What did WWII Soldiers Eat?

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#tastinghistory #ww2 #sos

[@TastingHistory]

I only speak about the US Army in this video. What other countries/branches of the military would you like to see covered? Thank you to the constant support from all of my Patreon patrons. www.patreon.com/tastinghistory

[@James35142]

Always happy to see you upload, Max.

[@Armedtempertantrum]

Throw a box off Crayola in the pan and you have a favorite snack of the Marines.

[@SonicSledgehammerStudio]

This was fascinating to see from someone with a familial connection! While it's probably much later, historically speaking, than much of what you've covered on the channel, it might be interesting to look into some of the recipes that've cropped up in the wake of US occupation and allied forces across the world. Spam got around!

[@cjsrescues]

The modern recipe i.e. Gulf War Era has A-1 and Worstershire sauce to give it that little burn.

[@purplefern6010]

You've admittedly peaked my interest mentioning Nazi meth pills, ngl.

[@brotherZach-]

Retired Air Force cook here. We still make this, although it’s now made with ground beef and usually served with biscuits. Happy Veterans Day everyone!

[@Justanotherconsumer]

I wonder if there’s a desire to keep it on the menu just because it’s part of US military traditions at this point.

[@mountainclawoutdoors]

Ha, I remember wishing we had cream chip beef. But no, just that ground beef gravy in the Air Force, with Texas Pete of course

[@martygraw9708]

My go to breakfast is the ground beef version of SOS over biscuits with scrambled eggs on top. I ate this every day I could in garrison in Germany during the late 70s. It tastes even better with finely chopped onions and Worcester added.

[@yuvalgabay1023]

@@mountainclawoutdoors I see the air force get extra luxury in any county

[@mountainclawoutdoors]

@@yuvalgabay1023 oh, we had it much better from what I saw and heard My uncle was right

[@Kygaahh]

“Shit on a shingle” was my grandmas favorite response when asked what she was making for dinner. RIP Nina. ❤

[@kr8477]

Lol! I love it!! Reminds me of when my ex was bugging me about dinner so I smirked and told him DNS. He asked what's that?? I laughed and said dump n' stir. It became my standard answer after that. We were just kids who didn't a lot of extra money and I was always making something out of leftovers and odds n' ends.

[@hosedragger-204]

It's really damn good food lol

[@TGPDrunknHick]

my dad still says shit on toast so...

[@roaqua]

Lmao my father says that a lot.

[@alishatargonski1027]

My grandma and mom too! I had no idea it was a real dish until literally the day my grandmother passed away. I got the call that she'd passed and with encouragement and knowing she would have wanted me to live life, went to brunch with a big group of friends. There it was on the menu and what a sign! I'm glad it wasn't just my family that used it as a vague threat lol

[@Jasonwolf1495]

You mentioned the rations eventually added pasta and sauce, and that reminds me that chef Boyardee, who was an actual person, converted his factories over to produce rations during the war and actually recieved an award for just how much food he produced for the troops.

[@Justanotherconsumer]

Ettore Boiardi. He put the Boyardee on he cans so people would pronounce it right.

[@zennvirus7980]

Then we salute and remember the man, for his legacy keeps people fed even to this day. In fact, in commemoration, today I'm going to open a can of Ravioli to his name for my microwaved ration.

[@IanZainea1990]

From Cleveland!!!

[@obviouspseudonym9345]

You just reminded me of that scene from Generation Kill. "Chef Boyardee, the master!"

[@IONATVS]

He also sold his company after the war as part of a deal to ensure none of his employees would be laid off. By all accounts a great chef and a better person.

[@supergeek1418]

My grandfather lied about his age, and enlisted at age 16 during WW-I. Initially, they made him a cook's helper. Before Easter the menu (which was dictated from The War Department, in Washington DC) stipulated that they would be serving eggs. The only problem was that they only had two and a half dozen eggs --- to feed a company of over a humdred men! When the time for Easter breakfast came, the cook was beside himself, because they hadn't received any more eggs, amd the men had really been looking forward to some eggs. My grandfather told him not to worry about it, and he scrambled what they had, and then "stretched" them with a 3 to 1 addition of milk and flour, seasoned up with a heavy amount of salt, pepper, and thyme. The head cook protested saying that the men wouldn't stand for it, to which my grandfather replied, "Don't worry about it. It's been so long since they've had an egg, that they won't know the difference." As Easter morning breakfast was served, and the "scrambled eggs" were served up, the only complaints they received were from people not getting enough! It's true: War is hell.

[@sickmit3481]

That would almost be a savory pancake batter so it would probably be pretty good.

[@LazzurusMan]

To quote a famous show, war isn't hell. There are no innocents in hell.

[@supergeek1418]

@@LazzurusMan It's certainly very hell-like for those caught up in it.

[@erinpendergrass7817]

my great grandfather lied about his age when joining WWII

[@JCinerea]

​@@sickmit3481 I agree!

[@VictoriaEMeredith]

I still love SOS. I can remember dad announcing, “It’s shit on a shingle!” and mom countering with, “It’s creamed chipped beef on toast!” for years until she gave up and called it SOS.

[@joshjones6072]

Hahaha

[@cyl742]

same here

[@jasonsexton8869]

My grandfather served as a U.S. Army MP during WW2. Both he and my grandmother enjoyed making this dish, though they too playfully fought over the name, 😅. I grew up eating this for breakfast at their house, though it was made with ground beef, onions, and parsley. I still enjoy it to this day even if I can't seem to get the recipe exactly the same. That might just be down to the ancient seasoned cast iron my grandmother had in her kitchen. Good memories. A thanks to you and also Tasting History for making me think on happier times.

[@Heywoodthepeckerwood]

Creamed beef sounds more nasty in todays world…..

[@JeffreyBenzodiazepines]

Shit on a shingle

[@anonymousf454]

I recall sitting around the table with my grandfather when I was a boy of maybe 7 or 8, and knowing he served in Korea, foolishly asked him "grandpa, did you ever kill anybody when you were in the war?" I will never forget the look he gave me and I knew I made a big mistake. He stood silent for a few seconds, no doubt remembering horrible scenes and atrocities from his tour of duty. Finally he looked me dead in the eyes and said "I dont know, probably. I was the cook".

[@jamespilbeam209]

There's a grandpa I would've loved to meet & talk to. Honest, thoughtful, gracious. And truthful in a humorous manner.

[@cheddar2648]

I strongly urge you to look up the old time Southern comedian, Jerry Clower. He had a bit about the war, and one grizzled old veteran said that, "In my unit, Rambo would have been a cook." I guess you had to be there.

[@jwenting]

my grandpa never talked about the wars he was in either. He was in 3 of them, professional infantryman. All I've left are some photos taken in lager when he was on deployment in the Dutch East Indies in 1947, and his old army chest.

[@zlinedavid]

My dad was a Vietnam vet, and there were stories he took to his grave.

[@ahhwe-any7434]

Yuck

[@chopperdeath]

My grandfather actually talked about this. He never wanted to eat Spam, chipped beef or Butterscotch pudding again, and he told my grandmother as much. Also, he spent the rest o his life buying super warm clothing(goose down, thinsulate and ultra thermal clothing) so he would be never cold again because he was cold for 3 years in Europe. Bless you Virgil.

[@anthonyromagnole2807]

Likewise for my father. Late in the Battle of the Bulge, his hands were so frozen that he didn't know his finger was detached from his hand until he took his glove off.

[@chopperdeath]

Holy hell.

[@drumyogi9281]

@@chopperdeath PC load letter... What the hell does that mean?

[@DanielsPolitics1]

Bomber Harris once walked across the Sahara. After that he refused to walk anywhere he didn’t have to, and once a general officer would take his chauffeur driven Bentley even for incredibly short distances. I can see how after extreme privations like that, you could easily be entirely over hardships of that kind.

[@chubbyvegangirl5419]

OMG! My dad loved butterscotch pudding! He didn't serve because he was born in 43 but loved bs pudding!

[@Bullwinkle-h7b]

22 year Army Vet here, and i absolutely loved SOS!, my buddies thought i was crazy, but i loved it, with scrambled eggs, pepper and hot sauce!!!, man, i was in heaven..... an old black civilian taught me the best things about eating it, I've loved it ever since! Blessing to all!.

[@MonicaPrinceFam]

My Dad was one of 3 Black Navy photographers in Vietnam in the 60s. My sons loved hearing his stories and my oldest son went into the Navy. My Father is buried in Boulder, NV Veterans cemetery with my Mother. Thank you to the all those who serve and have served for you bravery.

[@MrSheckstr]

When you next visit your father’s grave tell him I said “thanks for being there “

[@Travybear1989]

What does being black have to do with anything? I just can't understand this. Either you are a man or you are a woman. I just don't get this at all honestly, why would you even mention that? I am Chinese, so what? I am a man and my wife is a woman, I don';t see why race is such an issue these days. We are all inhabiting human vessels, that is crazy enough, why make it crazier?

[@DoubleDogDare54]

Why not just say your dad was a navy photographer in Vietnam in the 60s? Had a friend from high school who was also a military photographer. If I had stated he was a White military photographer in Vietnam you probably would have been offended that I stressed his race. Stop making everything about your race and you'll find it won't matter as much across the board.

[@GarthKlaus]

@@Travybear1989 These days, not so much I guess, but it would have been a rather big deal in 1968.

[@GarthKlaus]

My uncle is there, also a Navy vet.

[@adamparks6756]

As a former Army cook, you were pretty accurate with the history on this. We dont use dried beef anymore though, it's regular ground beef and I love that shit.

[@nahor88]

I've tried some modern day MREs, and they're not that bad. One of them had a vanilla cappucino mix, and it was better than anything I've had at Starbucks. That being said, I'm not actually sure if the body digests them properly...

[@qq13563817153]

@@nahor88 I'm not sure about US MREs but in my country, combat rations are meant to stop you up so you have to use the bathroom less when out on the field. Surviving on that for 3 days wreaked havoc on my guts so badly that I was actually glad to eat base cookhouse food

[@fefnireindraer144]

@@qq13563817153 Gives shitting out a brick, its meaning.

