Chapter 277: Chapter 273: Marching Lunch Box
Watching the soldiers scoop their meals onto shallow wooden plates, Perfikot couldn’t help but frown, feeling an indescribable sense of awfulness.
It’s not that there was a problem with this arrangement; rather, it’s the mess hall cook who ladled a spoonful of stew—marinated meat stewed until mush, mixed with potatoes, corn, and various other vegetables—onto each wooden plate, which reminded Perfikot easily of pig slop.
By the way, this food standard was truly worse than pig slop in her original world.
But for the grassroots soldiers of this era, this was already a rare feast. At least today’s bread did not have them chewing on wood chips and stones but instead offered quality black bread without those bizarre inedible things mixed in.
Although it tasted slightly sour, this grade of bread was usually something one could only eat after winning a battle or when someone came to offer military support.
Furthermore, there was also a vegetable soup made with fresh vegetables, making the meal quite abundant for these grassroots soldiers.
Yet in Perfikot’s view, seeing them use shallow wooden plates for food and wooden cups—or simply the plate itself—to serve soup, made the mushy stew look even worse when soaked in broth.
Especially with the wooden plates being too shallow—hardly holding much soup and easily spilling—the soldiers resorted to dipping their bread into the broth to absorb more juice, making it easier to hold the plate whilst preventing spillage.
Seeing this, Perfikot couldn’t help but quip, "Can’t you give the soldiers bowls? What can these shallow plates hold? The soup’s spilled everywhere! Or perhaps you never intended for them to eat well?"
In Perfikot’s memories, when it comes to military lunchboxes, the most renowned should be those from her original world of the Germans, whose military engineering gained fame during World War II. Though seemingly unnoticeable, their field lunchbox became a classic, admired even for nearly a hundred years post-war, with its design philosophy imitated by various countries over decades.
At the thought of lunchboxes, Perfikot’s hand was already resting on a wooden plate she casually picked up earlier. With alchemy initiated, the ordinary wooden plate was transformed into a steel lunchbox.
The classic kidney-shaped three-piece set, with a handle that connects the inner layer and the lid, while the bottom tray has a grip for carrying—simple, convenient, and practical—it’s a design tested by the world wars.
"See, such a simple and practical change." Perfikot spoke, handing the lunchbox to the cook serving soldiers, filling it with a hearty serving of vegetable soup in the box’s lid, a mush of boiled potatoes mixed with beans in the inner liner, and a hand-picked black bread in the bottom tray.
This straightforward lunchbox instantly attracted the attention of all the soldiers, sparking slight envy in their eyes but without displaying any more emotion.
Before them stood a Lord Count, a figure far beyond the reach of these lower-ranked soldiers in their lifetime.
How could they possibly fantasize about items used by such prominent individuals?
Just like farmers imagining emperors plowing fields with golden hoes, people can’t fathom things beyond their own understanding.
But for Perfikot, this was merely a casual gesture; she then handed the filled lunchbox to a young soldier nearby, casually saying, "It’s yours now; maybe someday you can share your thoughts on it with me."
After speaking, Perfikot turned and walked away to chat with some older-looking soldiers about various matters.
The young soldier stayed behind, holding the lunchbox with a flustered expression, but soon moved aside at the cook’s urging and carefully began eating from the exquisite lunchbox.
Definitely, the design of this lunchbox was excellent; it could be placed directly on the ground or held in hand, preventing spills even with some jostling.
Furthermore, it held much more than the previous shallow plates, and separating the food prevented it from mixing into a mess, making already bland food even worse.
Thanks to the lunchbox, this young soldier had a satisfying meal while the Count’s bestowed lunchbox incited envy and jealousy among surrounding soldiers.
Perfikot paid no mind to this minor incident; gifting the lunchbox to the soldier was just a casual act. From the soldier’s reaction, this field lunchbox, used by Germans since World War I in her original world, truly had its merits.
"If I want to equip the entire Seventeenth Guard Division with this type of military lunchbox, will there be any difficulty?" Perfikot inquired of the officers nearby while casually creating another lunchbox, allowing them further insights into it.
Commander Richard glanced at the lunchbox held by the young soldier and the one placed before him, pondering for a moment before replying to Perfikot, "Equipping every soldier with new lunchboxes isn’t inherently problematic, but the procurement and supply of these boxes..."
"That’s my concern. You only need to consider whether these lunchboxes are functional and what changes they might bring to the Seventeenth Guard Division." For Perfikot, her priority was achieving her goals; the means to achieve them were secondary.
Moreover, from the insights gathered yesterday, if the Pignes Castle factory were only tasked with producing lunchboxes, they could manage it. This would also provide some orders for the factory here, alleviating the growing unemployment rate in Pignes Castle.
It might even present Kallen with slight hurdles in her endeavors? Perfikot couldn’t help but chuckle.
Indeed, these military lunchboxes could effectively enhance soldiers’ dining experiences, and as known, ensuring soldiers eat well is critical to maintaining combat effectiveness; thus, equipping with such lunchboxes was a necessity in Perfikot’s view.
Commander Richard would naturally not defy the Count he served on such matters. Besides, it’s just a lunchbox; it’s hardly a major issue.
He personally felt these lunchboxes were quite good, albeit equipping the entire division would require substantial expenditure, which the Seventeenth Guard Division couldn’t bear the cost itself.
But if Perfikot was willing to finance it, Richard certainly had no reason to oppose it.