Flashback: Good Ole’ Navy Chow

I experienced a Navy flashback today while eating lunch at Nissan’s Aguasclientes, Mexico manufacturing plant. They feed about 5,000 workers/day.

I started with grabbing a tray and (somewhat still silver) silverware. First up – soup! A meatless affair that had a bit of color with squares of potatoes, carrots, celery, and something else I didn’t recognize.

Next, a salad plate of lukewarm Mexican rice and a small bowl of watery-looking pinto beans that almost smelled good.

They were serving the main-course at about half the speed of smell. You could choose between chicken beaten flat to a 1/4” thick, “steak” (heavy on the parenthesis), or a mystery-meat affair. All served with sides of puréed refried beans and a small amount of shredded lettuce with one small tomato slice. I chose the chicken. Unfortunately it didn’t ‘taste like chicken’!

Then desert. I was told it was vanilla pudding. However, it was a shade off of lime-green with a ‘skin’ on top of it. It kind of sat there at vibrated every time I’d hit the table with my leg. This stuff should be kept away from small children.

Me and my tray sat at the nearest empty table. There to greet me was a big pitcher of room-temperature lemon-lime flavored bug-juice, no ice. I almost got misty eyed as I was missing my destroyer. However, I’d forgotten how bad this stuff was. I squeezed a fresh lime in it which made it even worse. Also on the table were cold corn tortillas in bags of four. As I opened it, the oil added fine fingerprints to the plastic wrapper.

It’s been four hours since lunch. My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can no longer focus my eyes. I farted, and four people behind me needed paramedics. I need a cold beer…bad!!!