[@qq13563817153]

@@deathbringer9893 yeah we actually have laxatives disguised as fruit bars in our accessories pack and lemme tell ya, it's explosive

[@jacobackley502]

Navy still has chipped beef, comes in 10# cans

[@libbyjensen1858]

My dad grew up very poor. He grew up during the depression and went into the army as soon as he graduated high school. To the day he died he loved this meal. He said when he got into the army and he got to eat this food it finally filled him up and he knew what it was like to have a full stomach. My husband also grew up poor and he has the same feeling. When he got into the army they were still serving this in the '80s. To this day he also still loves this food.

[@Defines1776]

Really puts things in a humbling perspective. We should all be so thankful for what we have and the hard work put in by our forefathers should be acknowledged.

[@edwardsmith5650]

Comes in a jar with an Armour label, called "Dried Beef". Pretty expensive, but a lot of flavor compared to ground meat.

[@ColdToesNow]

Your dad's story is so similar to my dad's, growing up in poverty during the depression. He was astonished and grateful that he could eat all he wanted in the mess hall. Went into the Army with a 27" waist and came out of basic with a 30" waist. SOS was one of his favorite meals and he was gleeful when he got the recipe from an Army cook. Doing the math to reduce the quantities was hilarious.

[@C.RWells]

So it’s almost like the military motivates the poor instead of actually doing something to solve the hunger crisis?

[@frankm2588]

@@C.RWells Did you ever hear of the Great Depression? My father also grew up one of 5 kids with a widowed mother in the '30s and I think when he went into the Army in early 1942 it was the 1st time he had enough to eat.

[@brittanyhyatt3407]

Man this made me miss my grandpa so much. He was a police officer in the Army and served in WW2 over in London, which is where he met and married my grandma. I always LOVED hearing her talk with that posh British accent and thought she was just the coolest most beautiful woman I had ever seen 😍 My sweet grandpa fell head over heels for her (and vice versa) and they moved back to TN, where he was from, once the war was over. He was the kindest most gentlest man you could ever meet. I’d give anything for one more hug from him 💔

[@amyball3342]

The WW2 vets included my grandparents and they truly are the most amazing generation we have had! i don't want to leave out the wonderful WW1 vets. I loved my grandparents. Every evening in the summer, we would walk out to the fish pond. our grandaddy built a little dock, stocked the pond with fish, and would mow a path down for us. how amazing 😍 I miss Him and my Beautiful ❤️ Granny every single day.

[@brittanyhyatt3407]

@@amyball3342 we were definitely blessed with some amazing grandparents!

[@brendanhoffmann8402]

My Grandad was in WW2 as a radio operator. He's 100 now. He often talks about the war. He was very proud of his service. Yesterday was remembrance day.

[@Vegeta8300]

Both my grandfather's were in WW2. They have both passed away. They told so many stories. Very proud of them both and all that fought.

[@benbooth2783]

My Grandad also served during WII. He was a truck driver in the army. He got got shot multiple times in the leg and was left for dead by the allies. The Germans picked him up, saved his leg, and then put him into POW camp. Fortunately, the war ended a few months later so he didn't spend a significant time in the camp. He rarely spoke about the war.

[@PurpleHazeVanNederlands]

You mean Veteran's day?

[@benbooth2783]

@Zach Hayes Veterans day in the US, remembrance day in the UK.

[@brendanhoffmann8402]

@@PurpleHazeVanNederlands Remembrance day in Australia too

[@lynnwild5285]

My dad was a cook in the Marines in WW2. He made this all the time but with hamburger for us. I still make it today and i'm 73. I have found a new use for it and that is to add it to thick cut potato chips. Its delicious. I call it Gringo Nachos.

[@Pufflers]

sounds delicious :)

[@30cal23]

i love this but i buy the canned sausage and gravy to make a sort of breakfast SOS

[@koraegi]

Oh hell yea Itll be a little harder to breathe for a while after that

[@RevenantNeverDies]

but so worth it@@koraegi

[@RevenantNeverDies]

do i know you from somewhere or am i tripped out@@Pufflers

[@martinriley715]

Having served in the field, this is definitely comfort food. Out in miserable conditions such as cold / wet, any grub like this gave a sense of back home and normality, it was greatly appreciated. My entire squad could not wait for hot meals delivered in the field when we were lucky enough to receive it, real moral booster.

[@bryanfarts822]

What war was this you were in?

[@MRblazedBEANS]

After eating cold MRE I could imagine it would be a huge boast. Most of the time you don't get time to heat up the MRE when in the field any hot food is great.

[@ellemarr7234]

Canadians never get their due when it comes to working alongside allies. Thank you for your service.

[@EB-wt2ty]

i literally make this at home with ground beef its freakin delicious

[@504chris]

@Bryan Farts the make believe war of 1580. The US vs the giant plant monsters. Lost alot of good men in that war

[@jsgraham67]

When I served in 1985-1989, I was stationed on a remote air defense tactical site on a hill in West Germany, about 40 miles from the Czech & East German borders. We had a dining facility on site, and we donated our slop barrels to a local pig farmer. Throughout the year, he would share his crop harvest or his pig slaughters with us. Our mess sergeant would make a creamed beef for breakfast which was pork breakfast sausage and cream gravy. It was amazing on eggs and biscuits.

[@argon7624]

That's basically just southern biscuits and gravy

[@xace85x]

An MRE Steve-Max collab is the premium-quality content I didn't realise I needed in my life until right this very second. This has to happen - nice!

[@DavidHuffTexas]

Yes! Seconded!

[@LeClaw]

I'd put that onto a tray...

[@Lingvort]

@@LeClaw Nice! Mkay...

[@simquicky3448]

Yes bring on the collab I say! Nice hiss 😂

[@Silverstiletto]

Agree!!

[@melissat9586]

My veteran Grandfather wouldn’t talk about the war (WWII), except for the food. He used to make this recipe. It’s such a beloved memory sitting in the kitchen watching him cook it up, this video made me tear up. Thanks for this, Max!

[@nikosainio4804]

Same. My grandpa was fighting Soviets in Continuation war and he never spoke about it. Most combat role veterans don't want to talk about war for obvious reasons.

[@snakeking211]

My great grandpa was the same way was a cook for his unit even serving Patton at one point. The family history ik is that he rarely cooked except when a cut of meat was to hard for great grandma to cook. Dad likes to say when my great grandpa would cook the toughest cuts of meat he would make it as tender as can be

[@builtontherockhomestead9390]

Had a neighbor who was a cook in the Navy.

[@AdamosDad]

My dad was a WW2 Army vet that was at Pearl Harbor, it was one of his favorite dishes for him to make.

[@alexanderdeburdegala4609]

My grandfather also would never talk about the war. It was a shame towards the end by the time he finally started to open up, his memory went. I wonder what really happened.

[@gaugeray7462]

My father was a merchant marine, who spent 40 years at sea. This was his ABSOLUTE favorite dish to the day he died. Always wondered how it was made.

[@mikep490]

The Navy's official recipe was different. They'd add veggies (including tomatoes) and herbs not found in the Army meals.

[@JeffreyBenzodiazepines]

Shit on a shingle.

[@mortarconn]

My grandfather was a merchant marine Liberty ship skipper during the war. I'm sure he ate plenty of SOS.

[@mihair2854]

Luckily Max Miller googled it for you. -_-

[@t045tygh05t]

SOS has been one of my favorite breakfasts since I was a kid, and I learned to make it from my Army vet grandpa. Thanks for spreading this tasty, easy meal to a wider audience!

[@apryl9481]

My dad made this for my sister and I when times were hard. He used ground beef instead of chipped beef. My mom was deployed at the time and was always the cook but he made it work. SOS is still one of my favorite comfort foods and it still holds so many memories of my dad trying his best with what he knew.

[@J1mInOH]

They made and instilled the love for it in us from their experiences even if he used ground beef. Of all the things I’m thankful for, #1 is my upbringing as an Army brat for most of my youth, so many qualities we were exposed to and able to adapt to our lives. The whole family serves when you consider the deployments and the sporadic changes of assignment. I read some have difficulty with that, but I count it as one of the most awesome benefits and exposures to the rest of the world. Thank you for your whole families service and we in return get to enjoy this humorous, but awesome love of SOS that most haven’t even been lucky enough to be exposed to! :)

[@J1mInOH]

@Repent and believe in Jesus Christ What pray tell makes you think she hasn’t? Or are you just a bot meant to target Christians?

[@paulatwood998]

@@J1mInOH I think it's just a bot. Kind of ticks me off that they're always leaving those messages and things that don't have anything to do with what the video was about.

[@daricetaylor737]

My mother also used ground beef, we called it hamburger gravy and it is still a favorite of mine today.....60 years later!!!

[@nodak81]

Same here. My mom still makes it now and then with ground beef. It's definitely one of my childhood comfort foods.

[@lisahinton9682]

Max, you suggesting viewers go ask their grandparent to tell them a story made me all weepy. That was a very touching gesture, and you'll have made many an older person happy with that.

[@erosleroi7638]

Sad to say, many from the WWII generation have passed on. But I'm fortunate to have heard some stories, although most of the guys just got on with their lives after the war and didn't talk about it !

[@julscatten2640]

Made me miss my grandpa terribly. He was a civilian engineer on the Naval base in NYC during the war, and the stories he told were always fantastic and interesting. From the time I was about 14 or 15, we’d sit at the kitchen table with a bottle of Manischewitz wine (don’t judge; he had zero concept of legal drinking age) and stay up after Grandma went to bed talking - trading our generational knowledge. I’d explain new technology to him while he’d listen with amazement, and then he’d tell me stories of the 1940’s and 50’s. I am now 35 and he’s 11 years gone, and I can’t even begin to describe how much I miss the man.

[@erosleroi7638]

@@julscatten2640 Lovely memories, continue to cherish them! I grew up drinking (homemade) wine at a young age. It's a cultural thing.

