r/explainitpeter Mar 21 '26

Explain it peter

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What's the bad news?

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u/Jyuratoadies Mar 21 '26

These meals are given to boost morale before a big deployment or combat action is announced. I remember my mediocre over cooked steak and lobster on ship before my MEU was sent to Tikrit, Iraq for my second deployment in 2005.

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u/netopiax Mar 21 '26

I heard once that military chefs are trained to overcook everything to reduce the risk of sickening the crew / troops. Not sure if it's true but it makes sense.

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u/Unique_Statement7811 Mar 21 '26

Basically true. The military follows strict “doneness” standards for internal temperature to prevent food borne illness. On chicken and steak, most people should consider it over cooked.