AlamanceScouter Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Sitting here wondering how it turned out for him. Dude was stressed about it as I took him to meet the group before they left for the camp...guess he has seen some older boys who were not happy about food being late, not enough, etc. in past camp outs. Years ago I never thought I would worry about my son "cooking". Lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 If the older boys were not happy about food being late, they should have pitched in and helped out. If they were not happy about not enough food, the older boys should have better trained the younger boys on menu prep. If the older boys were not happy, they should be making efforts to solve their problems, not taking it out on the younger boys. If your son is stressed about having to prep a meal for the patrol, he is not having fun and there's something wrong with the program. It's about time the PL stops whining and starts working. Breakfast: I boiled some water, here's your two oatmeal packet and the hot chocolate is on the table. Lunch: You all can have 4 slices of bread. Peanut butter and jelly are on the table. Supper: We're having stew tonight, I like onions so I put plenty in, one scoop or two? Evening snack: I do meals, not soirees, the popcorn popper is in the trailer, knock yourself out. A couple of days like that and the PL will be forced to do his job better. Whenever my boys complain about something, that's their way of volunteering to do it correctly next time. Stosh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlamanceScouter Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 I hear you Stosh...I should have clarified that this was his first time as the "cook". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 I'm sure he did just fine. Just make sure he doesn't do too well, then he'll end up GrubMaster forever! Stosh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IM_Kathy Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 I like chatting with the boys after they've cooked. What went well? What could you do better? Was there enough food? Were you supported by rest of the boys in helping out? What are thinking of cooking next time you're asked to cook? What styles of cooking do you want to learn more about? With my own son I asked him the same things but on all campouts not just when he was cook: what did each patrol cook? How'd it all taste? What new thing you going to fix us here at home to practice for a future campout? I don't want to brag, but considering all the adults still talk about my son's cooking I have to LOL... cooking was one of his favorite things to do and the boys loved it when he was the cook. He still leads cooking classes when he's able to come to a meeting. He aged out this past fall, but even before he was an actual adult he was the only youth that was ever allowed to cook for the adult patrol once he was given JASM position. And at home he cooks better than I do. But all this cooking he learned all from getting involved in scouts. When he wasn't cook he'd help his patrol but also walk to other patrols and watch and take a taste. He'd come home and try things he learned at a campout and research other recipes and experiment with them at home. He easily earned cooking MB even though he got eagle before it was required. So yeah - give your son some pointers and give him support to play with food at home and he'll continue to improve. I now have about 3 boys in the troop that are working toward trying to get THAT reputation too. It's cool to see and great to taste! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 What often happens is boys eat better on an outing than they would have at home. There's a lot of parents out there that can't really cook, the just heat up highly processed foods like frozen entrees and pizzas. Once the kids begin to find out what real food is, it's kinda fun to watch as they learn. I still prefer to cook on an open campfire instead of a gas stove. I can do that at home. I learned my outdoor camp cooking over the course of many years, and I have had several offers over the years to go fishing in Canada for free because the guys want me to go along to cook! Pan fried walleye on an open campfire, cornmeal bread from the Dutch oven, and baked beans... Yep, best meal ever. Stosh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutergipper Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 I just drooled on my laptop a little. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlamanceScouter Posted April 13, 2014 Author Share Posted April 13, 2014 Pan fried walleye....oh my....gosh that sounds good. All went well. He cooked tacos in a bag and black beans last night. Pancakes and bacon this morning. Fixed ham and turkey sandwiches for lunch. He says it all went well....he was in a good mood about. Going to try to get a little more info later. Only found one tick attached to him.....have no idea how it got there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ding Dong Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 If the older boys were not happy about food being late' date=' they should have pitched in and helped out. If they were not happy about not enough food, the older boys should have better trained the younger boys on menu prep. If the older boys were not happy, they should be making efforts to solve their problems, not taking it out on the younger boys. If your son is stressed about having to prep a meal for the patrol, he is not having fun and there's something wrong with the program. It's about time the PL stops whining and starts working. Breakfast: I boiled some water, here's your two oatmeal packet and the hot chocolate is on the table. Lunch: You all can have 4 slices of bread. Peanut butter and jelly are on the table. Supper: We're having stew tonight, I like onions so I put plenty in, one scoop or two? Evening snack: I do meals, not soirees, the popcorn popper is in the trailer, knock yourself out. A couple of days like that and the PL will be forced to do his job better. Whenever my boys complain about something, that's their way of volunteering to do it correctly next time. Stosh[/quote'] That menu sounds like my troop. You mean other troops do better ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 I wrote that to be funny, but I'm finding out that a lot of troops "cook" in this manner. It's rather unfortunate to miss out on such a great opportunity for teaching self-sufficiency to boys. Whereas many of my boys survive on "food" for the weekend, I simply enjoy myself with great food. Nothing better in the morning than any-berry pancakes. Pick them during the day, mix just enough pancake mix to hold them together and fry away! In the late fall, the belt ax is necessary to break open the black walnuts. You don't need many, with the strength of their favor over English walnuts, they add a great deal to the pancakes. With a ton of stuff out there in the woods to eat, it's a shame most boys take a pass on the freebie stuff readily available. Just remember, the chuckwagons of the cattle drive era didn't have boxes of Mac & Cheese on them. Stosh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torchwood Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Our Troop was camping this weekend, and my son was the cook for his Patrol- he did the 1st Class requirements. They had a cold lunch- sandwiches made at a picnic area at our first stop. Dinner was sloppy joes- made from scratch, not a can of Manwich. He diced onions and peepers, and had a packet of spices he measured out in advance. Breakfast was french toast, also from scratch (most of the other patrols do pancakes using the Bisquick mix in the plastic bottle- just add water,shake and pour on the griddle). He was good about enlisting help when needed to get things done in a timely fashion, made all the worse by unexpected rain overnight. My wife and I were the cooks for the Old Goat Patrol, so we were not standing over him while he worked, but were available if he got into a jam. I have a huge issue with kids cooking for advancement by making stuff from boxes. It is cooking, not re-heating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwazse Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 On one trip, a scout was mesmerized at how I "randomly" picked berries, roots, lichens, and succulent leaves for snacks as we walked along the trail. I explained to the scout "all the better to remember those 10 plants! Besides, I save my trail mix in my pack for those points on the trail where the bears beat me to God's snack cart!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tampa Turtle Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Sometimes the portions are an issue. We had a scout who was a little guy, liked fine food, and the resulting food was good but not enough calories after hiking, Eventually was solved by figuring a 'portion size' for each guy. The newbies were '1' and the 15 year olds were '1.5' or '2' people for planning purposes. OR they packed some extra food--PB&J for guys that wanted extra. The solution, as other stated, is to get involved in the grub planning OR just BEING the grub planner and cook--cooks always eat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeptic Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Torchwood; Sloppy Joe's made from chopped frogs; cool. Must have taken a bit of scrounging to find enough to make it worthwhile. "He diced onions and peepers, and had a packet of spices he measured out in advance." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 I saw that too. How many peepers in a cup? Stosh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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