[@mwater_moon2865]

@@julscatten2640 My grandpa was almost too old to be drafted (they lowered the age after his number came up, but he still had to report) and as the child of his youngest child, he passed away when I was still a pre-teen, but I too both miss and appreciate him and the stories he told (he was the camp cook in an Alaskan camp). I do still make his canned tomato soup sauce and pasta though, and I'm passing it on to my kids, because when done right it's freakin' awesome!

[@stargirl7646]

Three of my grandparents are gone and my last grandpa lives a 12-hour plane ride away 😭

[@samanthageary8514]

My grandpa, who was born in 1905 and served in WWII overseas as a cook, looooved eating and fixing creamed chipped beef on toast or homemade biscuits. And he always made huge portions because he said he was used to feeding lots of people. I grew up thinking it was strictly a Southern breakfast meal! Thanks for the history on one of my still-favorite breakfasts which is harder to find nowadays!

[@timjaggers2545]

Stouffer's makes a Creamed Chipped Beef that you can find in the frozen foods section at many grocery stores. Just put the pouch in boiling water and simmer for 17 minutes and it's ready I like to serve it over rice.

[@MrJonsonville5]

My grandpa was born in 1915, but since he had a child (my father) in 1942, he was assigned to a POW camp as a cook. He would make this dish sometimes when I was a kid and he even still called it "shit on a shingle."

[@wandasetzer1469]

It's so easy to make. I made it when I was much younger and had bought Joy of Cooking. The recipe was in there. Don't know about later editions, because they are slightly different.

[@patrickfields3392]

I thought it was a southern thing as well! My grandpa in Halletsville, Tx made it for me a few times, and is also a veteran, so it makes sense with the true origin of the dish. It’s a very cool video as well!

[@535tony]

My Mother used to use Buddig sliced beef for SOS.

[@emilymarek4714]

Growing up, this was my dad’s favorite meal. He was a Vietnam Vet, and I grew up with this being something ‘normal’. I haven’t heard this in many years, because my dad passed in 2007, but even as a little one, I would giggle like crazy every time he said it. I still make it today… but I don’t call it that. (I’m 59.) I haven’t in years! But this video had me in tears, hearing it for the first time since my dad passed. Thank you for this walk down memory lane! ❤

[@Mikemarquez3884]

The way you talk about your grandfather, you could tell he had a huge impact on your life and how much love you had for him. Had me in tears man, not gonna lie.

[@Sathtana]

His voice breaking slightly fucking got me

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

I never thought I would cry at a Tasting History video.

[@eleanormacchia]

My Grandmother and my Mother made it with a twist. They both browned the chipped beef in the rue and then deglazed the pan with the milk and simmered until it thickened like gravy. The beef tastes better and the texture is much better. It was really sweet to see you so moved by your memories of your Grandfather.

[@elvisneedsboatsbennett2455]

My grandfather was a cook in WWII and he tweaked the SOS recipe. He added cayenne pepper and Worcestershire sauce on top of bacon or sausage fat for just a little depth of flavor. I loved it.

[@jewishjedi]

My grandpa was also a cook during WWII. He was stationed at a base in Utah that did work on the Manhattan project. He and my grandma were actually married on Dec 7th (that Dec 7th). Right after they finished the ceremony a buddy of his ran into their synagogue and was shouting about Pearl Harbor having just been bombed. But no one really knew what that was at that point, so he though it was a bar on the north side of Pittsburgh.

[@pennyforyourthots]

@@jewishjedi I could definitely see a bar in Pittsburgh being named "Pearl harbor" lol.

[@geeky12ful]

My father who was in the Army Air Corp during WWII as a Master Sergeant loved SOS. My Mother would make it but used ground beef because it was too salty for my sister & I when she used the chipped beef. Every once it in a while to make him happy she would make a batch using the chipped beef (man that stuff is salty as she did not know about soaking it to remove some of the saltiness).

[@salvadorromero9712]

I am happy he never overseasoned like Frank Costanza. There are some war experiences you never truly come back from.

[@pde2619]

@@salvadorromero9712 LOL!

[@jackori6685]

Thank you for this Max. While my dad was a medic in the Royal Canadian Air Force, we were posted to a NATO base in Germany from 1962 to 1966. I turned 6 just 2 1/2 months after we got there. We saw that there was still so much WWII damage everywhere. He took our small family, mom and 2 little girls, around Europe to learn what was done and why it must never happen again. We went to Berlin, Frankfurt, Madurodam, Dieppe, Flanders and many more places. The Berlin Wall had just been built. It was amazing to see a country divided by a wall. Yes, everyone, please ask your family member who served for their stories. If you don't have anyone near you, visit the veterans in the seniors homes. They'd love to see you, and talk to you. I listened to their stories when I worked as a care aid. They deserve so much more than they receive from our governments today, so much more for their dedication and sacrifices.

[@Ramser03]

Sometimes I wish I could spend my days just visiting with veterans and recording their stories. So many incredible experiences.

[@carlbenjiphotography6651]

Thanks for his service. Big respect to him.

[@etuanno]

Well, my one of great grandfathers served in the Wehrmacht as an officer. He shot himself after the war ended. I tried to find out what he did/why he shot himself, but that remains a family secret that was lost when my grandpa/his son passed away a year ago. Another was an engineer who built infrastructure in Persia, during WW2 he built airbases in Norway for the bombing of GB. The other two were Swiss, one was a lumberjack and farmer in a village (ca. 500 people) where most people had the same surname. The last one was a dude who worked in a machine factory who built parts for stuff.

[@jackori6685]

There are terrible losses on both sides in any war. Not everyone can deal with what they were forced to do. I know for a fact that many Germans were conscripted at gun point. We had friends among the German population who were forced into the Hitler Youth, and went on to become soldiers, airmen and naval personnel. Not their choice at all. It was join or die. They were some of the nicest people we met over there. I expect that your great grandfather was one of those gentle souls who was forced to carry out duties that he would never do if given a choice. I'm so sorry for your loss.

[@RSMoreno]

I was also a medic in the US Chair Force! I ate MRE’s exactly once… during a training exercise in Basic. My dad fought in WW2 when he was 12 and later did 2 tours in Vietnam for the US Army. When I told my dad I was joining the army after dropping out of college, my dad told me “No! Join the Chair Force! You’re not cut out for the Army!” Good call, Dad!

[@eltigrechino3390]

This episode moved me to subscribe. It's clear how much you loved your gramps and nana. I can't imagine how much they loved you and was proud of you. Thanks for this heartfelt episode!

[@mitchellgehman4605]

As someone who works in the education department at the National D-Day Memorial, I can tell you that the “boring” part of soldier life, like food, is something most people don’t know about, so it’s great that you’re shedding some light on it. As someone from South Central Pennsylvania, I can tell you that creamed chipped beef is still something pretty popular now, though I usually have it over fried potatoes

[@SewardWriter]

Strange that it's so unknown, since it's one of the biggest parts of military life. At least modern offerings are better than dried beef and hardtack (clunk, clunk).

[@Hephaston]

I prefer having a fried egg over mine. Gives the meal a little something extra.

[@persnikitty3570]

Was a MED200 discharge (sunken chest, episode with tear gas, Medical Colonel said it was 'never had before' asthma, all during Clinton's BRAC) in 1995 during Army Basic, so my remaining weeks were typically spent on KP. I already had some experience with mass cooking from my college studies in Nutrition, namely 'Food for 50', which gave formulas for less eaters or more, scaling up to stupid levels, and had worked in that University's cafeteria as Dishwasher, Prep and Pre-Prep. As for the military, meals were nothing fancy, and very pedestrian. Soldiers not from the South had issues, since this was at Ft Knox, Kentucky, and the serving line was more Southern in nature. Those from Guam, Hawaii and the West Coast had the most issues during mealtime.

[@idrathernot_2]

At least on KZbin MREs and chow are very popular video genres

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Ooh, I imagine this could be pretty good in a hash.

[@feildpres]

She wasn't a Veteran, but my grandma would tell me stories about her life when she was a little girl, and she told it so well that it inspired in me a love of history, just like you and your grandfather. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful story from your life, and thanks for another great video Max! You have one of the best channels on youtube!

[@myrlstone8904]

SOS - could eat it once a day every day.

[@dackstar.2017]

Thank you. Had to give something for remembering us with this one. Happy Veterans Day to all my brothers and sisters out there! Thanks for your service, too.

[@TastingHistory]

Thank you, Dack! Happy Veteran’s Day.

[@d3ad_b0diez]

so glad to hear someone mention steve. ive been watching him since elementary school, i recently graduated and still love his content!

[@kimquinn7728]

My mom bought Armour dried chipped beef in glass jars. She used a cast iron skillet. Melted butter and shredded the dried beef.sauteed in the butter. Added flour to make a roux. Added milk. Thickened and brought to a bubble. Black pepper, sometimes baby peas added. Served over boiled or mashed potatoes or buttered toast. Was a childhood favorite. Loved the gravy.

[@mrkiplingreallywasanexceed8311]

From your accurate directions it would appear you didn't just enjoy it as a child, but are able to make it yourself so, presumably, continue to do so as an adult!🙂 That makes me rather jealous as my own grannies were both very good cooks. The British one traditional for sure, but everything exceedingly well done....roast beef on Sunday with roasties parboiled in salty water then blasted in lard at 230C - the ideal temperature for getting a muffin tin dangerously hot and the lard smoking like an accident about to happen which told her it was time to ladle VERY carefully - but quickly - a rich eggy batter into each of the depressions a third full of molten fat and through the miasma of vaporised animal grease you could see the Yorkshires puff up nearly as fast as those smokeless fireworks🎉 The other one was Dutch so a more exotic, Indonesian spiced selection was available including a shredded beef in white sauce very similar in sound to the SOS that stars in this vid and of which you speak. There was nutmeg in it I'm sure but the major thrill of it was that it was individually portioned in clam shells and gratinated under the grill (broiler I think you call it over there 😂) with a dib of butter so it came to the table bubbling and again, hotter than the sun😂 it seems both my grannies had a death wish and despite them not having their lives cut short by their kitchen antics, I could kick myself for not paying closer attention - like you did - to how they did it❤

[@kimquinn7728]

@@mrkiplingreallywasanexceed8311 Your descriptions are wonderful, the pop-overs I bet were divine....the Dutch recipes also....variety is the spice of Life!

