My maternal grandfather, Stefan Golas, was a marine during WWII and was stationed in San Diego Naval Air Station in 1941. He saved the menu from their Christmas meal.
The meal opened with “Consomme Royal,” a clear, rich soup often served on formal occasions. Alongside it were small relishes and appetizers laid out before the main course: ripe olives, hearts of celery, and sweet pickles.
For the centerpiece of the dinner, they served both roast young turkey and Southern baked ham. The turkey was paired with oyster dressing and giblet gravy, while the table also included a range of side dishes: creamed whipped potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, buttered peas, asparagus with drawn butter sauce, and dinner rolls with butter.
Dessert offered Neapolitan ice cream along with mince pie, pumpkin pie, Christmas cookies, Christmas candy, mixed nuts, and assorted fruits.
The meal concluded with coffee and cigarettes, which at the time were commonly included in military hospitality and ration culture.
The menu was signed by L. Nagy, identified as “Chief Commissary Steward, U.S.N. (Ret.),” who oversaw the preparation and service of the dinner.
by rsflinn
3 Comments
Always like these WWII holiday menus.
Looking at marine corps muster rolls looks like he worked on aircraft (shows up through the war in various units in aviation paint/fabric/dope shops). Usually listed with mos 548 FABRIC WORKER, AIRCRAFT
Cigarettes made me do a double take lol
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By what couldn’t be anything but coincidence, the poinsettia unmistakably and hideously evokes the Rising Sun flag, right down to the SAME slight off-center framing and red/white scheme, only two weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.