The Pentagon Brownie Recipe: As Complicated As You Would Expect
When you consider that the Constitution of the United States, at 4,400 words and fitting comfortably on 11 pages, gives the instructions needed to govern a nation of over 300 million people, the following fact seems rather incredible — until you remember the tendency of government to make things more complex than they need to be.
The Pentagon brownie recipe, officially known as MIL-C-44072C , covers the cooking of brownies and chocolate-covered oatmeal cookies. Leaving nothing to chance, the recipe prints out at 26 pages in length and has over 9,500 words.
Government Regulations and Complicated Recipes
It isn’t enough to call for eggs in the ingredients. Instead, the recipes stresses that “Whole eggs may be liquid or frozen and shall have been processed and labeled in accordance with the Regulations Governing the Inspection of Eggs and Egg Products (7 CFR Part 59).”
The recipe states the brownies should not be cut larger than 3 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches by 5/8 inch, and each brownie should not be less than 46 grams.
While most cooks are concerned with the tastiness of their recipes, the Pentagon is concerned about durability. Brownies made according to the Pentagon recipe will last about three years.
Curiously, there does not appear to be any requirement that the brownies be at all tasty.
The Doomsday Vault to Save Oreos
We have reported on various initiatives to preserve humanity if we should encounter an apocalyptic event. Among these have been the government doomsday shelter hidden in plain sight, the global seed vault, a monument with instructions for rebuilding humanity, and even the IRS’s ambitious plans to collect your taxes after nuclear armageddon. Admittedly, none of…
Try the Seafood Dish That Is Both Dead and Alive
Physicists are familiar with the concept of Schrödinger’s Cat — a creature that can be described as being simultaneously dead and alive. Most of us can relate to having been served undercooked meat that makes us wonder if the food on the plate still has a pulse. Both concepts come together for those who are…
What Does an Ancient Pickle Recipe Teach Us About Baptism?
Baptism is a sacrament of the Christian faith that is associated with the public declaration that an individual has renounced his or her old ways and has entered into a new life in Christ Jesus. Water is an essential element of the practice. A person is typically baptized through immersion under water, although many practices…
Leave a Reply