[@StromBugSlayer]

Mine too. It was pretty salty though. She called it creamed chipped beef. No military in our family, so I don't know how she got on to it...

[@irishcajun85]

@@StromBugSlayerwe ate it too. It kinda just became part of the American cuisine during that time. I’m sure the recipe was on a box or something lol.

[@intuitivesean443]

I’m 55 years old my ww2 Hungarian decent grandfather would have my nanny aka Scottish grandmother make this for us on occasion on toast I really like it thank you

[@MechaTrekAD]

This was wonderful Max, thank you so much. My grandfather, 'Pop' as we called him, drove a tank during the Battle of the Bulge, He was the only member of his unit to survive. His tank's wheels were disabled by German explosives and with smoke filling the vehicle, the Germans waited for the crew to abandon the tank and they were picked off one by one. They missed my Pop, though he was wounded when shrapnel from the shooting hit him in the leg. He played dead for a long time, eventually crawling back to the closest US position. He received the Purple Heart and was sent home soon after. He passed away around 2004 or 2005 in his mid-to-late 80s. He was fond of telling me about the Brooklyn Dodgers, the dawn and heyday of old Hollywood, and Swing Music. He told few tales of his time in the Military, noting it to be a sad and painful period he preferred not to purposely recall. Please do that Ration/MRE episode! Until then...

[@alexhuynh1066]

His story is very similar to the movie Fury

[@MechaTrekAD]

@@alexhuynh1066 As I understand it, it was a common tactic of the Axis forces for defeating enemy tanks.

[@peter2327]

@@alexhuynh1066 I guess something like this happens quite often in such a conflict, on either side, in every army. I know a similar story from my Großvater, he was in the other team, the tank was a troop transporting lorry, and it was somewhere in the outskirts of Stalingrad. The shrapnel hit his lower arm, another took out his incisors. it was his ticket home to hospital.

[@Earthy-Artist]

I'm thankful he survived! And today, which is Veteran's Day, I'm remembering those who did not

[@SewardWriter]

He sounds like an awesome guy despite his invisible wounds. PTSD is living hell. May his memory be a blessing. 💖

[@Military24-7]

OH WOW! My father was drafted into the Army in the early 50's and was made a cook. My best childhood memory was getting my father to cook us "SOS" for dinner! The only difference, he used hamburger, which he said the soldiers liked better than chipped beef. I loved it! Now, I've got a craving! He passed away years ago, but wow, what a memory!Thanks for the surprise trip down memory lane!

[@bobbygetsbanned6049]

Yeah it's good with ground beef, good on rice too.

[@ConLustig]

My mom would call it SOS too (my grandpa was a medic in ww2) but she stuck to the chip beef (idk I sorta liked the weird chewy beef texture)

[@rhiahlMT]

This recipe wasn't too bad. The reason they used evaporated milk was because it was the only way to ship milk, so you could use whole milk. I grew up on evaporated milk as a kid. Dad was an Army lifer and served in Korea. When stationed in the Philippines we were restricted from drinking local milk so canned milk was all we could get. I guess the Army didn't want to get into dairy farming. Also, in the mid-60s in Germany we were limited. They shipped milk in from England but West Germany didn't test for TB in their cows so the local dairy products were verboten. He was a cook for the first 10 years and WOW, he can cook. Oh, the breads! Saying that, he used hamburger, more filling. Also, he added liquid smoke to his and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. He's still kicking it at 92 yo, but waning. Not as active anymore. But, I'm glad to have learned from a master because mom was really a lousy cook.

[@ERSwanger]

This is so sweet.

[@kathrynrichardson5751]

Non-military here. Back in the Dark Ages when I was a kid, my mother made this regularly. She heard from an unnamed neighbor that it was better served over rice. (Downright lie.) Also that it was healthy. (Lie #2 - that much salt can't be good for a 5y.o. kid.) Dad said it was "tasty". (Lie #3) I never acquired a taste for it but it was one of the few dishes mother never burned. The only truth was that in the early 50s it made for a cheap meal.

[@tacticalmattfoley]

My grandfather was a cook in WW2. He cooked this very regularly even after he returned home. For a guy with only one eye, he was quite a good cook....

[@professorbugbear]

My dad was an old Marine who served between Korea and Vietnam. This was his favorite breakfast... even years after he left the service.

[@billhuber2964]

Same here. I liked biscuits and gravy too.

[@anitafowler524]

My GrandDad told me about SOS too. Except he was in WWI

[@Carnage7209]

​@@anitafowler524 im a nurse working in geriatrics. An elderly patient told me about his father who was a ww1 veteran. He told me about the Christmas truce and what an incredible story it was!

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

@@Carnage7209 Those wars should have never happened at all, and I’m ashamed that my American ancestors were on the wrong side of it.

[@audreymorris2076]

My mom would make it occasionally as well and my dad was in the Air Force and he loved it and honestly I did as well

[@kitchentimeinc]

My grandmother used to make this for my grandfather because he missed it from WW2. Man, I miss those two.

[@jonahmarteso8474]

May the Rest In Peace Ik they’re looking down and wishing the best for you!

[@markedwards6455]

My Mom made it growing up.. Dad was in the Army before they met, assigned occupation Duty in Austria just after the war.. Something I still make on occasion for my Mother in law, her dad made it all the time.. Being a WW II Navy vet.. Then my time in the US Air Force during the cold war,.. early 80's.. before they switched to using hamburger to make it.. I use the Buddig Sliced beef as it's far less salty.. but ends up tasting the same.. and real milk rather than canned evaporated milk.. Sometimes over toast, sometimes biscuits.. But it is still made in America.. at least among older family members..

[@808yorkie]

It is comfort food. Imagine the small respite from hell that meal gave him if he missed it from WW2.

[@ranthalling]

I was born in 1957 & my mom made this at least every once a week all through until the 1970's. In general, it wasn't that bad - which is saying a lot considering how often I had to eat it as a kid.

[@RachelleHinrichs]

Max this is fantastic. Thank you. I am a former National Guard Army cook, and we also made SOS in the 90's. The recipe evolved, as recipes do. Later version was made with ground beef, and seasoned with onions, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce along with copious amount of black pepper. I love those old Army recipe cards. We also cooked in tents in the field using those metal box ovens with gas fired burners. Thank you for the memories and sharing your grandfather's memories too.

[@DrCarlBooze]

I was a National Guard medic and we loved hanging out with the cooks. I was assigned to a infantry company so us medics and cooks where the only non infantry guys so we stuck together.

[@jellybeansbud3610]

My dad was in the navy and we made that at home regularly (the ground beef version).

[@paulvarga9696]

@@jellybeansbud3610 I had the ground beef version a few times in the Navy in the 1980s

[@jeffmorris5456]

Or packaged cold-cut "Budding" beef is a good substitute. Great video, as usual! Thank you!

[@rosemaryhenderson494]

Well done, Max. My father was in both WWI and WWII, but died when I was 18 and so I was never able to ask him about his experiences (being too young at the time to realize the importance of what he did). Good on you for encouraging people to talk to their relatives. The family resemblance to your grandfather is striking, by the way.

[@deiniolbjones]

Two Tasting History eps in one week? We are blessed!

[@JohnNathanShopper]

Yes

[@BinkyBorky]

you know that's exactly what I said minus the we are blessed when I saw it pop up on KZbin. great minds think alike

[@scooby45247]

regardless of Max's uploads, you are and beyond that you are loved and appreciated.. dont be afraid to be yourself..

[@patron8597]

Max isn't the hero(cook) we deserve, but the one we need!

[@alexisgrunden1556]

My dad told me a few stories of his father's time in the military. One in particular wasn't from WW1 or 2, but from Korea. When Grandfather went over there as a mechanic, there was a time when they were staying in a bunker that was a nearly perfect dome-shaped hill, hollowed out. Trenches and sandbags without, and inside the hill-bunker, was a ring of bunks along the wall, lining it. In the center was a firepit (for cooking whatever they could forage, heating up MREs, burning Dear John letters, ect) with a little smoke-hole above, dead center in the dome of the hill. One day, about half the men were out on patrol and maneuvers, and the rest were on down-time, relaxing inside on their bunks. There was a whistling sound, and a mortar round dropped down the smoke-hole and landed in the firepit, and went off. Every bunk that had a man on it was untouched. Not a scratch. Every bunk that was unoccupied was shredded. Completely ripped apart by shrapnel. Every man in the platoon swore his mustering fee to their favorite church that day.

[@poikoi1530]

That's one hell of a story, Yeesh. A mortar round just slipping into that hole is both lucky and terrifying. Those men sure are lucky

[@SuzysRedStripes]

I would do that too! That sounds absolutely horrifying.

[@TerryKeever]

It's hard to believe how many stories like that there are. My father was a squad leader for a Forward Artillery Observer in the later stages of the war. There were 2 times during night fighting that the men on each side of him were killed, but as far as I know he never got a scratch.

[@KenRussellsBoy]

What a beautiful dedication to your grandfather, you look just like him! When you said he was a great storyteller I immediately thought that's why you are such a good storyteller. Whenever I talk about your channel I describe it as being about food throughout history but always mention how good you are at telling stories. What a gift. Thank you for your fantastic content.

[@soup1809]

Seeing how much you resemble your grandfather made me feel a sense of pride for both him and you

[@Margaretv-x8l]

Yes, the resemblance is amazing!

