Veteran’s Corner

Tom Krabbenhoft

Greetings all, fall is upon us and everything has turned pumpkin spice. Every fall as soon as I see pumpkin anything I wonder if there was no pumpkin spice would summer ever end?
This area is pretty unique transitioning foods into seasons. Summer here is grilling burgers, brats and all things to cook on a grill.
Fall you see a mix of canning, grilling and apples crisp, cobbler, pie galore.
Winter is anything stick-to-the-ribs. Soups and chili of all kinds make an appearance.
All these differences make living in this area pretty neat.
Being in the military is kind of the same. One gets exposed to many tastes, treats and sometimes terrible step out of the box tries.
One mess hall in Georgia there was a lightly browned, looked delicious hunk of meat. I asked for it as I tore into it I found hardly any meat but small bones and fat. I was mortified! Tom had met his first and last pork hock.
At breakfast I was staring at a large bowl that looked like mashed potatoes. My southern buddies were pretty excited. I was sharing their enthusiasm until my first bite, which tasted to me like warm stryofoam. To this day IDK how grits and corn can be related.
I grew up in a house where meat, potatoes and peas were served only on days that end with Y. Pepper ruled as the supreme spice in our house. It was not good training for the palate eating regional and ethnic foods can sometimes bring.
Finding a food you loved was and still is like a bolt of pleasure. I remember my first taco that wasn’t a hard shell packed with hamburger, lettuce and sour cream was a rush. I recall a couple of times eating in Juarez with Stanley and crew. I found the worse the neighborhood the better the food. Once while living in San Antonio I pulled in my favorite ma and pop restaurant in a bad neighborhood. Several young cholos were hanging outside. Admittedly I did panic a bit. They were staring at me, when exiting the vehicle they laughed. To this day I believe it was the Duran-Duran I was blasting, instead of the Motorhead that matches my looks.
Other food exposures that I love to this day are catfish, hush puppies or anything Cajun. BBQ brisket, ribs, turkey etc. BBQ is very regional; every region has their own twist on it. Mexican food is even regional. New Mexico for example introduces green chili into recipes.
Middle Eastern foods with the infinite spice range is one I love. In Qatar I worked with many of the citizens. I would dine with them while we worked. The spiced Chai, and coffee stronger than Hercules while we talked hockey. Yes, these guys played hockey. If Spud hockey has any Middle Eastern followers I’ll take credit.
One of the things unheralded about serving is the opportunity to tease and torment the taste buds. Those were fond times throughout my service. Amazing the bond that can be formed with complete strangers over food.