Patrol cooking

[RandyPrice]

My Troop has a problem that I wonder if others share. When we campout we often have boys backout from the trip and it causes problems with the cooking duties. In years past the adult leaders basically did all the cooking with the boys doing the cleanup. This actually worked quite well but it doesn't adhere to the Patrol method. Does anyone else suffer from this problem?

[shortridge]

Boys backing out from the trip shouldn't affect who cooks. The PL can create a new duty roster in 10 minutes using the Scouts who actually show up. It's not rocket science.

 

If adults are using that as an excuse to take over cooking, they're the central problem.

[qwazse]

The Girl Scout Troop method! Works wonderfully, except the boys don't LEARN anything!

 

Aside from all of the leadership and planning stuff, they don't learn how to cook neatly. Why don't you have the adults clean up for the boys for a change? I know why! Because no adult wants to deal with the mess that a couple of boys will make in your campbox!

 

Tell the SPL to make adjustments. Either put the boys in ad-hoc patrols or keep them separate. The general advantages and disadvantages of each have been discussed in other threads. But here are a couple of scenarios related to chow:

 

A patrol of 1 is not a big deal for cooking. You might need to coach a tenderfoot a little on planning and making a meal and explain the situation to his folks so they can help him a little. Kids who are picky eaters sometimes find this to be a great opportunity!

 

Or, if the Spartan patrol finds out that the grub-master for the Epicurean is on his own for the weekend, they might recruit him ad-hoc for his skills before the Stoic patrol finds out that the the troop's gourmet chef in the wind!

 

Of course it can pan out dozen's of ways. Regardless, you gain so much more by letting the boys sort it out and moving the adults to an advisory capacity.

[TWOMORROWS]

"The Girl Scout Troop method! Works wonderfully, except the boys don't LEARN anything!"

 

What is this method?

 

 

[IM_Kathy]

please don't bash girl scouts!!!

 

as a leader in both I personally don't appreciate it.

 

even got the boys in my son's troop to stop refering to lighter fluid as "girl scout water" when on parent night one of the boys said that to my daughter and she laughed and said "what is that stuff, we don't even pack it let alone use it - guess we're better at camping and lighting fires than you all" LOL I was so proud!!! and the boys have learned how to light charcoal without it as well!!!

 

as for the O/P...

 

my son's troop there is a cook and assistant cook... if the cook backs out then he still needs to get the food to load up or to the assistant. and then assistant becomes cook and he picks his assistant. sometimes though the assistant is a fairly new scout and isn't prepared to be a cook and then an older scout steps up and takes on cooking and helps the assistant.

[dg98adams]

I've seen cooks for the camp out back out when the food the patrol decides is not what they want.... or if a member of a patrol don't get McNuggets he skips the camp out. When the size of the patrol dips below 4, back-pack style cooking is easier, funner and they learn more.

 

The Patrol cooks/feeds/cleans up after those that show up and go, they will figure it out and mush on. Our Troop does not have refunds for those who cancel after the grub master for the patrol collects food money (the Monday before the outing).

 

This usually corrects itself... don't like cooking/cleaning up/food you have to make instead of a Styrofoam container...don't stay Scouts for long.

 

Always a good opportunity to just have an extra box of cake mix/brownie mix the smaller patrol can use. What Scout don't like cake/brownies? There's egg & flour there... almost a meal in itself if you count butter.

 

P.S. I like cake/brownies.

[qwazse]

IMK: not bashing. Just pointing out to RP that his adults are employing a method that is foreign to Boy Scouts. If you're forming your troops into small groups and the girls are scheduling camputs every month, purchasing their own grub, packing vehicles on their own, and doing their own cooking and cleaning, then you're one peculiar GS leader.

 

If more moms had that sort of vision for their girls, recruiting for my crew would be so much harder because the only unique thing we have to offer is a rag-tag bunch of boys!

 

 

[Stosh]

If I'm going to do the cooking, I'm planning the menu, cooking and that's it.

 

I would plan meals the boys don't like and if they want something better, they can do the planning. (like a whole weekend without bacon!)

 

I would burn a couple of meals and if they didn't like it, then then can do the cooking next time.

 

I love being passive-aggressive.

 

If boys didn't show because they had to cook, then my other boys that did show up would learn how to cook for a smaller group and do just fine.

 

As a scout I learned to cook using a mess kit. When my patrol buddies couldn't make it to an event, I didn't starve. It's a useful skill to learn.

 

Stosh

 

 

[resqman]

Patrols decide their menu 2 weeks before campout. Grubmaster is given menu list and is given a budget. Signed permission slips and money is due 1 week before campout. If you don't go, you only get a refund if grub has not already been bought or other camping fees not already paid.

 

Cooking is done as a patrol. Grubmaster buys the food but the cook duties rotate thru the patrols members throughout the weekend. If you cook, someone else cleans. If you had no duties this meal, you will next meal.