[@tessiree]

No doubt who’s YOUR grandpa! You two got the handsome genes! 😊

[@a_funyun]

I would absolutely love to see a Steve1989 crossover episode. Steve bringing and trying a selection of MREs from various eras, with you recreating them as faithfully as you could? Or helping to fill in parts of the MREs that are no longer edible, so they can be tried. That would be amazing!

[@MadFriarAvelyn]

Shit on a shingle was a semi-regular breakfast in my household growing up. We called it creamed chipped beef, though. I can totally believe it being a huge morale booster for troops. Thank you for covering it and I hope you enjoyed it!

[@bbface21]

It was breakfast at my house too. My Korean War-vet father called it "creamed chipped beef" until I was older, then it was always "shit on a shingle."

[@kjpcgaming9296]

We had it for lunch more often and yes I believe it's called creamed chipped beef - that's what the box says now LOL

[@kelticsage]

I grew up eating this for breakfast as well and no one in the family is military nor even knew it was a military meal. It's just delicious and seems to have become a common breakfast staple, at least here in scrapple land

[@MommyDontSeeMe]

Yes, our household as well. Not a favorite of mine, personally, I would have preferred waffles. But I did like the cream sauce on the toast.

[@oiyecant720]

I had something similiar as well, but instead of beef it was chicken, 'Chicken a la king'. Though we had it for dinner, not breakfast

[@ThisMeansMyPS3sOut]

When I worked at a pharmacy one of my favorite patients to talk to was an old War Veteran named Lucky. That dude was 94 years old when I met him and still kickin. He had by far the most interesting stories to tell and every time he came in i ended up talking to him for almost an hour… This guy traveled the entire world and only ended up settling down because the girl he ended up falling in love with refused to leave her hometown of Valley Springs… and so he ended up living in that small town… I miss the guy. Wish I could hear some more of his stories

[@ThisMeansMyPS3sOut]

He was 94 back in 2012… chances are he has passed away but I dont know. I dont work at that pharmacy anymore… if that is the case though may he RIP. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s still kickin to this day. Old man was full of life.

[@ikonosaurus7819]

I am a retired disabled Navy veteran and I love watching your videos. My mom used to make this for us for dinner every now and again and we still have it on occasion only she makes it with peas. I remember my grandpa who was a Marine in either World War II or Korean War would talk about having shit on a shingle and my mom would talk about how they had that growing up to.

[@thenebraskan2348]

I remember my grandpa, he was an old navy boy, when we were camping he'd always make SOS with a bit of buttermilk for a better flavor and extra pepper I still miss his stories. He was a master of the scenic route that could make a 10 minute trip to the next town over into a 3 hour adventure talking about his days in the navy and the forestry service.

[@brandonbp122]

I never tried it with buttermilk. Sounds nice. Sometime try dumping a can of Rotel into some breakfast gravy. It's spicy and different and nice.

[@elsanch8675]

Same, my grandpa was a Navy Vet. He taught everyone to make SOS. Salute to your grandpa

[@Tolbiny]

I have my grandfather’s diary from 1944. He was a British Paratrooper in the 6th Airborne, 12th Devons. He kept a diary every day he was in Normandy after D-Day. After 30 days there, he wrote “A real treat today, half a slice of bread. First food other than biscuits since we arrived “. Unbelievable. These men defined the meaning of the word “heroes”.

[@Luubelaar]

My mother's uncle was one of the "Rats of Tobruk". He never talked about the war. The shit that veterans went through is unreal. And then they were expected to just go back to their pre-war life like nothing had happened.

[@fatasssquirrel1731]

Now the equivalent of the western military today is whether or not they will get dilatation time and whether their standard issue crossdressing is up to par.

[@youfuckmywife6719]

Your Grandfather was no ordinary “Hero.” Your Grandfather saved the world!

[@williamjackson5942]

@@fatasssquirrel1731 I can see why you are called that! SAD!

[@davewegener5049]

Wonderful episode, Max! I've been on a binge-watch with your videos, and this one made me finally subscribe. USAF vet here (1983-89), and our key ingredient for just about everything, including SOS and especially biscuits-and-gravy, was TABASCO. Used it both in the field and on base. In fact, the MREs (which were, I think initially manufactured by the TABASCO company) often came with a pamphlet/brochure informing users to write and send money to receive their own field-approved, MRE cookbook (that cleverly combined various MRE components), and a utility belt holster with its own tiny refillable bottle of TABASCO. I did this, got my own TABASCO bottle and holster (and MRE cookbook). Used them regularly whenever in the field. Probably still have them somewhere in my steamer trunk of stuff. Thanks for jogging my memory, Max. Keep up the good work! Although I don't eat meat or dairy these days, I glean great ideas from your work for my own recipes and meals. For example, just this evening (before watching this episode), I added a bit of mace and cayenne pepper to my non-dairy mac-and-cheese. It was awesome! 😋 Usually, I've added just ground black pepper.

[@carrielankford4036]

My grandpa was a POW in WW2. He rarely talked about it but had a few stories that he would share. As kids we were told not to ask about it. But whenever grandpa would start talking about his experience everyone in the house would stop talking and just listen to him. I miss my grandpa a lot. He was the one who taught me to drive and the only person in the family that took the time to sit and talk to my husband and get to know him. The were able to bond over the fact that they were both in the army.

[@kathyraygoza3299]

And thus you had the wonderful chance of seeing THE BAND OF BROTHERHOOD in action. Much love and bearings to you.

[@kathyraygoza3299]

I meant bearings. Many ,many bearings to you.

[@gailturnerrickman8917]

Thanks to your dad, mine and SO many others!

[@andrewbird57]

My father was a POW for nearly three years in Germany. He was captured during one of the most savage battles of the war in which his regiment was slaughtered on the beach. Toward the end of the war he was forced to march hundreds of miles in brutal winter conditions without adequate clothing and little food. He never spoke about his war experiences. Never. It was all bottled up. He died at age 55 in 1973 when I was 16. As he was dying in the hospital he started to hallucinate. One day when I visited him, his hands had been bound to his hospital bed and he was pointing to something in the distance and shouting, "Look! look, they're going to kill us." I assumed he was reliving his capture by the Germans in 1942. Maybe if he had lived to an older age he might've been able to talk about his experiences more. I have been able to piece together much of his story through various forms of research over the past 50 years, but there are still so many questions I wish I could ask him.

[@eddiekulp1241]

@andrewbird57 your dad was a hero , not known by many but your family does

[@jezabellum]

Of all the things I imagined I might see on this channel, I never had good ol SOS on the list. My dad used to make this quite often and he had 3 versions. He said that they changed it up with what they had on hand. First was the chipped beef version, then there was the super fancy ground fresh beef version (known as hamburger gravy now a days) and finally, the spam version where the spam is raked out of the cans with a fork making it into kind of strings of salty meaty stuff that made a decent substitute for the chipped beef. 😊

[@AngryAlfonse]

It's funny how this recipe evolved, and had so many versions depending on who was making it and what ingredients they could afford. When I was a kid, my parents used to make a version that was basically biscuits and white gravy with ground beef and boiled peas and carrots. For "poverty food" it was pretty tasty, and I'd have no problem eating it today.

[@Farimere]

@@AngryAlfonse Yeah we would keep the toast, sauce, beef, but we would throw in potatoes as well to fill it up. As a poor family at the time it was a taste you got used to and eventually miss it after a while.

[@morrigankasa570]

Yep, my Dad was an Army MP in the 70s and my Grandpa was in the Army & fought in Korea. Anyway my Dad would make this meal occasionally as I was growing up and he always added peas & black pepper to it. When I make it myself I also add onions to it and specifically use Rye Bread.

[@johnmontgomery3471]

My great aunt made the hamburger version of this with white gravy (she used milk for the liquid). The cooks at the schools I attended made a version with brown gravy, and there were many that called it sos. My father, who was a cook in the Army National Guard (until he was demoted and transferred to artillery for mouthing off to a colonel) and later served in WWII never made it for us (I wonder why). I have since made my great aunt's version for myself and my brother and we both enjoyed it.

[@melissalambert7615]

We did the chipped beef and ground beef versions. Interesting about raking the Spam.

[@jacquespoulemer3577]

Max and Jose, My dad was in WW2 and told us lots of fun stories (my dad was the eternal optimist). But my 'shit on a shingle story comes from my neighbors, the husband fought in Korea and it was his wife who when asked what was for dinner, she'd reply SoaS with piss gravy. I must have heard that phrase hundreds of times and never really bothered to investigate what it meant. I always thought she had made it up. Thank you for solving a mystery from my childhood and early adulthood 😁 Best wishes to you both Jim Oaxaca Mexico

[@alexcootieart2210]

ha! My neighbor used to say, when asked what was for dinner "cat ass & sauerkraut"...LOL

[@momkatmax]

We grew up on various kinds of gravy, cream chipped beef, sausage, ground beef and even bacon! The latter was great on baked potatoes. Dad NEVER used Sh$t on a Shingle term with the kids, so I didn't hear that until I was in college.

[@SewardWriter]

@@alexcootieart2210 I like her.

[@bettylocks2.0]

​@alexcootieart2210 My Mum always, when we asked what was for dinner, ssid "Stewed bugs and onions!" Lol and whilst I don't have kids I have said it to my niece, who looked very puzzled! 😆

[@jacquespoulemer3577]

@@bettylocks2.0 hahaha my nephews were born here in Oaxaca where roasted crickets with lemon and chili is practically the national dish. So Stewed bugs and onions would be just another Tuesday. My friends here knowing I'm an adventurous eater bring me lots of curiosities. Maguey worms, a pregnant Iguana, toasted ants. Curiouser and curiouser. Jacques Mexico

[@Pete-lp5pw]

Marine Corps retired here and I have to say that I personally think that S.O.S. I had it before I joined the Marines but my dad used dried beef. My first meal in boot camp in 1970 at MCRD San Diego was breakfast and I saw this concoction that looked like a sort of gravy dish. I held my tray out to have a serving of everything on the chow line because I was hungry. When I sat down to eat ( which was accomplished in a couple of minutes) I tasted the gravy stuff and was pleasantly surprised. I would later find out that it was the Marine Corps version of SOS. I loved it and gladly ate for the rest of my 30 year career. I’m 72 years old now and I still make it at home for breakfast. But I like it so much I could eat it anytime. Semper Fi, Marine Corps!!!!!!! OOOrahhhh!!!!!!!

