The Commissary - End of the Supply Chain

Timeline: The Orient

At this point in my military life, we had been assigned to two armpit bases in a row.  What classifies a base as an armpit, you may ask.  One key element that makes a base the armpit of its Major Command is being at the end of the supply chain.  Our Commissary in the Orient was just that.

After being in the Great White North, I was kind of used to the commissary lacking in many regards.  Produce looked like it had traveled too far and milk was put on the shelves just days before its expiration date.  Yes, I had come to think that was normal.  "Yes folks, expired food and empty shelves is how we roll!"  My idea of military normal continued to be supported by our beloved commissary in the Orient.  Honestly, I really could not understand why on earth people glorified the commissary when Whole Foods was out there, beyond my reach, to be savored and enjoyed.  Beautiful produce vs. carrots that limped from side to side??  What's not to love??

Our Orient Commissary was the first time where I saw mothers load their carts down with indefinite shelf life milk in cartons and cans.  Having grown up on a farm, the idea of milk that a: didn't need to be refrigerated and b: didn't go bad seemed really, really wrong.  I remember standing in the dairy section, debating between expired milk and that stuff in boxes that chafed against everything I knew about milk.  Instead of choosing the lesser of two evils, we crossed over to Soy.

I have to give it to our commissary manager.  He was given an almost impossible task.  It wasn't his fault that everything flew through Europe first.  I really got to know him when I discovered that I could actually special order certain things two weeks in advance.  So, instead of praying that they MIGHT have the meat or produce that I needed for a meal, I would craft our menu two weeks in advance and place an order.  Sadly, I didn't learn this little trick until AFTER our first holiday season there.

It was just before Thanksgiving.  I learned a very, very valuable lesson.  If you see something you may need, BUY IT WHEN YOU SEE IT!  I had gone to the commissary to pick up just a few things.  Strolling through the produce section, I was thrilled to see Cranberries.  Making a mental note that I can pick them up the next day (when I was planning on doing my Thanksgiving Shopping), I hurried to get the "must haves" that I had come for.  Boy did I kick myself for that.

The next day, coming equipped to haul a large shopping trip home on my bike, my heart sank when I saw that each and every bag of Cranberries was gone!  There wasn't one left in the store.  The produce manager, who knew me, apologized and told me that one lady came in and bought every bag they had.  Shocked, I asked "WHY??" as I looked forlornly at the bare shelf.  He shrugged and told me that she must have been scared there wasn't going to be any left for her.  It was then that he told me that I could special order items and they would be held in the back for me.  Thanking him for his time, I found the manager and placed an order for Christmas.

When I stated that our commissary manager had an impossible job, I was serious.  Our meat and dairy products were flown in while everything else was driven by truck from Germany.  Perishables were flown in because they were already on the verge of going bad after having been shipped from the US to Germany.  One day, when I was shopping I noticed that he was very on edge.  I finally asked him what the problem was.

Turning to me, he stated that the flight that brought in our most recent, and much needed, dairy and meat had left everything on the tarmac instead of calling to have it picked up. Running my hands through my hair, I shrugged and suggested they hang a sign that said, "Vegetarian Week" on the front doors with a brief explanation of what had happened.  While there would be the crazy bats who would hit the fan, people were bound to at least TRY to understand why we had no meat or milk???

Some of you may be asking why we didn't simply go onto the economy to purchase what we could not obtain at the commissary.  There are several locations where I do that with a huge smile.  However, this location was NOT the place to do that.  There were very different standards of food handling that did not crossover, culturally or hygienically.  The location had an honestly earned reputation for gastro-intestinal illnesses.  The "Ts" (Trots) were a painfully common ailment.  While I ADORED their food, I only ate things that had been cooked at high temperatures or were covered with yogurt.  Upon arriving, we had been informed at our newcomers briefing that, while some things are good to purchase off base, food items had to be approached with much care and caution.  Raw meats and dairy were COMPLETELY off limits...unless you enjoyed being on meds for a bacteria you had never heard of before and enjoyed sitting on the commode.

Honestly, when stationed at a remote location, your normal changes a little bit.  "Needs" often shift to being "wants," and you find that you really need very little.  So, you have to get really good at substituting and rewriting recipes.  Those aren't bad skills to have.  With a little creativity, an end of the line commissary has everything you really need.