Whenever my father talks about cooking during the Vietnam War, he always mentions S.O.S. (sh*t-on-a-shingle) S.O.S. was made by cooking crumbled ground beef and adding it to a cream sauce. This ground beef cream sauce mixture was then poured over fried potatoes, and then the whole dish was topped with a fried egg. S.O.S. has dozens of variations (sometimes with chipped beef or tomatoes), but one thing was consistent–S.O.S. stuck to the ribs–it filled you up and kept you going for a long time. Wartime fare has come a long way–and even has a global foodiness-factor to it. New York Times writer Ashley Gilbertson put together an awesome piece on soldier grub today–chronicling the rations soldiers are provided with, sorted by country of origin. Here are a few other samples. Check out the full article here.