Apparently, the US Army takes great pains to ensure the troops get their brownies comme il faut. The “recipe” makes me think of the Paperwork Reduction Act of which the IRS forms keep reminding me. More than that, I looked up the Act online, and it appears they’re fighting fire with fire: If you want to make the public fill out a form, you must first apply with Form 83-I – seven pages long.
So, who gave them permission to create and require 83-I?
Unfair! Our brave fighting men and women are not allowed to have real vanilla in their brownies! We send people out to stand “”between their loved home and the war’s desolation” and make them eat vanillin?
This is what bureaucracy does. I’m certain Federal regulations covering food served in public schools are just as bad, as Jamie Oliver found out when he tried to reform Huntington, West Virginia’s school lunches. Federal rules rejected his lovely fresh vegetable and pasta dish as not containing enough “servings” of vegetables — but the requirement could have been met by serving French fries with the meal.
There’s need for regulation, but without a heavy dose of common sense, it can do more harm than good.