What's it like being a cook in the army?

Buck Starr Jr.

Don't listen to the moron XP!
You will be trained by Chefs that went to prestigious Culinary Schools!
How to cook for large volumes of meals, nutrition, dietary requirements, etc....

if you excel as a chef in the military , you might get a cushy job, such as cooking for Generals or even at the White House for the POTUS!

Matt W

Oh man. I wasn't a cook, I was Intel, but I always thought that looked like the worst job. I would rather be a grunt than a cook anyday. You work in a hot, humid, and STINKY kitchen. You wash tons of dishes, and work wierd hours. You need to be there before breakfast, after dinner, and weekends and holidays.
It's not always that bad I guess. You will probably have contractors that do a lot. Hell, on my base, it seemed like the contractors did damn near everything. But in the field, you have to do it all; you might have a detail that will wash dishes. If you are able to change, I would recommend it.

American Vet

I cooked for two years in the 2nd armored Division. Work one day off 1 day. Few inspections. No Guard duty. Lots to est and it is cooked as you like it. A little rough cooking in the field but it is a good job. Combat ?

S.Swifteagle

It will be a very hot, tiring MOS. But it's a trade you can take with you out of the service. I like to add Dave Thomas the founder of Wendys was a high school drop out and a army cook! Didn't seen to slow him down.

Sarah

I got to visit an Air Force Base in CONUS and we toured/ ate at the base dining facility. It pretty much seemed like your high school cafeteria. You prepare and cook bulk foods. Wash dishes. Make sure stuff is stocked.

We got to listen to the Staff Sergeant(?) in charge of the kitchen. She said the best part about her job was when she got stationed in Iraq and got to "live it up" inside with the airconditioning, eating icecream, while everyone else was sweating buckets.

However, she awkwardly ran out of things to say after that. So I got the impression it was pretty boring or maybe stressful, at least when you get to where she is (at least 4yrs+ of service for her rank I'm guessing). But if you work the front counter I'm sure you get to say "hey" to all the ppl that eat in the base cafeteria and talk to the other ppl working with you. It seemed like they get an easy job and get all the camraderie in the kitchen.

Miscellaneous

oh dude! The two worst jobs in the military is janitorial work and a cook!
You need the lowest scores to enter those positions.

Don't listen to Buckstarr Jr. It's reality. The majority of those who are cooks are not there to excel b/c they want it as a profession, but for those who scored the lowest on the ASVAB. It all depends on how well you do on the ASVAB. The higher the score, the more opportunities you'll have. If you want to cook, try something else. It's the sad reality.

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