“I hope your meal was good.”
You have no idea how much we appreciated and ate that American cooking you, or more precisely from that air base we ate at, long ago. I still remember that meal from 40 years ago. My gosh, that was really, really good food. Not trying to pump you up, but take the credit due. Thanks.
I ate better than my uncle at New Guinea who ate rats and lizards fighting the Japanese.
The best midnight meals I remember were during the winter of '03-'04 at Pope AFB when I backfilled for the kids headed to the desert.
The kids that I fed were working mainly nightshift maintenance on A-10s, and would come in cold, reeking slightly of hydraulic fluid, tired, and far from home.
I made it my mission to be a bright point in their day. My kitchen staff had ONE mission. Make those kid's day have something special to look forward to.
That was the most gratifying experience of my life. Ever. Those kids were my kid's age, and I was able to make a difference.
It changed my life profoundly.
I was honored to be allowed to serve.
/johnny
You guys might really enjoy this wonderful video about a troop-support group in WWII that created wonderful memories of home cooking for so many of the soldiers who passed through: