ARTH1100 History of Photography Fall 2016

In reading the two articles I was shocked to learn how much coffee meant to the soliders. Even if they couldn’t get the real thing they looked forward to drinking something that resembled it. Though it was said that the coffee had no effect on the North’s win, I believe it played a part. The coffee was given as part of their meals on a daily basis whenever it was available. The soliders then developed a coffee addiction explaining the jittery feelings they experienced without it and how it eased their nerves after. Caffeine is a stimulant and it also would have made them more alert and ready to fight during long nights and days of battle. Personally I would always choose food over coffee, for some reason whenever I drink it I get very sleepy. Not sure why lol. However what shocked me the most was the raw salted meat specifically the pork that they ate. Though salt is a persevative I don’t see how they could have eaten it raw. Especially considering that pork is an unclean animal not meant to be eaten and if left out long enough maggots start to fester out. Also the hardtack that they sometimes had to eat filled with worms/maggots but when you’re hungry and desperate you will eat anything. (Except for the pork lol. That’s still a no for me).

My favorite food is a Guyanese dish called Metemgee or Metem for short. It’s a stew with salted codfish inside and I could eat it all the time …

If I had to choose between coffee or food, I would give up coffee and go for food. I personally don’t drink coffee. Once in a while I end up drinking it, and I wouldn’t be as satisfied as I would if I ate food. The caffeine in the coffees I’ve drank isn’t strong enough. I always end up not feeling the caffeine. So I would wind up feeling the same as if I didn’t drink coffee. It is interesting that coffee seemed like what soldiers would drink during war. I guess that coffee made the soldiers feel more energized before going to battle.

The food I can’t live without would probably be chicken. Fried chicken is just something I like to eat. I don’t really know why but it always tastes good no matter what.

            From the articles, I am not surprised that some Union soldiers died from starvation or malnutrition, but I didn’t know coffee was so important to them. The caffeine produced in coffee probably kept the soldiers alerted and wide awake.  I guess being attentive during a war could be the difference between life and death. The most fascinating thing about these readings was that coffee was more essential to soldiers than food. I thought food would be one of the most important tool for surviving a war. I also realized how important meat was to a soldiers diet and they made several soup dishes to keep them full or well-feed. Personally, I would gladly give up coffee for food especially during hard times, but some people might argue differently.   

If I had a choice of food or coffee it would depend. If it was my favorite drink from Starbucks or not. I love both coffee and food but I think I’d end up picking  food after it all. From my experience with coffee you can get withdrawal from it if you have an excess or just get use to having it so often. When you feed that hunger for that craving you  feel like a brand new person and you can do anything. Since the food portions were so little during the Civil War that the coffee was probably more filling in terms of appetite to the soldiers. What I find vastly interesting though is how soldiers can actually live off such portions and be able to be as strong as they are imagined to be which they were not because of the lack of food. Not to mention the horrible conditions these soldiers were in during the war; lingering water, blood and human tissue was in the bunkers and pits that the soldiers were in for the majority of the Civil War. When it rained it flooded the bunkers with rain. Poor sleeping conditions,, poor conditions all around, and lack of food.

I do like food and coffee immensely. I do not think I could ever live without lobster. I never wanted to try it as a little kid… But once i had it I fell in love.

If I was a man on death row, and I was given the options of having a cup of coffee or my preferred last meal before my execution, I would chose my last meal. There is no question that I would chose food over coffee any day. As I merge into adulthood, I hear rumors of how coffee will be a must part of my morning routine. Instead I’m finding that energy drinks are my preference to caffeine over coffee.

But if I were a civil war solider in 1864, I would chose coffee over food. It is fasinating how important coffee was to these soldiers. It was almost a tradition to have a drink before your battles began and one after. Having a drink before was almost a last blessing that if I didn’t make it through the night, at least I had one last plessure. And if I were to make it through the night I would celebrate with a cup of coffee with my fellow comrades. Coffee became a coping mechanism to those who couldn’t handle the horrendous life of war. Food during war was very limited. But no matter how limited my meals became, I would always wash down a meal with a good cup of coffee.

Pancakes is food I can’t live without. Sunday’s were my mothers only day off, and I can always remember waking up to her singing while making her famous pancakes. I wish I could always eat pancakes for breakfast, but every Sunday morning is much more special. 

If I had to choose between coffee or food, without a doubt it’s food. Generally I don’t get affected by coffee, caffeine has no affect on me I simply enjoy the taste of coffee. The way that civil war soldiers depend on coffee is a little absurd, it can cause them to crash and burn. If I was a solider I would eat more food to keep my energy up.

The one food I can’t live without is pizza. Specifically Penne ala Vodka pizza from garden city pizzeria.

Penne ala Vodka

Between the choice of giving up food or coffee, I would definitely pick coffee. Even though coffee is an excellent source of energy (to some people), I do not need it to function, nor do I even drink it. I am never in the situation that I would need to be alert 24/7, which is why I understand the obsession soldiers in the Union during the civil war had with coffee. Living on hardtack was one thing, but the meager meals these soldiers on the battlefront would receive did not provide enough energy to be on the top of one’s game and face the raging war taking place at that time. Since soldiers turned to coffee to help hone their focus on their enemies, it allowed them to stay attentive throughout the war and may have actually helped the Union beat the Confederates. So, if someone were to ask soldiers from the Civil War; “Would you give up coffee or food?”, I’m more than certain the answer would be a collective “FOOD!”.

I think that the Civil War soldier’s diet is normal in my opinion. They managed to get their daily protein and carbs to keep them full, but what kept them going was lots and lots of caffeine. Now that is really fascinating to me because i can relate to that. Now coffee is a words everyone knows and it’s going to stay that way because coffee the the world’s second most valuable traded commodity only after oil.

This is my preferred food item that i cannot live without, basically anything with caffeine will do but energy drinks are my favorite type of drink and a college student’s best friend.