Food at Castel

[Beau-Sheep]

On a fluckin roll tonight boys...

All the Anciens remember this, wannabes listen in... In Castel food is a gift from God... Your body is working overtime and needs more fuel to burn than a lion with a hard on. Each day in Castel you have to earn your meals by singing and marching around the camp generally making a noise... The thing is this, the better you sing the quicker you eat, the quicker you get in the queue the more you get.

Sit on your stool untill told to move, at the end of scoff they shout something like "Rabiot" which to us Brits means buckshee food, always take the stuff!!! Fill your ******* boots lads, if you sing like ducks in the evening you still have something to put in your stomach at night. Hoard food, worship the stuff, collect chocolate and any other high energy food stuffs you can beg steal or borrow, if you don't YOU WILL MISS MEALS!!! I mean it ladies, this maggots who instruct you do not give a flying toss for your appetite, if you don't sing like Piaf you ain't getting fed.

In the farm it's worse, Anciens will tell you about the fights they witnessed over fallen crumbs of French bread. I just had a huge ole French bread sandwich and remembered the farm.... oh lordy, did I really survive that shit???

Have fun and remember

FILL YA BOOTS!!!

[Fish_Sauce]

:eek:

out of context... who are the sappeur.. the ones with axes and beards.. what are they called?

[Rapace]

They are called Pionniers.

[Eagle eye]

Bread is not wasted in the FFL. At home, I was told never to dunk bread at table. In the Legion, I learned its benefits with hard bread. It softens it and you can eat quickly before you're told to clear out at breakfast...

[legion hopefull]

collect chocolate and any other high energy food stuffs you can beg steal or borrowStealing food: by what you yourself have said about that, I would NOT recommend it, food must be like the most precious thing in the Legion ! Borrowing: how can you "borrow" food LOL. I for one don't want to be the one doing the borrowing !

GET OFF MY HAM YO !

Ok its late I should really pack it in.

[Tango-Golf]

I can remember how happy I was getting garbage duty at LaJasse.... so I could pick through the refuse for choice pieces. Pathetic..... but I had the distinct pleasure of driving my heel into the stomach of my chef de section at Castel while he was yanking on my balls during "Legion rugby". "Whoosh!" All strength and air left his body, and I was thrilled to run over him for the goal. And the shock of him seeking me out to shake my hand after the game. It all evened out in the end, and then some. A lot of really horrible times... but some fantastic memories too. No regrets, it was the most incredible adventure of my life.

[BobW]

Welcome, Tango Golf.
Appreciated reading your pen name. I know the meaning. Most probably don't. Very American English.
Warm regards,
BobW

[Ralf174978]

At my time we always got a blue plastic-chip (blue was the colour of my company). Then we marched singing from our company to the entrance hall. It was at Quartier Capitaine Danjou (not in the old barracks of Lapasset). But I personally found the meal in Castel good. There are naturally French dishes as "Tripes" or "Cassoulet" e.g. ([Only registered and activated users can see links] ), to which one must get accustomed. On sundays the kitchen was closed and we had to eat our combat rations.

Best regards

Ralf

[Beau-Sheep]

At my time we always got a blue plastic-chip (blue was the colour of my company). Then we marched singing from our company to the entrance hall. It was at Quartier Capitaine Danjou (not in the old barracks of Lapasset). But I personally found the meal in Castel good. There are naturally French dishes as "Tripes" or "Cassoulet" e.g. ([Only registered and activated users can see links] ), to which one must get accustomed. On sundays the kitchen was closed and we had to eat our combat rations.

Best regards

RalfYeah remember those boxes they would bring around on a Sunday, yuk!!! Some of the things in those boxes had looked as if they had already passed through some ****ers digestive system before getting in the box. I hated the French food, I will eat anything but brain served as brain looking very much like brain.... oh Lordy was I hungry that day. Remember La Jasse help... I was never so hungry in my life and our cook was useless at timing meat, everything he put on the table needed to be killed first.

[Eagle eye]

Brain and bone marrow are out nowadays given the risks attributed to them as known vectors of Creutzfeld-Jacobs Disease "CJD-mad cows disease". That leaves "lez tripez" to endure on weekends : they looked as if a cow had just been killed "derrière la compagnie" a few minutes before.

Anyway, if I had no alternative, I would lap 'lez tripez' up thinking 'protein, carbohydrates, calories to burn' with all the possible imagination - resulting from the chewiness...hmmmmm... :o

They're a specialty for without fat. But they need to be marinated and left to soak over a given period which ain't the case in the FFL. Just too many legionnaires to leave out soaking 'lez tripez' in the mess hall.

Loved the "Cassoulet de Castelnaudary" and to this day......Yum, yummie in the tummy...

What are "Gnocchis", Ralph ?

