muscle. He was very fit when he went in, but the physical demands developed muscles that he did not use much for his three varsity sports.</p>
<p>He says the food is "okay". There are always hard boiled eggs, yogurt (low fat) and fresh fruit available. Just like at civilian college, where the freshman "15" is well documented, mids need to watch their nutrition and caloric intake and balance with fitness workouts or they will gain weight, too.</p>
<p>CM</p>
<p>
[quote]
You lost 51 pounds in five weeks?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yep. You should have seen my mother's face.</p>
<p>I measured 6' 2" back then. I was damnd near skeletal.</p>
<p>But I never went hungry. Not once.</p>