[@Norbrookc]

The immersion heaters were also used to heat the C ration cans. We did that back when I was in basic, when they were still using them. What I remember was being out in the field when they came out with the first MRE's, and well.. they weren't all that good. One of the guys in my unit said after our first meal with them "You know, I never thought I'd say this, but I miss the C rations."

[@nicholasbaranet3798]

I used an immersion heater to heat water for our shower tent for 6 months during ODS.

[@Deepwaterjew]

My mom used to make this for us because it was cheap and fast. She never really told us where it came from, but when my grandpa was down for the winter he made this. He then went on telling us about the first time he had it. He has eaten nothing but rations for months, until that's what was made for them in Germany. He said that nobody cares what it was, long as it wasn't another ration.

[@Travybear1989]

My parents did the same, a shitload of ground beef mixed with added salt and pepper as well as milk and lard. Had my first heart attack recently, was a bitch I will admit, thought I was going to die. Not having this again personally, raw veggies don't make me feel like I am going to die after a lifetime of meat and potatoes. i wish I changed diets earlier but here we are, dying now. I am a fucking idiot.

[@Deepwaterjew]

@@Travybear1989 don't forget to work on that cardio man. Glad you made it though. I feel like one of the largest issues with heart attack sufferers, is that they ignored cardio for too long. Keep up the good work,.

[@catherinelw9365]

My Dad was a Korean War veteran and he made this for us kids with hamburger instead of chipped beef. He also put a fried egg on top - it was so delicious that I still make it occasionally as comfort food!

[@ValkyrieTiara]

Yooo the egg on top is a stroke of genius! And VERY asian (they'll put a fried egg on anything lol), so I wonder if he picked that little mod up during his time in Korea 🤔

[@robertgraber902]

@@ValkyrieTiara probably alot of local chickens around which would mean plenty of eggs for the troops

[@cheryl1338]

That sounds delicious - I bet the ground beef also improved the texture problem Max mentioned. I'll have to try this with a fried egg on top, yummy!

[@brucevaughan3163]

That's how they served it to me when I was in the USAF in the early 60's. SOS with ground beef and and egg on the top. Still make that shit.

[@bkzach]

As soon as the German "vitamins" were mentioned I knew us Americans weren't gonna be able to replicate that with our vitamins, they took that one out of the Vikings playbook perhaps. Sometimes it's easier to go berserk when you are hopped up on some crazy stuff. These videos are always such a cool look into history, as always thank you, its very appreciated. History is always important to remember.

[@kathrynmast916]

My uncle was a sniper in Merrill’s Marauders, but never talked about the war. The only thing he mentioned was how hungry they were most of the time so much so that even k-ration tasted good.

[@jasoncarswell7458]

Merrill's Marauders' biggest problem wasn't the food, it was the jungle: they went into Burma with just under 3000 men and came out with 130. The vast majority of their losses (like 80%) were due to malaria and scrub typhus. More men died of disease than wounds, a record that hadn't been matched since WW1. Merrill himself caught malaria and then had a heart attack and had to be sent back to the States. It was actually a lesson on how sheer perseverance is no match for bad medical support.

[@Broockle]

@@jasoncarswell7458 yeesh

[@jasoncarswell7458]

@@Broockle As a consolation prize for their sacrifice, they gave every surviving man a Bronze Star, which is normally an individual award.

[@slackthompson6984]

those guys had it very very tough ..........they were genuine badasses

[@jasoncarswell7458]

​@@slackthompson6984 Out of all of the terrains I've experienced as a former soldier, I can honestly say dense jungle is the worst. Literally everything wants to eat you, infect you or suck your blood, and there's more living creatures per square meter than any other place on earth. I'd rather cross Antarctica than spend a week in a Southeast Asian jungle, much less months and months!

[@thescaarbo8652]

A Max Miller and SteveMRE crossover is the thing I never realised I needed most in my life. Holy cow this comment blew up. I'd better say something witty: I loved it when he said "its Maxin' time" and then proceeded to Miller all over the chipped beef. Truly one of the most KZbins ever.

[@ramavich]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@nessamillikan6247]

I can imagine Max in front of a camera with Steve, Max looking somewhat against his will yet still willing, both eating a double decadent field ration from 2006, only slightly rancid, but still perfectly good, packed with lots of energy to keep them on the go. Sprawled out-how else-nicely, on a tray.

[@MrDmitriRavenoff]

As soon as he talked about MRE's I immediately thought if Steve. Glad ha got the shout out.

[@vaultraider1]

Nice hiss, let's get that onto a tray o7

[@LORDOFDORKNESS42]

@@nessamillikan6247 I read that as 'eat a double DEODORANT field ration' and still went: 'Yup, sounds like a SteveMRE thing to do, alright' before catching myself and having to double back.

[@ELCarlsson99]

My grandfather was a medic attached to Love Company, 100th ID in WW2. Sadly he passed a couple years ago. But before he died I got to sit and hear some stories from him. I'm a 20 year Air Force vet and he opened up to me more than anyone else because of that shared military experience. I truly cherish those stories and memories. Thank you for the video and happy Veteran's Day to all the vets out there.

[@Travybear1989]

My father was in WW2, my sister and I were literally raised on sausage with milk and salt/pepper and lard with biscuits. I have high blood pressure, so does my sister. Ate that shit every day for breakfast until I had a heart attack and now I am going the raw broccoli route, I feel about as good as I did in my 30's now. Cut the red meat people, or else you are doomed I swear.

[@DavidPucci-g9p]

Retired 3rd generation Navy, ate a lot of this growing up, had to try this recipe. Based on how yours came out in the video compared to what we got on the ship, yours was either a little over boiled or had sat for a while (possible for filming). SOS on the ship was a little runny when it hits the toast so it softens the toast. Also consistency was dependent on where your serving came from in the pot. Early or top of the pot will be runny, end of the pot more like yours, having sat on the heat longer. Great recipe and great show!!

[@howellwong11]

Creamed chipped beef on toast is traditionally served on Saturday mornings in the Navy. Once it was served on Friday and two sailors went AWOL. Their defense was that they thought it was Saturday and went on liberty. They were found innocent.

[@lindalayne8378]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@CS-yw7iu]

That’s hilarious lol

[@grouchyoldpatriot]

Yup......I served on 4 different submarines during my time in the Navy, and invariably Saturday breakfast was SOS, followed by 4 hrs of "field day" (known to civilians as CLEAN THE HELL OUT OF EVERYTHING), and then "Sliders and fries" for lunch.

[@Takenmynameandmycat]

Good to know that the Aubrey Maturnin books are spot on for sailors having very rigid expectations for particular foods on particular days, with the promise of surliness if it didn’t happen

[@karlkovach8647]

I fondly remember my Dad (Marine) talking about SOS and how much he hesitated to eat it but, he said "either you eat it or you starve". The name alone intrigued me and I asked him to prepare it for me one Sunday morning. He obliged my request and I was awestruck. I said "how could anyone refuse to eat this, it was delicious (I guess my palette wasn't as refined as it it is today). He told me that he changed up a few things. I got the recipe from him and through the years I made it for my sons and they gobbled it up. I still make it today but, not as often due to the salt content. But when I get a chance to have it I eat it like a madman. Then I didn't have to eat it seven times a week either. Great episode.

[@kevincrosby1760]

Even scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, toast, and pancakes can get old when that IS the breakfast menu day in and day out. On the positive side, when you are in a hurry one can always slam a sausage patty between two pieces of toast, drown it in cheap hot sauce, wash it down with black coffee, and call it breakfast. This got me through Navy boot camp...

[@Wargulf2838]

Sh%t on a shingle, from my great-grandpa's point of view, was seen with such uncertainty because first: you usually knew it was beef, but never knew what cut it was, so for all you knew you could be fed beef fat and you would probably not know. (corned beef was called "monkey meat" for this exact reason too) and two: it is really bland. just like bechamel cream, if you don't add something, anything, even salt, in the cream to give it some taste, you'll feel like you're eating a toast witha really fat meat yoghurt on top. but yeah, if you season it a bit, it becomes a simple confort food.

[@fish7598]

@@kevincrosby1760 I bought a case of modern british rations recently and the main thing I've learnt from it is just how quickly monotony and repetition will ruin food. The first one I had, I was like "Wow this is honestly kinda delicious, I don't get why people complain about it all the time!". At this point, I can absolutely see how you'd go insane eating those for days or weeks.

[@carnedulce]

Nothing wrong with high salt content in your food sir. It's the sugar you ought to be bothered about.

[@John-ir4id]

@@carnedulce *High blood pressure has entered the chat*... perhaps, if you're eating all that salt, you oughta change your name to MeatSweats...

[@misspomerol]

As a very early subscriber to this channel, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing someone like you getting everything they deserve. I really mean that.

[@TastingHistory]

Thanks for the early support and now Brittany

[@timswank3727]

@@TastingHistory I second that response Max. It has been very gratifying to watch you prosper from all your hard work. Those first weeks were pretty white knuckle for you to see if you could survive financially this way.

[@connorlenihan2015]

My father did three tours in Vietnam and would tell me, an 8 year old at the time, everything. Didn’t exclude any gruesome details. I got my degree in history thanks to him

[@stephenhancock1578]

Recently retired air force here, I can absolutely assure you we still eat SOS today. Sausage, ham, or ground beef gravy over toast or biscuits is an absolutely a military favorite. I'd get off night shift in the morning and devour this for breakfast almost every day. Even the other branches (when I had to visit their bases and camps) typically didn't screw this meal up. Great episode Max, you're a good dude.

