I started eating at least one meal per week on the mess decks with the crew. It paid big dividends; I learned a great deal and got to know people that way, and after a while my officers began taking occasional meals there, too. I usually went to the noon meal on Wednesdays, and it’s a Navy tradition that lunch on Wednesday is always cheeseburgers. (The Navy term for them is “sliders,” in tribute to the grease.)
