--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: During World War II, the U.S. military…" description: "\"“During World War II, the U.S. military was shipping so much meat overseas to feed troops and allies that a domestic shortage loomed. According to a 19..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffe/mary-roach-635_american-soldier_during-world-war-ii-the-u-s-military-was_958071.jpg" --- # During World War II, the U.S. military was shipping so… ![“During World War II, the U.S. military was shipping so much meat overseas to feed troops and allies that a domestic shortage loomed. According to a 1943 Breeder’s Gazette article, the American soldier consumed close to a pound of meat a day. Beginning that year, meat on the homefront was…” quote by Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffe/mary-roach-635_american-soldier_during-world-war-ii-the-u-s-military-was_958071.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffe/mary-roach-635_american-soldier_during-world-war-ii-the-u-s-military-was_958071.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffe/mary-roach-635_american-soldier_during-world-war-ii-the-u-s-military-was_958071.jpg) > ““During World War II, the U.S. military was shipping so much meat overseas to feed troops and allies that a domestic shortage loomed. According to a 1943 Breeder’s Gazette article, the American soldier consumed close to a pound of meat a day. Beginning that year, meat on the homefront was rationed—but only the mainstream cuts. You could have all the organ meats you wanted. The army didn’t use them because they spoiled more quickly and because, as Life put it, “the men don’t like them.” Civilians”” [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights wartime meat rationing, noting organ meats were abundant but avoided due to taste and spoilage. **In simple terms:** People rejected organ meats despite availability. Key Takeaway Consider using overlooked resources. Themes resourcefulness war food culture Mood informative curious Type educational analytical When to use this quote - military supply - home cooking - food waste reduction Key Concepts nutrition logistics Questions to Reflect On - Why are certain foods dismissed? - How can we reduce waste in modern diets? A Different Perspective Taste preferences and cultural stigma limit acceptance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American soldier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-soldier/) [Meat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meat/) [Meat Homefront](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meat-homefront-1753776/) [Meat Overseas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meat-overseas-1753775/) [Organ Meats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organ-meats-583325/) [Pound Meat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pound-meat-1574683/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [World war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war/) [World war ii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war-ii/) ## Related quotes > [“For Arctic nomads, eating organs has, historically, been a matter of survival. Even in summer, vegetation is sparse. Little beyond moss and lichen grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/for-arctic-nomads-eating-organs-has-historically-been-a-matter-of/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“I mean really, how could an artistic individual stay grounded in the nitty-gritty of how many minutes per pound meat has to stay in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-a-bucchianeri/i-mean-really-how-could-an-artistic-individual-stay-grounded-in-the/) [E.A. Bucchianeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-a-bucchianeri/) > [Given that it takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce one pound of meat, I think we can also go a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-terry/given-that-it-takes-up-to-16-pounds-of-grain-to-produce-one-pound-of/) [Bryant Terry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-terry/) > [“Choose from beef, pork, lamb, fish, chicken, turkey, buffalo, ostrich, and wild game. Consider pasture-/grass-fed, free-range, and organic sources whenever possible to minimize exposure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-davis/choose-from-beef-pork-lamb-fish-chicken-turkey-buffalo-ostrich-and/) [William Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-davis/) > [“Lean meats: beef (except ribs and rib eye), veal, grilled or roasted without oil or fat, buffalo, and venison, except cuts used for braising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-dukan/lean-meats-beef-except-ribs-and-rib-eye-veal-grilled-or-roasted/) [Pierre Dukan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-dukan/) > [Meat reared on land matures relatively quickly, and it takes only a few pounds of plants to produce a pound of meat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/meat-reared-on-land-matures-relatively-quickly-and-it-takes-only-a/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [We know that there were so many Japanese American soldiers in World War II who were fighting in Europe despite the fact that their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamlyn-tomita/we-know-that-there-were-so-many-japanese-american-soldiers-in-world/) [Tamlyn Tomita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamlyn-tomita/) > [“Dante was standing near the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge that crosses the Arno River in Florence. 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Nimitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-w-nimitz/) > [When this war is over, the Japanese language will be spoken only in hell!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-halsey/when-this-war-is-over-the-japanese-language-will-be-spoken-only-in/) [William Halsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-halsey/) > [“During World War II, when combat rations were tinned, meat hashes were a common entrée because they worked well with the filling machines. “But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/during-world-war-ii-when-combat-rations-were-tinned-meat-hashes-were/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [If today is anything like the typical day of the past 3 years, three American soldiers will die in Iraq or Afghanistan, the Taliban…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcee-hastings/if-today-is-anything-like-the-typical-day-of-the-past-3-years-three/) [Alcee Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcee-hastings/) > [“Ask an American soldier to identify himself, and he probably will say he is “in the Army.” By contrast, a Marine— especially if he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-e-ricks-2/ask-an-american-soldier-to-identify-himself-and-he-probably-will-say/) [Thomas E. 