It’s 11:30 a.m. A sergeant pushed back from a table after his meal.

“That chicken was actually pretty good today!” he said to no one in particular.

In his tone was the sense of satisfaction one might expect from a man who works long, hard hours each day and who takes his job -- and his food -- seriously.

As he got up to go back to work, another sergeant walked through the dining facility door and said to a coworker, “I hope the chicken is good today!”

The satisfaction of a good meal and the anticipation of one to come -- and sometimes the disappointment of a meal that didn’t quite come together -- are just some of the reactions troops at the Jeema Springs 1 dining facility here see each day.

The reactions, and the genuine emotion often behind them, make it clear that -- at least in a deployed environment -- food is definitely a ‘hot topic.’

“Food is really a morale issue,” said Senior Master Sgt. Vernon Griffith, superintendent of the Jeema Springs 1 and Sand Trap Inn dining facilities. “People get excited over a good meal -- it’s like giving them something from home.”

But preparing meals for about 1,400 people three times a day is not a simple process, the sergeant said. Add to that the unique challenges of doing so in a deployed location, and the picture starts to come into focus. This is tough work, he said.

Master Sgt. Carol Roberts manages Jeema Springs 1. Her troops are responsible for whole process that puts food to people’s plates.

“We try to predict what quantities we’ll need of each type of food,” she said. “Then we order it, unload it, check it for quality, warehouse it and oversee the contractors who prepare and serve the food to ensure safety and health standards,” she said.

Preventing food-borne illness and ensuring the security of the food supply is a duty shared by the services squadron, dining facilities and the 380th Medical Group’s public health office.

According to Tech. Sgt. Annerose Ream, of public health, her office does a daily walk-through to ensure basic sanitation and standards.

“Every week, we also do a formal, full inspection according to the food code,” the sergeant said. “We look into everything from stock rotation to food handling practices. They (the Services members) police themselves very well. But it’s good to have another set of eyes to further ensure the security and health of what our members are eating.”

Sergeant Griffith said there are challenges here not commonly seen at stateside dining facilities.

“Here, we need to know all about the food we buy and the sources we buy from,” he said. “All food must be from approved sources for us to buy it – it’s not like just running to the grocery store down the street.”

In addition, this base is one of the few in the theater where members are allowed to serve themselves. Food portions are what they make them.

“Portions fluctuate a lot,” Tech. Sgt. Jeimmy Bermudez said. The sergeant orders and stocks food at Jeema Springs I. “This makes it challenging to correctly predict how much to order. In the States, portions are a certain size.”

The people behind the scenes working to feed the troops hear their share of compliments and complaints.

“I guess the main thing to remember is that it’s not always as easy as it may seem to keep every single item constantly in stock,” Sergeant Griffin said. “But we try our best to overcome the challenges and get people the food they want to eat.”