Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Marine Cooks

They may be not something that people think of first when it comes to the Marines, but the Marine cooks are more important to the process than you think. These are the top ten things you didn't know about Marine cooks, and what makes their job so important to the service.

It's harder than you think. These cooks are some of the most dedicated chefs to their job. Not only does their job include providing food to marines, they must also take on the responsibilities of prepping, quality control, assurance, sanitary, and safety conditioning; the list goes on.

They're the people you want to connect with in the Marines.

First on our list of the things you didn't know about Marine cooks is that these personnel are the ones that you want to connect with while you're in the service. Much like any job, the people that you conversate with always open opportunities, and the people that you least expect to be resources, will be your best ones.

Networking is everywhere, and you should never pass up an opportunity to do so. Plus, who wouldn't want o have the in with someone who controls the coffee inventory?

Some people aren't even aware that the Marines have cooks.

As one of the simplest things you didn't know about Marine cooks, is the fact that yes, the Marine Corps require hiring cooks. Marines especially have the necessity of eating, and cooking for the marines is a great network for experienced cooks or even those who are looking to get into the career path.

The exact position is called MOS 3381, the Marine Occupational Specialty Food Service Specialist.

They're aware of the quality of the food.

Marine chefs are very aware of the fact that the food while serving for your country might not be the best.

This is not something to resent the cooks for, because they don't have full connection to the quality of the food that they are presenting you with. However, it is still possible for them to cook the meals to their best abilities. And they try to do so each day.

They wish that their talents could be better expressed through their work.

Many Marine cooks are actually very talented cooks that wish that the quality of their meals could be enhanced, simply based on the ingredients they are presented with. As one of the things you didn't know about Marine cooks, the fact is that their talents could be better expressed if they were limited as much by the Marine Corps.

They know it isn't always good, and having food that is created to endure low and high temperatures is never an extravagant meal, that often lacks flavor. If they had better resources, the cuisine would be more enjoyable, and they fight for this, if they truly are passionate about their job.

The cooks control the inventory.

Like we referenced earlier, the cooks of the Marines control the inventory stored on deployments. They also control the dispersion of rations for both food and drinks.

So even more of a reason to befriend the cooks: they have the control over a lot of the most desired products that are dispersed while deployed. And yes, this includes Rip-Its and coffee.

Most of the cooks are well-experienced and talented.

As we've touched on earlier, many of the Marine cooks are talented chefs who are using their skills to benefit those serving for their country. That's another one of the most interesting things you didn't know about Marine cooks.

In fact, there are even competitions that are held with the Marine and civilian teams that compete for prizes for the best culinary talent. These competitions have discovered the great talent that some of the cooks have.

They work when you're off.

While the Marines works extremely hard, the cooks work when they are off. This includes for off-days like cookouts and other "fun days."

This includes not only providing the food for these events, but cooking, cleaning, and serving the food for the Marines who are off for the entirety of the day. Plus, the seven days a week in chow halls.

Marine cooks are similar to prison cooks.

Many people compare prison cooking to chow halls, and believe it or not, the similarities are uncanny. This is because Marine Corps chow halls are contracted by the same company that prisons use for their food services, Sodexo.

As one of the most surprising things you didn't know about Marine cooks, this is the primary job of most 3381s.

They go where the Marines go.

As a somewhat obvious fact, but one that some might not be aware of, Marine cooks go where the Marines go, no matter how far they are deployed. This also includes wearing a uniform each day, much like the Marines must wear, always with a smile. They are always ready to serve.

To complete our list of the best things you didn't know about Marine cooks, we had to end on a very fun note. Something I'm sure you've never seen before, this YouTube video shows a Marine using his rifle silencer for cooking bacon.

And yes, it actually works! You'll have to watch the video to see for yourself. To prove how incredibly hot the rifle gets after firing, the bacon perfectly cooked while being wrapped around the weapon. Wouldn't that be interesting if this is how Marine cooks cooked their bacon in the morning?