 

Adults cook as a patrol seperately from boys. Scouts are on their own for selecting, preparing, cooking and cleaning. No one will starve over a weekend. Might be hungry if they don't like the selection or something gets dumped or spilled.

 

PLC selects theme for Saturday evening meal. Patrols can cook anything they like as long as it fits the designated theme. Past themes have included all the various ethnic like Italian, Asian, Mexican. Must cook at least one part of meal in a box oven, must cook at least one thing in a dutch oven other that dessert. During the Seafood weekend, one patrol cooked Chicken and Corn served in a Coconut shell. C-food.

 

During troop run YLT, the troop provides the food but the scouts cook. The scouts are not given advance notice of the food choices. One time we supplied the patrols with fish fillets, potatoes, onions, cheese, and a bread mix. One patrol was given a deep fryer, one patrol a box oven, and the third patrol was given a cast iron skillet and stove. Reciepes were offered but they were allowed and encouraged to free style. Spices, flour, oil, butter, etc were available to all.

 

One time we gave each patrol couple pounds of hamburger. We set out rice, potatoes, onions, peppers, fruit, canned tomatoes, canned soups, canned veggies, Rotel, spices, pita, tortillas, loaf bread on a table. Scouts were given some time to review all the contents of the supplies. They broke off into patrols and made menus. Each patrol leader was given an opportunity to select 1 item from the pile of supplies. Then the other patrol leader selected an item and so on until each patrol had all the supplies they wanted. The drawback was if you planed a menu using rice, the other patrol may have selected the rice and left you potatoes. They then cooked whatever using the supplies they were able to "win" during the selection process. All the scouts voted they wanted to do that again.

 

Adults are restricted to the same budget as the scouts. All patrols have access to propane stoves, dutch ovens, box ovens, and patrol boxes of cooking pots and supplies.

 

We have had weekends where patrols have forgotten to bring food or patrol boxes. Somehow they have worked with other patrols to exist during the weekend. Hard won lessons that next time they seem to remember supplies.

 

Adults don't cook or clean for the scouts. That is their task.

[mikecummings157]

This has happened to us occasionally. I agree 100% with Shortridge. It ain't Rocket Science. The PL makes a new duty roster and moves on. Keep the adults out of it.

[SMT224]

Our Troop is similar to that described by resqman...

 

All meal planning, food money collection, shopping, preparation, and clean up is done by Patrol. The Patrol designates cooks and KP crew for each meal.

 

Adults eat separately from Scouts.

 

Two weeks before a camping trip the Patrols meet to plan menus, set up their chuck box, designate a shopper, and combine their food money. If a Scout does not bring in his money (usually $10-$15 for a typical week-end camping trip), then he does not go. If he pays and then backs out later, no refunds.

 

These hard and fast rules were decided by the PLC after several Scouts came to the menu planning sessions and said they'd "bring their money next week" and then would disappear for 2 or 3 weeks, leaving the food buyer stuck.

 

We do this whether there are 8 members of the Patrol going camping or only 2. For a while we would create a "Camping Patrol" if there were only a few going from each Patrol, but we found it's better to keep the Patrol together even if there only a couple Scouts going. If there's only one Scout, then he can join another Patrol.

 

On the camping trip, the SPL works with the PL and Patrol members to ensure that food is cooked properly and the KP crew does it's job cleaning things up. If an adult sees a dirty pot or pan or mess kit, the SPL is alerted and takes care of the issue.

 

[John-in-KC]

What shortridge said.

 

Get the adults away from the youth. Let the youth cook.

[IM_Kathy]

qwaze - the only thing different between my son's troop and my daughter's troop is the number of times they camp. My girls prefer to camp only 3 times a year, which is fine as it's their choice but other than that there is no difference what's so ever.

 

my girls show up at my house and load up the gear. they are split into 2 patrols for cooking. they plan out their menu, their chores, the activities, etc... when they arrive they sent up dining fly if needed first, then leaders tent and they set up the tents they will be using. their menu gets approved by the adults going as we will eat from both patrols as it's just me and 1 other parent going.

 

so other than number of times camping... the only difference is where gear is stored, putting up leaders tent, and cooking for the leaders. everything else is the same.

 

my girl scouts are grades 6th-12th so they are the same age as boy scouts... and at this age this is how it should be. at younger ages (cubby aged) there was some more adult assistance, but now they don't need us other than for making parents at ease that their daughters are going out camping together.

[Tampa Turtle]

The Girl Scouts I have interacted with on the trail have all been very good campers and highly organized. A much higher emphasis on keeping the camp clean--lot of sweeping going on.

 

Went on a scout museum outing that had a Girl Scout centennial display. While disparaging of the other gender they spent more time in there than looking at the dinosaur exhibits. Including putting on the play uniforms. Fascinating.

[ScoutNut]

I agree with John-in-KC.

 

Get the adults out of there.

 

It does not matter how many boys back out of a trip. The ones that are left do their own cooking - period.