ARMS AND THE COOK.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1581, 26 October 1912, Page 9

ARMS AND THE COOK.

BREAKFAST FOR 800THE FEEDING OF A REGIMENT. THE MODERN WAY. [By Wi.] "All I can say is," said the Master Cook, looking up from his diet sheet, "that it ain't all beer'and'skittles beiu' a cook. Where would they bo if it wasn't for tho cook—eh?" "Where, indeed," I assented, recalling the privations of a certain company of engineers, whoso quartermaster-sergeant and mess orderlies were, to quote tho description applied to them by their dissatisfied comrades-in-arms, "too slow to catch worms," and who were regularly despoiled of a material proportion of their' rations by enterprising and piratical emissaries from other companies during tho "cook-house" scrambler These were, tho bad old days of tho happy-go-lucky volunteer.. "It's all system nowadays," said tho Master Cook, as wo strolled towards tho field kitchen, a small square enclosure, roped in. "We've got to account for every!hing-lo the last drop of dripping. I havo to keep a 'dripping sheet.' No waste.; not too much to cat, but just enough. We go for variety, not quantity. Heres my diet sheet. I've got to work this out, so,that we don't have the sania • thing twico running." The Regimental Kitchen. '■Wo stopped before a big clay-built mouii'd, shaped iilco a beaver's hut, but more of a semi-arch, and liberallv plastered with whitewash. "This is our fieldoven," said tho Master Cook. "We can cook .for 800 men in, this." Thero wero Ihre'o ovens in tho mound, and the interior of each was lined with sheet-iron, with a brick iloor. There was no due to any o£ them, which was rather a puzzle. "How do you manage this?" I asked. He pointed to the first oven. A faggot fire was laid, ready for lighting, in tho interior, which was over three feet in length. "Wo light this up—there's a natural back draught, owing to tho length,of tho oven—and when we've raised tho 1 heat up to what wo want, we scrape nut tho fire and push in the baking dishes with the raw food all ready, like this." He indicated another ovciu Iho iloor of which was covered with oblong baking tins, nine in all. "Then we close her up, and plug up tho door with clay, like this," pointing to .the third oven, which was sealed up with "pug." This oven was on the activo service pattern, except for tho whitewash, which was added just 'to "smarten her up a bit," and by au experienced "fatigue party" could bo put together in a surprisingly short time. TII9. sheet-iron, of course, could be carried in tho transport wagon. Wo.next visited a "fire trench,"' used for tho boiled constituents of the regimental cuisine. The oven is for the baked items, and in principle is like an ordinary baker's oven. The fire trench is constructed on scientific lines—a maximum;of heat, and a minimum of fuel, secured by tho intelligent utilisation of the air blast, which roars along the trench anil up through a littlo flue that pokes its head out of the top of tho turf mound at (lie far extremity of tho trench. Tho fire. trench is constructed of turf .and clay, and is exactly like the bowl and stem of a pipe, with holes along tho top of'the stem, whereon to sit the boilers. Tho firo is lit at ono end, and a great'heat, fanned to a fierce blast by- the air draught,, is generated along the stem,'on the top of.which tho big camp kettles boil merrily. A "hot pinto" can be added at the firo end, whereon tho cooked stuff may be kept warm. The Dallinger field. boiler, ah invention by Stall' Sergeant-Major Dailinger, who is in charge of the cookery school at Tronthani,- is a portable devie'u for maintaining an adequate and- easilyhandlqd supply of boiling water for various purposes. Then .there aro queer look.ing littlo beehives of turf and clay, styled '-"outpost ovens," Ivrhfek cau bo Built by |;:an outpost picqueii;; and made to,:s\ippiy swarm comforts for'the inner• 'soldier,' Breakfast for 800,' ' ' , "How is a regim'oiit'fed?'"ln a general way, the system is this. Lot us assnmu that tho food supply is iu tho regimental store—wo aro dealing only with tho Master Cook and his satellites of the field kitchen, as they work under tho modern school. To begin with, the Master Cook, who never takes his tunic off, has to make out his diet sheet and requistion for supplies. "How many pounds of sausages do you want?" ho is asked. Thero is no scratching of head; no general reckoning that so many pounds will about do—ho must know to tho last ounce. Ho has to feed so, many men. Each man is allowed so much per day—aud in these modem duys ho gets it, and no more. Having got his supplies, ho makes out his ordcra for the day. These orders state, inter alia, who is to act .as "bellman" for tho day, and who is next for that important duty. The bellman is in tho cooks' -lintM what the orderly officer for tho regiment is. Ho is responsible for the punctuality of tho oven and tho boilers..for tho carrying out of tho orders for the day. In "a word, ho is tho Master Cook's Chief of Staff. Tho bellman must be on early riser, for his is the task of rounding up tho others and setting the match to tho train of tho cookery events for his day. Let us suppose that breakfast time has arrived. l'ivo minutes before tho cheerful nolo of tho buglo summons the mess orderlies from the various companies, the regimental 'breakfast is divided up into eight lots, 0110 foe each company. Theso lots include (ho porridge, tea, meat, bread, etc., which constitutes the breakfast menu for this particular day. Each lot is placed near tho ropo barrier, immediately behind its own. company peg—"A Company, B Company, and so on"—and the mess orderlies, on their arrival with their squads, aro stationed at their own lots. Tho Master Cook stands near by, with a watchful eye on the scene. On the word being given, tho mess orderlies. call up their respective squads, tho victuals aro picked up and carried' to tho company lines, where it is subdivided, so much for each tent. Lastly comes tho.sharing-ouf! process within the tents, the clatter of spoons, knives and forks, aud the regimental breakfast is served. So it is with all other meals.

The military field kitchen is a model of cleanliness and system. Thero is a place for everything, and everything is in its place. A cool scrim lent, allowing of plenty of air, is used for preparing tho food for cooking. Another eye-opener is the system, simple enough, in all conscience, for (ho cleaning and scrubbing of cookery utensils. There is first , a soakago pit, loosely filled with ti-lree. and from the surface of the pit branch off various long channels, with a fall towards the pit, aud these too are loosely filled with ti-tree. Tho men work alongside tho channels and pour tho refuse, water on top of (ho ti-tree, which inleroepts. solid matter and grease, allowing only the water itself to trickle through to the soakage pit. Al intervals, tho ti-lreo is removed and burned, being replaced by a fresh lot. All these: devices, ovens, etc.. are useful. camp wrinkles, as well as interesting demonstrations of the way of tho cook in the army. The School and tho Pupils. Tho cookery' school at Trentham has been, instrnclionally, a great success, and. tho majority of tho pupils have profited immensely, and freely admit the fact. Cooks, after all, are born to the ladle, not; made, and arising out of the truth of (his axiom; certain of the-students at Tvcittham have been weighed in (ho balance nml found- wnnline. They have como from all parts of the country. Sergeant Smith, who is Staff-Scrgcnnt-Major Dnllinger's right-hand man at the school, comes from the far North of Auckbnd. All these men will go forth from Trentham with seeds of knowledge for the judicious dissemination of maxims and precepts for (he guidance of tho embryo I army cooks of tho future.

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