When reading the article “Civil War Cooking: What the Union Soldiers Ate” by Tori Avey, I realized how much of an issue it is to have a good meal during the Civil War. Supplies and ingredients were very limited and soldiers were lucky to be eating at all. Meals usually consisted of meat, a potato, bread and a cup of coffee. Soldiers were used to having their wives cook for them so now being at war, everyone is clueless. Because they had to supply meals for about two million soldiers, the food was very tasteless and unhealthy. This is fascinating to me because in order to fight in a war, I would assume soldiers needed a meal to give them energy and strength. During this time period, only the opposite occurred.
Coffee seemed to be more essential for soldiers than food was. Soldiers relied more on the beverage than anything else to get them through the war. Reading the article “How Coffee Fueled the Civil War” by Jon Grinspan gave me great insight about how important coffee really was. I witness many New Yorkers every morning on the subway with a coffee, relying on it to start their day. This is similar to soldiers at war, before and after their battles. Grinspan writes “Coffee was often the last comfort troops enjoyed before entering battle, and the first sign of safety for those who survived.” Soldiers seemed to do anything to obtain coffee, believing it was essential in keeping them alive during the War.
A food item I cannot live without would have to be cheese. Anything that has cheese involved is a food I would enjoy such as tacos, mac and cheese, pizza, cheese and crackers, quesadillas, mozzarella sticks, grilled cheese, etc.