[@joseamadorsilva7395]

Ditto. Better than Vienna sausages. Haha

[@MrAwesomedude96]

SOS is definitely one of my favorite foods. So simple and basic, yet so tasty. Can't forget those DFAC omlettes either. Sometimes even the BBQ ribs if your cooks knew what they were doing (had some GOOOOD ribs that everyone bragged about before entering the box in JRTC at Ft Polk... And it's rare when you brag about something like that made by cooks in the military while in the field)

[@TheTardis157]

I work for a contractor in the airforce. It is definitely popular when I make it!

[@stephenhancock1578]

@@TheTardis157 Hell yeah!! Thank you.

[@moose7012]

So, you mean to tell me that the US military eats a classic American dish? Its just biscuits and sausage gravy.

[@jacquevanlopeznoroff8827]

My mom used to make this as one of our default meals when i was growing up, using the cheapest sliced sandwich meat from Aldi. She called it “SOS” and explained it as “stuff on a shingle”. She learned it from her father who was in WWII. I didn’t know until i was an adult what SOS actually stood for.

[@cornfed123567]

My mom used to do this with beef or turkey leftovers. Never was a top 10 meal but I do miss it from time to time and I now know why she would make it. Breaks up the monotony of left overs and doesn't break the bank to change it up

[@andersjjensen]

@@cornfed123567 Making this with real cream and stock perfectly hides the fact that it's reheated leftover meats. And if it's started with a handful of sweated diced bacon and a bit of onion it's outright wonderful regardless of whether you serve it on toast, pasta or mashed potatoes.

[@Natomon01]

My parents also made this for us. Our version was called "chip-beef on toast". For us kids it was a treat because we would toast the bread and assemble our meals at the table. I suppose the only thing I didn't like about it was the horrible canned green beans they'd serve with it.

[@ansonwallace4140]

I know this dish gets a bad reputation, but I grew up eating it and to this day I love s.o.s. try making a sandwich out of it. It's delicious. 😊

[@sagrammyfour]

@@ansonwallace4140Where do you get your information? I can't think of ANYBODY but a bunch of prissy sissified panty waists who would give this a "bad reputation."

[@DebraFlower]

My dad Ambassador Theodore R. Britton is a WWII Marine veteran. I asked him what he ate during his time in WWII and he described exactly what you described here. Thank you for sharing so much with your audience.

[@luketimewalker]

wow he has a wiki

[@violetskies14]

My great grandma also served in WW2, she was part of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force here in the UK, women were conscripted (drafted basically) during WW2 here but she was a volunteer. My great grandfather, her then fiancee also tried to join up to be with her but he was a farm hand and as an essential worker needed permission from his boss to quit which he wouldn't give. I have her RAF late pass which allowed her on and off base late at night signed by her commanding officer. She worked in the kitchens preparing food and by 19 was in charge of a whole kitchen. Her first base after training was in Wales near her home but she was later reassigned to a base in/near London during the Blitz which worried her family and we actually have letters from both her mum and my great grandfather begging her to come home. She did not and served out the entire war and a little while after before coming home to marry my great grandfather getting married in a dress she made herself from parachute silk. Her entire life she had the air of a sergeant major, a very commanding woman, but she a massive sweet tooth after years of rationing and a soft spot for us great grandchildren and would feed me up on biscuits and cake with cups of tea. She died when I was 16 and according to the people I've shown her picture to I look just like her in her younger years. Miss you Nanny.

[@Pynrblx]

Max took his love for history and cooking and made a successful channel out of it. That’s beautiful..

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

I think Gramps would be proud ❤

[@Greenfield-yf1wh]

My grandfather fought on the other side of the war and was captured by American troops (he later said that's why he survived the WWII). Funny thing is that he claimed he was fed better as a POW than as a soldier of the Japanese Navy.

[@BigDrewski1000]

My buddy's grandpa who was a German Soldier during the war said the same thing back in day. Lol. It kind of funny because him being a pow gave him a firsthand insight of the American Soldiers, which in turn helped him find out what b.s. propaganda the Nazi govt was feeding their people. He said that 1 of the soldier (a Jewish man named Eli incidentally) was such a decent guy to him, that it helped him make up his mind to move to the U.S. after the war .

[@internziko]

@@BigDrewski1000 same thing is happening now in Ukrain.

[@infinitsai]

Its funny that in ww1, both sides thought the other side had much better stuff to eat but in ww2 we can basically all agree one side had far superior food Italy

[@Greenfield-yf1wh]

​@@infinitsai I doubt Italy fed their soliders and sailors better than the US, especially when they even struggled to ship the food across Mediterranean Sea from Italy to North Africa. I think it is the US had far superior food hands down. I will give you example. The US had a dedicated ice cream ship that was designed to produce & feed ice cream to American soldiers and sailors in Pacific Theater. Meanwhile, my grandfather who served in the Japanese Navy never had ice cream in his life up till he actually tasted one in the POW camp. A lot of Japanese soldiers left memoirs stating that they were fed better in the POW than they were in the Japanese army & navy.

[@iwankazlow2268]

@@Greenfield-yf1wh the US was a rich nation even with the depression in comperison to all adversaries and allies. And they joined the war later on, never had a home front. You naturally would have had much better rations and a higher calorie count then all other nations, provided the politics, general staff and logistics department didn't duck up big time. So yeah, unless you were in the mentioned marauders or a comperable troops situation, you were thr lucky guys.

[@NomnomJawsnomnom]

I first had SOS while caring for a Marine who was on hospice care. He was 92, and had survived 4 combat tours, 2 in Korea and 2 in Vietnam. He was one of the "Chosin Few" for his participation in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. He loved SOS and would chow down on it whenever he had it made for him. Rest in Peace, Gunny. Edit: I should add that the version of SOS I had was slightly different. They used fresh ground beef, and added onions and green peppers to it.

[@Willbkool]

That's how I make it too, but I've made the original version like this video and it's pretty good too. Although I use whole milk in mine.

[@larrytate7422]

Hoorah to you sir 👍

[@OToole1117]

While I was in the Army, our cooks made it with ground beef and put it on biscuits (if they could get a hold of them).

[@PlainsmansCabin]

My Dad was in the Army and served in the Pacific in WWII. My Mom made SOS often adter, however, I preferred it when she used ground beef instead of chipped beef. Sidenote: we kept all the little glass jars from chipped beef and used them as juice glasses or for little kids. Great stuff! Keep up the great videos!

[@chloee7007]

My mom used to make this for us all the time as kids as an easy weeknight meal, except we called it s.o.s. and I wasn't allowed to know what it stood for 🤣. Her dad loved it so even though we never got to meet him, it was nice to at least get to have some of his favorite foods. Just shared this with her so she could see it too ❤

[@katarinajanoskova]

S.O.S. I love it 😁

[@robzombie5]

That's how I remember it as well. S.o.s., except we heard what it was but, we were not allowed to say it. Except, my brother and I would say quietly to each other, "Oh, this shit again." Lol.

[@heruhcanedean]

My neighbor growing up used to make it, they called it s.o.s too. She wasn't my mom tho, so she told me what it meant. I called it poop on a panel after that. I love childhood memories.

[@baylorsailor]

I grew up on it. We called it S.O.S too 😊

[@heruhcanedean]

@@robzombie5 My brother would say "sh" and i would say "it"... i was the one who learned mom's recipes tho. Me and my brother both ended up learning to cook. I was the one that got $30 a week to cook for the family tho :) Been cooking since like 11-12 lol. Edit : I started working in my Chinese friend's parents business when I was 12. My parents taught me how to set a table, prep, cook, serve, and clear a table in like 4th grade. $30 was a new video game every other week.

[@karlminer7896]

SOS with a side of eggs was a breakfast staple of my youth. Milk, flour, butter, pepper, and a jar of dried beef sure warmed up my bones on cold mornings.

[@ShockingPikachu]

I love stevemre he's such a chill vibe whilst eating damn near petrified food. He's such a joy!

[@wingracer1614]

I swear he's Bob Ross reincarnated.

[@AnotherGreenMidget]

@@wingracer1614 I always refer to him as the Bob Ross of MREs. 😂

[@rcrawford42]

The rations from the Boer War were... dry...

[@twistedgamer238]

That man has guts of steel.

[@svartsjokolade]

Nice!

[@marandaloper]

My family and I love this! My Grandpa who served in Vietnam and all the way to reserves, makes this every now and then. It sure is a treat and I’m glad to share this memory with him. We use packaged dried beef than the can since it’s soooo salty.

[@gemini6118]

My mother was raised having this as a child (her dad served in WWII) and, as a result, I was as well. I actually loved chipped beef on toast but my mom did change it up a bit. We used regular milk and just made a normal white sauce and we did not cook it for the additional 10 minutes after adding the beef. Only simmered for about 30 sec with the beef in and then let it sit for a few more while we toasted the bread. I think this may explain the texture issue you were having with the beef. Oh, and we used a LOT more pepper! 😁

[@sarasolomon4812]

Amazing video! My grandfather was in the US Navy as an engineer, in the development of RADAR. He was stationed in Hawaii, after Pearl Harbor, and was not allowed to discuss his work at all. Years later he told my mother sadly, that he always felt badly that the technology he helped create killed so many. He said most of the German soldiers in those Uboats were young men who didn't actually want to be there. The radar technology helped win the war, but my gentle grandpa never took pride in it.

[@uncletiggermclaren7592]

Yes, there is no doubt the US contributed significantly to the British invention and development of RADAR.

[@Kevin607086]

@@uncletiggermclaren7592 there is no such thing as true or false. Only narratives

[@ElBach1y]

@@uncletiggermclaren7592 COME ON ENGLAND!! YOU TELL EM

[@uncletiggermclaren7592]

@@Kevin607086 This is a false statement you make, and that is all it is.

[@ray.shoesmith]

The Brits were literally using radar years before the US even entered the war.

[@Bim310]

My dad was in the Army Air Corps. He used to say that SOS was the best part of his service and he could never get it as good as they made it.

[@davidgraham2673]

The SOS in the ARMY was fantastic. I compare all others to their version. I love SOS....

