What was up with the food at Tweedale this year? A friend whose daughter was there for three weeks this summer, told me the campers regularly had meals like gourmet pasta, deluxe pizzas, strombolis, Mexican dishes, Belgian waffles, etc., all made from scratch.

She told her mom the rumour around camp was that some chef was brought in with his staff as a test-case to see if good food would improve the number of campers ad staff returning from one year to the next. That doesn't sound right to me. I can't see GSA bringing in a chef just to cook for kids who are supposed to be camping. We felt darn lucky to get hotdogs and bugjuice when I was a kid.

Can anyone shed light on the reality?

Yes, there was a gourmet chef at Tweedale this summer. He applied for the job and was qualified to do it so he was hired. He did not bring any staff with him. GSA does not "bring" staff into any camp. Individual camps hire their own staff. So who starts all these rumors?

BeachGrl: What were you getting when "hot dogs and bugjuice" weren't on the menu? I don't recall that horable food is part of the camp experience. When I was a kid in the 60s attending Camp San Joaquin, good old fasion home-style meals graced the table three times each day.

There's no reason why a camp can't serve good food. If you read the counselor's board with any regularity you'll see that poorly cooked food is an issue at some camps. The topic comes up several times each year during the off season.

Amazing how many people can miss the point when they think you've stepped on their toes... I don't believe I ever said that campers didn't deserve good food. My question was simple... Are the rumors true that Tweedale's food this year was prepared by a chef and his staff, specifically brought in for a "test-case" of sorts. That question had already been answered, it seems. There was no "test case".

Keep in mind, the information I based the question on was being relayed by a child, through her mother and then on to me and a few others, as part of a casual conversation... Apparently, the thing about the chef and the reason he was there, was what some kids were saying at Tweedale this summer. As I said previously, it just didn't seem likely that a chef had been brought in to a Girl Scouts camp for those reasons.

I tend to question anything I hear that qualifies as hearsay, so I asked here in this forum. I never suggested that the rumor was true in any way and I also didn't say that good food is a bad thing. Nevertheless, I don't recall anything approaching "special" being served at camp 20+ years ago. I guess I'm surprised, but at the same time, I'm also glad to hear that's not the case now.

I based my comments on your statement, "We felt darn lucky to get hotdogs and bugjuice when I was a kid." Look like I missread your post. I got the sense that you thought that well-planned meals weren't part of camping.

Anyway, no toes were stepped on.

ok so yeah the food rocked at Tweedale this year...i just gotta say that...but Tweedale's my home and i wouldnt stop goin even if the food sucked...and Joe was a cool guy...just hadda say that!