Fillet of What?

OK, it looks like Bonnie's Dad and I have fallen into a game of "one-upsmanship" with career "war stories". It looks like we've run into an equal number of morons, but at least he was allowed to carry a gun. :-)

Anyway, I got to thinking about some of my misadventures in the Airmen's Dining Hall at Maxwel AFB (outside Montgomery, AL). At least once in every 10-day menu cycle, they served fish. Sometimes it was something really good like cod or mullet, but most often it was perch. Not exactly gourmet dining, but then, there's a reason why it's called the "mess hall".

Invariably, the menu only listed "fish", without specifying what kind of fish. So, as I went thru the line, I'd ask "What kind of fish is that?". And just as invariably, the moron person on the serving line would say "Fillet". After a while, I got to the point where I became convinced they were doing this just to tick me off. Finally, I went to the Food Services Officer and said "Look, you can fillet a shark. 'Fillet' is not a kind of fish. Someone needs to tell these people the difference." The problem pretty much cleared up after that, but every once in a while....

Years later, when I was doing some duty over at Robins AFB (south of Macon, GA), I made a little side trip back to Maxwell. While there, I decided to have dinner at the chow hall, just for old times' sake. And what was on the menu? Fish. I braced myself as I went thru the line and asked the time-honored question and steeled myself for the answer.

"Whiting."

I couldn't believe my ears.

I rather enjoyed that dinner.

.