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They’ll extend their tongue to gather volatile molecules and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/rawson-points-out-that-although-snakes-can-t-taste-they-have-a/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“As the number of Inuit who hunt has dwindled, so has the consumption of organs (and other anatomy not available for purchase at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/as-the-number-of-inuit-who-hunt-has-dwindled-so-has-the-consumption/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [For the most part, if somebody approaches me and says, 'I'd like to interview you,' who am I to say no, when I spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/for-the-most-part-if-somebody-approaches-me-and-says-i-d-like-to/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [To me, death is dark, pain, grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/to-me-death-is-dark-pain-grief/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“If you look at survivable crashes, it’s rare that even half the emergency exits open,” says Shanahan. “Plus, there’s a lot of panic and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/if-you-look-at-survivable-crashes-it-s-rare-that-even-half-the/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“…he was doing a breath hydrogen test. 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They are the same sort of company as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/sharing-a-room-with-a-cadaver-is-only-mildly-different-from-being-in/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [Every now and then, someone will tell me that one of my books has made them laugh out loud. I never believe them because:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/every-now-and-then-someone-will-tell-me-that-one-of-my-books-has-made/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“panel applicants at the initial screening were asked not only to describe the cat foods but also to rate them according to how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/panel-applicants-at-the-initial-screening-were-asked-not-only-to/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“\* Kissing is a less aggressive form of bacterial transplant. Studies of three different gingivitis-causing bacteria have documented migration from spouse to spouse. Periodontically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/kissing-is-a-less-aggressive-form-of-bacterial-transplant-studies-of/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“Nirlungayuk reached a similar conclusion. I tracked him down, seventeen years later, and asked him what the outcome of his country-foods campaign had been.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/nirlungayuk-reached-a-similar-conclusion-i-tracked-him-down-seventeen/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [Astronauts are like these mythic legends, but really, they are just regular people, people who wear chinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/astronauts-are-like-these-mythic-legends-but-really-they-are-just/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“Olive trees grow in the same climate and soil conditions as grapes. The olive oil people have been up in Napa Valley all along,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/olive-trees-grow-in-the-same-climate-and-soil-conditions-as-grapes/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“A patient on the way to surgery travels at twice the speed of a patient on the way to the morgue. Gurneys that ferry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/a-patient-on-the-way-to-surgery-travels-at-twice-the-speed-of-a/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) [Explore all 435 Mary Roach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) ## More American soldier quotes > [Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-prescott/don-t-fire-until-you-see-the-whites-of-their-eyes/) [William H. Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/) > [American soldiers had to guard prisoners on the inside while receiving mortar and weapons fire from the outside. Guantanamo is distant from any battlefield,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/american-soldiers-had-to-guard-prisoners-on-the-inside-while/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [“Ask an American soldier to identify himself, and he probably will say he is “in the Army.” By contrast, a Marine— especially if he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-e-ricks-2/ask-an-american-soldier-to-identify-himself-and-he-probably-will-say/) [Thomas E. Ricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-e-ricks-2/) > [If today is anything like the typical day of the past 3 years, three American soldiers will die in Iraq or Afghanistan, the Taliban…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcee-hastings/if-today-is-anything-like-the-typical-day-of-the-past-3-years-three/) [Alcee Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcee-hastings/) > [“Looking up, Missouri saw a formation of low-flying P-47's on the horizon, heading up the coast from Naples...Sergeant Missouri laughed aloud. "They're sending us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-daly/looking-up-missouri-saw-a-formation-of-low-flying-p-47-s-on-the/) [Maureen Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-daly/) > [There's something about an American soldier you can't explain. They're so grateful for anything, even a film actress coming to see them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-dietrich/there-s-something-about-an-american-soldier-you-can-t-explain-they-re/) [Marlene Dietrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-dietrich/) > [It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zell-miller/it-is-the-soldier-not-the-poet-who-has-given-us-freedom-of-speech/) [Zell Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zell-miller/) > [Because Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama failed to provide a status of forces agreement and leave sufficient troops in there, we are back at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/because-hillary-clinton-and-barack-obama-failed-to-provide-a-status/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [I'm shooting a gangbanger, but as a dignified man. 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