What is the worst meal you have had in the military? What was the best?

The worst was Reforger 1989 when they tried 7-1 rations. There was a lot of mystery food in them. The best I had several times. While stationed at Ft Lewis we often had to go to McChord AFB to load up or unload our equipment. While waiting we could have sent the AF mess. T-Bone steaks cooked to order and all the fixings.

Hard to pick an exact worst meal but on my last deployment I swear the cooks put curry in EVERYTHING. After awhile everything just tasted the same. That smell was stuck in my nostrils for weeks after getting home. It probably ruined curry for me for the rest of my life.

Best - the cooks made these bagel and egg sandwiches that were awesome!
Worst - I was at Quantico in the field, and opened up a ham slice MRE that had gone bad. Didn't think that MRE's could go bad. The Drill SGT was surprised, too, and said "Sucks to be you sir, I hope you like crackers!" Joke was on him, I lost a couple of pounds!

Worst was probably the eggs from the heater meal. None of them cooked right and even with the salt, pepper, Italian spices, and hot sauce it wasn't good. At least it came with dehydrated fruit and nuts. Though I will admit the bacon, though I recall it being burnt was pretty good.

As for the best meal... Both times I had steak, those were the best. One was the morning after the 16K* Ruck in Basic. We got back in at... To be honest I don't remember what time it was. I remember marching up Infantry Hill by the 1-50 and around the barracks and finally to our own little home. Got the order to drop our rucks and I couldn't remember feeling so good. Told us not to bend over or sit down because some of us might not be able to get back up. We did the grog ceremony, which I think was a bunch of Monster & Hawaiian Punch. It tasted awesome and bad at the same time lol. We all felt sore the next morning, we march off to chow and we were given a steak and scrambled eggs for breakfast. It was awesome, best thing I had tasted.

The second was on the last night of a field drill and the BC and Cooks had sprung for steaks. All the Officers and SNCO's served the food to us. It had been a cold/hot and dusty visit to the desert. MRE's was mostly what we had and sometimes no meals at all. This final evening meal was awesome and we were very appreciative. I don't think the cooks got so many thank yous before, they always do a good job with what they have but this was great. On a messed up note one guy actually complained to the cooks that they couldn't give him a rare steak.

C rations are plain nasty, I never want to eat one again as long as I live. esp the ham and lima beans I did subsist a lot on C Rats in Viet Nam. When You eat in the Air Force Mess Halls the food was actually very good. ! Breakfast esp in the USAF Dining Halls was great. One meal I had at Hickam AFB, HI We were fed steak and lobster although that was a first but then it was when President Nixon met Prime Minister Tanaka of Japan at the base and We did Security and were assisted by Marine MPs most who had never ate in an Air Force Dining hall, they were all impressed favorable. The meals at that base were always excellent anyway and they received a lot of awards for them although We have had steak before that was the first time We had lobster served there.

The hands down worst military provided meal I ever ate was in 2011. Redeploying from Afghanistan with NATO. We changed from French C160 to the Belgian Air Bridge in Dushanbe. The French had a small Staging base there. The meal, on paper, should have been great. It was steak with a variety of side dishes. Going through the line, you grab a sectioned prison tray. There is a planograph for what should go where on the tray, of course it is in French. So picture people from 28 nations negotiating the line. Some was self serve. So we served our selves, getting the stink eye every time we put something on the tray. Wrong place, you took too much, etc. so we finally squeeze in somewhere to eat. The steak was inpenetrable by all means known to man. We kept breaking plastic ware. I couldn't cut this with a Spyderco serratated knife. It was 110 degrees with 90% humidity.

Runners up for the worst:
1. Easter meal 2011 ISAF DFAC. Rabbit. They had rabbit. On Easter. Really. Everything tasted like rabbit. It was foul. Definitely a trip to the UK NAFI and foraged for other stuff. This was not unusual. This DFAC was on a seven day menu cycle. Stuff got old quick.
2. Breakfast in a Norwegian DFAC Madla Brracks. Fish. Fish in paste form in giant tooth paste tubes. big fishes cut in half. Fish. Oh what is that? Oh yeah Fish. Ate salami, cheese and bread every single day for three weeks. Every three days they would tease us with hard boiled eggs, except they put out like two,dozen. We were competing with their annual basic training class.

The best meal? Any Thanksgiving in an Army DFAC, CONUS or deployed. Any breakfast I had in an 11th ACR DFAC. They had the sausage gravy locked down. KBR Prime Rib in 2008-9 in Afghanistan. Don't know what they put on that, but it had this crust on it that was the savoriest, tastiest thing you could imagine. Probably 80% MSG, but man it was good. UK DFAC on a NATO exercise in 2010. We had Gurkha Signal Support. So kind of like Korean Food in the DFAC when you have KATUSAs, they have to have food from Nepal available. 15 minutes from closing time, it is open to all. That was wonderful food. Bang Bang Chicken.

the best, was in Iraq in July 2003. We had to convoy from Balad to BIAP to establish an AMC node there. We busted ass for about 20 hours. The LTC we were working for produced out of no where, a grill, frozen hamburger patties, rolls, chips and ice cold soda. That cheeseburger was the best thing I ever ate.

Sometime in the late 70s or 80s the Army got into ethnic foods. I can remember having schnitzel and Italian food.

Soul food had to be about the worse I can remember. Even the black guys in the unit complained about it.

Worst was the C-Ration eggs, best was at Ft. Lee while going thru phase II schooling, they had a great steak dinner one night.

Worst meal : Ft Irwin, NTC rotation. Chicken is the main course. Buddy gets a scrawny leg, small scoop potatoes, half spoon green beans. I get one section of a chicken wing, three greens !

The Best meal I ever had was in Basic Training at Fort Dix New Jersey when a deer was accidentally shot during qualification at 400 meters and I had KP the next day an since my parents had taught me to cook I was helping the Mess Sargent to cook. The Post Commander reassigned him as his personal cook fortunately I was spared!