Scouting, Volume 33, Number 2, February-March 1945 Page: 14
32 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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old standby for a camp is either difficult to get, or
so high in point values that it cannot be obtained any-
way. Some Scouts will be able to get more ration
stamps than others, and some may not be able to get
any at all. One way to solve the problem, is to collect
all the points possible the week before the hike. Then
buy what food is available, with the points that are
available.
There are two or three ways of handling the cook-
ing. Probably the best way is to have the Patrols cook
as a unit — each Patrol preparing enough food for
entire Patrol. But there are disadvantages with this
method too. First of all, is the quantity of food avail-
able. It is probably more economical to cook by Pa-
trols if you can get enough of one kind of meat, for
example, to feed the whole Patrol. But then Scouts
who need experience in cooking, first without utensils,
and later elementary cooking with utensils, are likely
to miss out under the Patrol cooking method.
One suggestion is that on the first day the Scouts
cook by buddies — with experienced boys teaming
up with less experienced Scouts. The first meal might
be without utensils. The younger Scout would build
the fire, cut the wood and cook, under the guidance
of the older Scout. At the second meal the younger
Scout would get experience in elementary cooking
with utensils. Using the buddy system and allowing
plenty of time for meals, Scouts could spend as much
or as little time as necessary to get the knack of it.
Good meals are half the fun of camp. Be sure that the
fellows have ample time to cook and eat.
On the second day, if it is possible, cooking might
be done by Patrols. This gives the younger fellows
an idea of what it is like, and gives those who are
working on Cooking Merit Badge an opportunity to
cook and serve four others. Otherwise, the buddy sys-
tem can be carried through for the two days, so that
those who need practice in fire-building and cooking
will have plenty of chance for practice and instruc-
tion. The Scouts should have every opportunity to
understand that cooking a balanced meal is just as
easy, if they know how, as continually eating beans,
wieners, or spaghetti — all out of cans.
Experience has shown that when Scouts cook with-
out utensils — that is with home made grills, wooden
forks, or right on the coals of a fire — or with home-
made tin can cooking gear, they are much more inter-
ested than when they use "store bought" frying pans,
coffee pots and all the fixings. There seems to be
more of a thrill to using improvised gear. Conse-
quently, they take more care with their preparation
and cooking, and enjoy their meals more because the
food is better cooked. When camp meals are good the
whole morale of the camp is better, and things go off
much more smoothly. Scouts see that camping can be
comfortable, and that with a very few exceptions,
they can live as comfortably as at home. They will
soon lose the idea that camping is "roughing it," and
that anything goes. They will learn that burning their
food or spilling it in the campfire is not the sign of
an expert camper. In brief, they will learn the marks
of a good camper, and will have fun at the same time.
Games and Projects
Actually, two of the more important projects for
this first spring overnighter have already been dis-
cussed. Tent pitching and bedmaking, and cooking
are three things in which every Scout needs instruc-
tion and practice before he will be an expert camper.
Spend enough time on these projects — with experi-
enced Scouts helping out the younger fellows. But
don't overdo it to the extent that it becomes a chore,
instead of an interesting experience.
In planning all your projects try to think of them
Scouts like to use cooking gear that they make themselves. Improvised fireplaces are practical camp projects. They make
Encourage ingenuity in menus and cooking. cooking interesting and not a chore,
14 SCOUTING
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 33, Number 2, February-March 1945, periodical, February 1945; New York, New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth313111/m1/16/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.