For those who served

[Melody Ranch]

I just got this and thought it might be the best food ....and enjoyable at that...for the VETERANS. You know what is is......





“Stuff” on a Shingle (S.O.S.)

So, do you remember your first contact with the fabled S.O.S.? Was it Parris Island or did you “hold out” until your reached Lejeune or perhaps were aboard one of the many ships we shared? And, would you like to be re-introduced or share the delight with family and friends?

Thanks to solantamity.com’s retired GSgt Charlie LaMarr, you can. Here is the original recipe that Marines have thrived on for more than 200 years. Tried once, you’re evermore addicted.

Gather the following ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds lean hamburger
2 tablespoons butter/margarine
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons granulated garlic
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
2 cups of milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the meat, then add the margarine/butter stirring the mix thoroughly.
Throw in the chopped onions and simmer all until the onions are translucent. [Good Gawd, I’m already drooling.]
Now, add the flour and cook for two to three minutes. Add the garlic, soy and Worcestershire sauces, again mixing thoroughly. Finally, add the milk and stir until all thickens.

“VOILA!!!,” you have an USMC treat that can be spread on biscuits, hash browns or toast.



Read the well -researched piece on SOS....probably more than you want to know, but well done......and contrary to MHO that the real stuff is made with chipped beef...(hard to find nowadays......proper packaging is tightly rolled in small glass jars, and very salty.......)


Enjoy Marines.

Sweat dries, blood clots, bones heal. Suck it up. Be a MARINE.

Note:
No trees were killed in the sending of this message, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

[Fly at Night]

That doesn't sound half bad. Thanks for unravelling the mystique of "SOS."

I had a dear friend who recently passed. He served in Vietnam. I used to laugh when he told me about "ham and motherf*****s." Another in-country "delicacy."

Hope you don't mind if I share something similar here - courtesy of an old bush pilot.
He called it "Crash Pad Chow." It was sustenance for a bunch of pilots sharing a two-room shack somewhere in the Yukon.

Crash Pad Chow
1 lb. ground beef (or moose/vennison)
1 can vegetable soup (undiluted)
Brown meat, drain, add can of soup and heat

Crash Pad Chow - "Fancy Version":
Spoon over a mound of mashed potatoes!

[Melody Ranch]

Ahhh yes! The food of a Crash Pad. I knew it well....and still survived.

[Fly at Night]

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

Ahhh yes! The food of a Crash Pad. I knew it well....and still survived.

Most are on the verge of being condemned by the health department -
or so I'm told.

[reinergirl]

Well the army version must be different? My dad used to cook this when I was a kid....But I remember it was a jarred thinly sliced beef, not ground? My dad was a WW2 veteran, I never heard much about his service, he definitely saw way too much....he was a sniper and quite good at it. He later worked for Sturm Ruger Co. as their foreman. Taught me to shoot early! Called me his Annie Oakley, maybe I can give Lawchick a run for her money when it comes to snakes! My daughter recently acquired her gun license, my dad passed away several years ago, but I think he would be proud of her!

Gonna have to make SOS in his honor! Thanks for the memories!

[Stefrobrts]

Originally Posted by reinergirl

....But I remember it was a jarred thinly sliced beef, not ground?

I believe that was 'chipped beef'. My dad felt that once he got out of the service he was no longer required to EVER eat Chipped Beef or Vienna Sausages ever ever again!

[Mexray]

Perhaps thirty years ago, so the story goes, several recreational 'Skippers' well in their cups, were at the Lost Isle Bar, their elbows resting on the old worn driftwood planked counter top. Situated on a berm, barely above high water, Lost Isle is a well known watering hole in the heart of the Northern California Delta's 1000 miles of waterways. Lost Isle Bar and Resort on The California Delta

The skippers were lamenting as how the well known organized Yacht Clubs of the SF Bay Area had their palatial 'digs', nautical activities, and traditional pomp and circumstance . It was suggested by Hal Schell, author of some note on all things historical about the Delta, that perhaps they should form their own 'River Rat' yacht club. It would of course, be the anthesis of 'normal' yacht clubs, in keeping with the Delta lifestyle, no rules, no by-laws, no officers, no club house.

After another round our two at the bar, it was decided the new yacht club would be named The Super Secret Ship Club, SSS, for short. The only requirement for membership was to recite 'Super Secret Ship Club' ten times rapidly in the presence of existing 'members'. Those that wished could invest in their very own SSS's Royal Purple colored windbreaker (pun intended) jacket.

The one 'sanctioned' activity of the SSS would be an annual gathering at a remote spot on the river. This event, again the anthesis of a Genuine Yacht Club's gala, would be planned around a genuine S.O.S. feed. Hal was the designated chow hall 'chef' of the S.O.S. feed due to his admiration of the delicacy during his military service.

We joined many of those S.O.S. feeds and it was always a fun time for all shipmates, out there on the river. Hal Schell has passed on to that ultimate yacht club, but his legacy and writings about the Delta remain.

From the Sacramento Bee, Obit column in 2006:

A sturdy man with a barrel chest and full white beard, Mr. Schell bore a loose resemblance to "Papa" Hemingway at local watering holes and summer festivals. He was a bugler who welcomed each day aboard his boat with reveille and enjoyed dropping anchor in quiet spots, known as "gunkholing."

"The Delta offers something for everybody, whether you're a fisherman, powerboater, sailor or houseboater," he told the Modesto Bee. "It's a real democracy out there. A guy with a $300 fishing boat can have as much fun as a guy with a million-dollar yacht."

Amazon.com: Hal Schell: Books3AHal%20Schell

Calm seas and friendly ports, my friend...

[Phoenix]

I was at Clark AB, Philippines from 1969-1971. The guys would complain about SOS in the chow hall, then go to the service clubs and pay for it -- go figure...

[nm1oqrz]

Hello All. Another favorite was and still is "S... in a seabag". Other people call it stuff peppers.
Yes the original SOS was chipped beef because it was cured in so much salt that it would keep for many years. When I get the hankering for it I sometimes use the canned corn beef but it's not quite the same.
Bonapatite (sp)
Semper Fi
nm1oqrz

[Bluto]

Stouffer's offers it in the frozen food section at your local Walmart.
Stock up today!

[laragc]

I wish I had my dad's recipe. He made a "gourmet" version that was actually delicious. I was a USMC wife for many years and I can attest his version was quite different than that served in the modern Corps. I may have to try this one just for fun.

[dkrug]

Chipped beef is what my husband wants when he asks for SOS. I am getting lazy and I just buy the frozen Stouffers' creamed chipped beef. It is almost edible.

[polarlyse]

Best to remain Anonymous when discussing these foods. They just might be illegal in more than one state. Not sure the memories I have of them are fond ones. Have to think on that for a bit.

Thanks for the smiles though.