"We're eating a ton in the army. Everyone's gained at least three kilos, if not more"

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"We're eating a ton in the army. Everyone's gained at least three kilos, if not more," says Eran Spiegel, a 47-year-old reservist and owner of Yooz, an eco-friendly products company. As Israel mobilizes, Spiegel shares his experience of military food, from gourmet donations to the ubiquity of schnitzel.

While the IDF is mobilized like it hasn't been in a long time, we tried to find out what the state of soldiers' stomachs is. Our third stop: a base with the "best food in the IDF," where schnitzel reigns supreme.

Spiegel, a married father of three from Tel Mond, is a reservist in the Maglan unit. "I volunteered for the second round of volunteering because those who discharge at 40 can volunteer, and after 45 you sign up again," he explains.

"I'm all about energy from a new business, as far from the army as possible. But here, I'm eating tons of meat, especially schnitzel. After this, I'm taking a break from schnitzel for at least a decade."

Spiegel details the daily meals, from the abundant breakfast options to the impressive evening spreads. "The food here is incredible," he says. "You can choose between three meat dishes. It's crazy. In my time, it wasn't like that."

He also recounts the various food donations the unit received. "We got food from restaurants, from the neighborhood bakery. There was a time when I was excited by the blessings, like 'Brave soldier, take care of me, enjoy the cake,' but we got used to it. There was even an event with a catering service from France, with a Torah and dancing, something completely absurd."

Spiegel is grateful for the donations,"In the beginning, the bases weren't ready to accommodate the number of reservists, and what the soldiers needed most was a mattress and a meal. So the donations, especially hot food, were super critical. It made a huge difference."

Despite the abundance of food, Spiegel misses his usual diet. "I miss hummus the most," he says. "I eat at Abu Hassan in Tel Aviv, and at 'Asli' in Bani Dror."

Spiegel also reflects on the differences between military and civilian eating habits. "I drink a lot of regular cola here, which is a treat because I usually drink diet. And I've been drinking a lot of soda. In my time, there was no ice machine in the bases, an ice machine was an event."

Spiegel also points out the environmental impact: He describes the dramatic shift from his usual eco-friendly lifestyle to the army's more disposable one. Also, with all the disposables, I feel like I'm living in a parallel universe. Here, everyone is against Greta Thunberg...(jokingly)

"What was the best and worst meal you've had during the war?"

"I'm torn between the sandwiches from Machane Yehuda, which were something special, and a barbecue that someone put on here, it was quite a show. The worst was probably when we caught them on a bad day, and there was pale chicken. 

How do you maintain some semblance of culinary sanity?"

"First of all, I drink 4-5 macchiatos every day. I brought my own coffee beans and I make it myself, so it's not just black coffee in a finjan like before. That's sane. Besides that, I think I need to start establishing a healthier eating routine here because it looks like we're going to be here for a long time.