[@snekkivansnekburg4329]

The field cooks got some spicy pills from Germans and put some in

[@WhatsCookingTime]

My Dad loved this when he was in the army in the 60s. My dad used to cook on the weekends to get my mother a break he made this all the time it's pretty good stuff. Although he would use cube steak

[@dennislovinfosse6293]

OMG! Max, I grew up eating this. I was an "Air Force Brat". I actually liked eating this. And, yes, we called it "Shit on a Shingle" (or, S.O.S." for short). My father flew bombing missions over Italy during WWII so that puts a date-perspective on things. thank you for this.

[@mcfarofinha134]

you ever been to Yokota AB? Sudden slightly unrelated question ik, but I live near Yokota and was curious lol

[@dennislovinfosse6293]

@@mcfarofinha134 No, I haven't. The only overseas AB I lived in was in Germany--Wiesbaden. And that was when I was in my late teens just out of High School in 1965. thanks for asking, though.

[@lilyw.719]

Hmm, I wonder if your father was one of the bombers who St. Padre Pio turned back from bombing his monastery & the town of San Giovanni del Rotundo. There's an incredibly famous incident where a bunch of American bombers and their commander testified on record that they were met in the air by a flying monk who forced them to turn away. After the war, St. Padre Pio and the commander became friends. You should Google the story. It's pretty awesome. Padre Pio is one of the greatest saints who has ever lived, and it's wonderful and amazing that God continues to work extraordinary supernatural miracles even in these times, with like, flying monks and stuff, lol. He never stopped. It's just that fewer and fewer people have taken notice. But this particular story is well known and well documented, with the airmen involved going on the record.

[@jeremywillis3434]

Same. I made it for dinner literally last night. Dad was Navy. We do add Worcestershire to ours though.

[@rhiahlMT]

Yeah, Army Brat here. Also a Veteran. Dad was a cook, then off to the Korean War in infantry. He switched to the intelligence branch. Dad always made the stuff when we were kids. Using ground beef and he added a little liquid smoke. By the time I joined in 1974, SOS was off the menu.

[@JoyJacques]

As a kid growing up in the 60s I remember my mom making "creamed chip beef on toast." I remember liking it, but not sure how it would taste to me today. Thanks for a blast from the past.

[@nitanice]

Grandpa made this for me in early '70s. I liked it. I think he said SOS but he also just said chipped beef.

[@tonyravioli1982]

​@@nitaniceyeah its not sos without the chipped beef

[@feliciamusic7945]

My mom added peas to the recipe.

[@petermoss4824]

my mom made it too !!!!

[@AliciaAKAnderson]

Yep mom made this in the 70s and it was called SoS in our house

[@helenahandbasket1489]

My grandpa was a soldier during WWII, and when they'd announce:"Seconds on creamed spinach!" in the mess hall, the soldiers would all stomp their feet like everyone was running to get some.

[@jonslg240]

If anyone wants to try this the easy way, Stouffers makes creamy chopped beef TV dinners that are the same thing..

[@kenuber4014]

@@jonslg240 It just isn't mom's!!

[@burpostockings]

Blegh.. creamed spinach

[@Haka-f3k-u]

@@burpostockings Anything made by a bad cook sucks. Creamed spinach is delicious if done right.

[@theDeanDanger]

​@@burpostockingscreamed spinach is only as gross as you want it to be. palak/saag paneer is technically a creamed spinach dish and it's nothing like you're expecting when you say "creamed spinach"

[@jillhumphrys9349]

My mom made this lot. We loved it! Of course, she used fresh milk bc we had a dairy. No evaporated milk for this. It's basically a white sauce. Or beschemel sauce, but with the beef. She saved tons of the little jars the meat came in as our juice glasses. I still have them. You can also put this over a baked potato with cheese and steamed broccoli. Leave out the meat and add in boiled eggs instead, you have creamed eggs in toast, or baked potato.

[@reiaino]

My grandfather was a cook in the Pacific near the end of WW2 and was also the primary cook in the house because of it. He didn't share many stories about the war, but he had one about bribing a officer with some "good food" to get out of trouble. Talk to your elders and sometimes you get some really wild stories!

[@uhuju1]

it is lovely that you speak of how personal your Gramps made his stories because there is NOTHING more personal than food. Youre literally giving life to history and i love you for it.

[@cynbartek9324]

My dad was a Korean war vet who, well remembering The Great Depression (potatoes, potatoes, potatoes + jail if you stole a chicken), found other soldiers' complaining about this meal and calling it *that* nearly unforgiveable. He said it was meat, it was a hot meal, it was filling; it was fine with him.

[@preshisify]

😷

[@kenuber4014]

If you ever went hungry...You loved this meal!!

[@Rixoli]

both my parents served, all their sons (me included) enlisted and their daughters *married* military, we ate plenty of it growing up and loved it partly because it was quick; filling and while it wasn't gourmet we'd certainly ate worse.

[@tamlandipper29]

I don't go hungry now, but when we were kids we did. I think it permanently changes your attitude to food. I love simple food, as well as fancy food.

[@Haka-f3k-u]

@@tamlandipper29 it certainly does. My grandmother lived through the great depression and would often bake sweets that barely passed as sweet and would have you shitting pure mortar. On the other hand, she was exceptional even among grandmothers for cooking, especially if it was her native Italian food, but could also make many other dishes, especially German and Japanese dishes. Grandfather was lifer in the US Army, but I just realized my grandmother was an Axis of Cooking.

[@bonniedavis7498]

Thank you for sharing about your grandfather! My grandma made dried beef gravey on toast all the time for us and I loved it as a kid!

[@dansanger5340]

Thank you for bringing back good memories. My dad was a WWII vet, and when we were growing up he used to make us shit on a shingle. Even though he hardly ever swore in front of us, he made a point of calling it shit on a shingle, because he thought it was so funny. I would have loved to show him this video, but unfortunately he died in February at age 95. However, in his final days we did used to watch your videos together, and him being a history buff he really enjoyed them.

[@davidratte1959]

I have to ask, Since your dad was in ww2 are you a Vietnam Vet? Also are you a boomer?

[@Javaman92]

Same here, dad didn't cuss around us but he called SOS shit on a shingle. You were lucky to have him so long, I lost my dad back in 1980.

[@dansanger5340]

@@davidratte1959 I'm just barely a boomer, but too young for Vietnam.

[@dansanger5340]

@@Javaman92 Thanks. I do feel lucky to have him for so long. I'm sorry you didn't have more time with your dad.

[@forgetfulpriestiv14]

Beautiful story

[@Cynewise_]

I remember my dad, a WWII veteran, making this for the family one night for dinner. We loved it! It was a hit! We were also shocked; especially, since my father was NOT a cook.

[@aa.4639]

I am looking at this video and yes i'm thinking to myself this looks delish!

[@brianeleighton]

Pretty much everyone who has served learns how it is made 😉 after all, you eat something that many times and you figure it out lol

[@garywheeler7039]

Another gross nickname for the food is "creamed foreskins"!

[@big00bull]

Shit on a Shingle! Shit on a Shingle! There!

[@walterwhiteboy4257]

Yeah it’s pretty tasty

[@lilpsyche6971]

My step dad would make creamed tuna on toast and call it sos. This episode really hits home. My parents broke up when I was really young and I feel like I just unlocked core memories.

[@catslove3884]

We called it Perky on toast. Perky was a dog/cat soft food. We didn't eat the pet food, but had left over chopped ham with either white sauce or mushroom soup. Depended how close to payday for my dad.

[@SewardWriter]

@@catslove3884 Proximity to payday is an underappreciated aspect of modern cuisine.

[@catslove3884]

@@SewardWriter yes. As I child I would ask if we could get such and such. Mum would say "we have to wait until we get the Baby Cheque".

[@dougmoore6612]

My dad was a renowned cook. Friends would argue with each other over who got the opportunity to come to our house for holiday meals. He was also a Vietnam vet. I grew up eating S.O.S. Love it to this day. Delicious! When I was old enough, I finally learned that it was Shit On a Shingle!

[@TheJubjub01]

My dad was born in 1928, and this was one of three meals he'd cook for the family. (All 3 meals in his repertoire were definitely influenced by growing up in the dpression.) He'd soak the chipped beef for a half hour or so to soften it and pull out some of the salt, and he also added some parmesan cheese towards the end. In the 70s/80s, we used the empty chipped beef jars as juice glasses. :)

[@kenuber4014]

We did the same thing...I'm not related to you..am I?? Lol

[@sislertx]

It was comfort food to a lot of people who knew REAL HUNGER.

[@kslade3320]

Same! I made this in a fit of nostalgia recently and found that the chipped beef has changed so much it’s barely recognizable. It is way more like formed mystery meat now versus what in the 70s was almost like thin, salty AF jerky.

[@capricehutton1785]

Marine Corp father would make SOS.

[@kenuber4014]

@@capricehutton1785 My Dad was a Marine as well....He made sure we all knew what we were missing!1 Lol Good times

[@markgoecke2323]

As a child in the 50's, we ate a lot of SOS. I remember riding my bike down to the Fairway grocery store to get a pound of sliced, dried beef. The butcher actually had a slab of dried beef from which he would cut thin slices to order. This meat was similar to what we now call jerky or biltong. We loved SOS night!

[@MoonwolfeConsulting]

Same here. Mom also directed a Girl Scout camp and she insisted that it be served once every 2 week session. Didn't phase me one bit, most of the other girls felt differently, however.

[@consuelowells9217]

I love videos like this- they really bring people together. My great-grandpa was a navy cook in WWII. I never got to meet him, unfortunately he died the year I was born, but he left behind his old navy cookbook. I love seeing the quantities of ingredients "20 lbs of flour" "80 eggs" etc. Apparently my great grandma was a terrible cook, but he had a lot of experience and was able to take up the mantle at home. My grandpa was also in the navy and used to tell me about SOS and how that was something to look forward to. He didn't inherit his father's skill at cooking but I did love hearing what stories I could get out of him.