[Ralf174978]

Remember La Jasse help...I only knew Bel Air (not the famous hotel in L. A.). :D La Jasse was the farm for the 2nd company (CEV), right? Or was it Le Bertrandou? I'm not sure - my memories are far away... :confused:

Amicalement

Ralf

[Beau-Sheep]

I only knew Bel Air (not the famous hotel in L. A.). :D La Jasse was the farm for the 2nd company (CEV), right? Or was it Le Bertrandou? I'm not sure - my memories are far away... :confused:

Amicalement

RalfRoger that, I was in the 2eme Cie in Danjou, on the corner, closest to the scoff house and yet it seemed we were the furthest away... remember how many times they had you singing La Petite Piste whilst starving? Laugh, we musta been brain dead, once we sang and sang and sang, when they finally let us in the cooks had already cleaned up, we quickly looked at where food had been and turned around and went back to corvee duties hungry and agressive as hell... clean floors three broken noses and silence...

[Ralf174978]

What are "Gnocchis", Ralph ?
I don't know exactly because I never ate this kind of sh... :D

But my good old friend Mr. Google found this: :)

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Seems to be an Italian speciality. :p

Regards

Ralf (with f like f**k and not ph like phallus :D)

[Ralf174978]

...remember how many times they had you singing La Petite Piste whilst starving?Our platoon (section) started with the "Boudin" follows by "Contre les viets, contre l'ennemi...". I still love that chant. ;)

[Beau-Sheep]

Our platoon (section) started with the "Boudin" follows by "Contre les viets, contre l'ennemi...". I still love that chant. ;)Me to, went to the REP after Danjou. "Contre Les Viets" was my company tune, yup again I landed in the 2eme Cie, slower pace sung deeper, and my hair still stands up when I hear it, fightin tune :).

[Beau-Sheep]

Gnocchis are pasta with potato incorporated into the mixture. They are damned good.

Tripes however ..............:-(( even after seventeen years in corsica I cannot 'stomach' them.Know what you mean, me neither. Wonder if they are still serving broken rabbit bones in Raffalli? Remember them? Looked like a dark stew and you needed a dentist after to pick the bits of bone outta yer mouth. I used to hit the salad and steal all the cheese rather than fill my plate with tripe or bones.

[Beau-Sheep]

Yeah I remember that, it was served in a roll and was the blandest thing ever to bounce around my gums... Remember the ration packs as well, bottle of the worst brandy in the world Eau de vie they called it, laugh the water of life, shite I used to clean my FRF1 optics with the stuff!

[voltigeur]

Our platoon (section) started with the "Boudin" follows by "Contre les viets, contre l'ennemi...". I still love that chant. ;)If you do not have them, you can download them from my web site (mp3).Contre Le Viets was originally the 1er BEP song

[voltigeur]

At my time we always got a blue plastic-chip (blue was the colour of my company). Then we marched singing from our company to the entrance hall. It was at Quartier Capitaine Danjou (not in the old barracks of Lapasset). But I personally found the meal in Castel good. There are naturally French dishes as "Tripes" or "Cassoulet" e.g. ([Only registered and activated users can see links] ), to which one must get accustomed. On sundays the kitchen was closed and we had to eat our combat rations.

Best regards

Ralf
Is bleu still for 2 em Escadron or company?

[Eagle eye]

Before rubber, sling catapults used to be made with stretched animal tripe....

[Ralf174978]

If you do not have them, you can download them from my web site (mp3).Contre Le Viets was originally the 1er BEP song
Thanks for your offer, Johannes - but I've got a great collection of several CD's from the Musique de la Légion étrangère with almost all songs and marches. My favourite songs/marches are "La Légion marche vers les front" and "Aux légionnaires". :)

[Ralf174978]

Is bleu still for 2 em Escadron or company?In Castelnaudary (4° RE) is blue the colour of the 1st company (1° CEV). The 2nd company (2° CEV) has red and the 3rd company (3° CEV) has yelllow. In the 2° REP e.g. blue is the colour of the CEA (former CAE). :)

[Eagle eye]

Thanks for your offer, Johannes - but I've got a great collection of several CD's from the Musique de la Légion étrangère with almost all songs and marches. My favourite songs/marches are "La Légion marche vers les front" and "Aux Légionnaire". :)Is there a CD chorus version with the slow marching step of FFL ? Thxs in advance

[Ralf174978]

Is there a CD chorus version with the slow marching step of FFL ? Thxs in advance
Well, if you mean the song "Aux légionnaires" - I got a french made CD with an excellent chorus version sung by the Pionniers of the 6° REG. :)

[Only registered and activated users can see links]
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Regards

Ralf

[Ralf174978]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[Eagle eye]

Well, if you mean the song "Aux légionnaires" - I got a french made CD with an excellent chorus version sung by the Pionniers of the 6° REG.I meant the entire selection of songs but in chorus with slow marching step. Much better than the quicker versions.

[Rapace]

Contre les Viets was originally the 1er BEP songCorrect. And the 'legend' says that at DBP, the 2 1BEP Coys who were called as a reinforcement to help keep position « Eliane 1 » being attacked by the Viets on April 11 1954 went up the hill singing "Contre les Viets" (which was perfectly appropriate in that case). I could never figure out if this was for real or some sort of 'embellishment' written afterward but that's thrilling.

[Eagle eye]

[Only registered and activated users can see links] Seems to be an Italian speciality. I had a revelation last night. I never ate Gnocchi 'cause the're really your standard 'Raviolli'. Loads of memories of raviolli: the 'real Mccoy' gnocchi incognito.... :cool: