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MREs!
17 years ago
General
I've had the privilege to try some of the food that American Troops eat while deployed, a type of laminated foil-packed field ration best known as the "Meal, Ready-to-Eat" or "MRE".
I bought them from a local surplus store, and while most are meals that are offered by civilian MRE manufacturers (who make MREs for emergency use, disaster relief, mercenaries, wanna-bees, etc.), some are not on the menus for the civilian suppliers --- they might have been real GI MREs!
Having tried a lot of MRE dishes, I've decided to post a review of how they turned out when I opened the packets to eat them.
Troops, backpackers, and paint-ball players take note; this is what you can (likely) expect whn you open them up to eat them!
BEEF STEW
Quality:10/10
This was VERY good, kind of like Dinty Moore Beef Stew, but in a pouch rather than a can. The only Beef Stew that's any better is homemade beef stew!
CREAMY CHICKEN TETRAZZINI
Quality:4/10
It was OK, but that's about it --- not a meal I'd look forward to at the end of the day.
The Flavor was VERY bland, the texture mushy, and the chicken seemed to be the only ingredient with and flavor (or texture).
Not all that good.
CHICKEN WITH CHUNKY SALSA
Quality:4/10
It has some nice ingredients and a good texture...
...but it's watery, too tomatoey, and easily the blandest MRE entree I've yet eaten.
Bleh!
MEATBALLS IN MARINARA
Quality:10/10
This was incredible! I was really surprised at just how good it was --- it's just like the meatballs and marinara sauce made by Subway restaurants!
If you're lucky enough to have any bread with you while eating this culinary delight, be sure to make a sandwich with it (or at least dip it in the sauce).
I highly recommend it,
MEXICAN-STYLE MACARONI AND CHEESE
Quality: 6/10
It's a bit plain, but the flavor and texture aren't bad --- as long as you heat it first.
On the down side, it's actually a bit TOO spicy, and all those chili seeds have to be spit-out constantly.
It was the standard side-dish of ALL the MREs that actually HAD a side-dish, but it's only a filler at best.
VEGETABLE OMELET WITH CHEESE
Quality:1/10
It was DISGUSTING! One of the worst-tasting things I ever ate!
Both the flavor and texture are flat-out NASTY, and it looks like it was packed in the Reagan years (maybe it was --- word has it that the Army "re-issues" some of it's MREs every now and then, in order to meet command expectations of quantity).
I only gave it a one because of TWO reasons; it sat well without making me sick, and like all MREs, it NEVER spoils.
In short; it's good to fill your stomach... but eat it early-on, and save better entrees for later!
VEGETABLE PATTY IN BARBEQUE SAUCE
Quality:10/10
I was very surprised at this one --- it was delicious!
It's flavor, texture, and even aroma are all highly desirable. Even the sauce is very good.
The only regret I had when I ate it, was that I didn't have a SECOND helping!
It's also a Vegan dish, so it should be palatable to almost anyone.
Highly recommended.
CHICKEN CAVATELLI
Quality: 9/10
This consists of a chicken breast in a tomato sauce with mushrooms and something called "rib meat"
It's quite delicious and has a pretty good texture, but "rib meat" sounds very cryptic to me; it's probably just chicken rib meat, but you can't help but wonder.
It's very good, and I'd take it with me on any camping trip --- or to WAR!
CHICKEN WITH DUMPLINGS
Quality:7/10
I found this to be thick, creamy, and... bland. The dumplings were a bit mushy as well, and the gravy had a somewhat sickly color..
Otherwise, I would have given it a higher rating.
It's OK, but skip it unless you either want to try it, or if better alternatives are available.
HDR RATION CRACKERS
Quality:10/10
These come wrapped in a VERY TOUGH laminated foil packet, and are LOADED with vital nutrients. They have a great flavor to them, and a nice and very unique texture --- not soft or crunch, but more like "munchy".
This type of ration was designed for the Humanitarian Daily Ration (HDR), hence the title, and was designed primarily to combat starvation rather than provide regular meals. None the less, it's good with jelly, gravy, or sauces over it --- as a complement to other dishes --- or by itself as a snack to eat while on a march.
The best part is; it's very satisfying to eat (if not filling), but doesn't make you want to eat lots of them, as though they were popcorn.
In short, the HDR cracker is awesome.
RYE CRACKERS
Quality:10/10
These are crisp, delicious, satisfying, and they complement almost any dish very well.
My only regret is that I cannot buy these at my local grocery stores.
Highly recommended!
NEW MILLENNIUM ENERGY BARS
Quality:1/10
These are utter CRAP. Don't eat them unless you are starving, and have nothing else!
They have a creepy smell to them, don't taste terribly fresh. They look like plaster, and that's the consistency of them.
It has way, way, WAAAAAAAAAYYYY too much sugar in it, tons of artificial sweeteners, and has virtually NO FRUIT CONTENT, despite being FRUIT-FLAVORED (the "Tropical Fruits" bar had no fruit pulp or juice, other than coconut shavings!).
They'll make you body temperature spike, give you NO ENERGY, and them make you tired and eventually sick to your stomach ---guaranteed.
The package is also VERY hard to open --- that's the best part!
FIG BAR
Quality:8/10
It's kind of like n over-sized "Fig Newton" bar, and has a fig paste filling.
It's soft, chewy, sweet, nutritious, and it keeps.
Good stuff.
TOASTER PASTRY
Quality:7/10
Will somebody PLEASE tell the DoD that US Troops don't carry toasters into the field!
Seriously though, you can cook it with a ration heater (see below). It's similar to a cinnamon "Pop Tart", and it's soft, chewy, and sweet. VERY sweet. As in, "don't spread grape jelly over it, like I did" sweet.
If only the Omelet were any good, this would be a perfect side...
GRAPE JELLY
Quality:8/10
This is basically identical to the grape jelly packets you find at restaurants.
It's a good spread for Rye or HDR crackers, or you could just eat it out of the packet if you're on a march.
It tastes pretty good and it'll give you some extra energy... but otherwise it's basically just ordinary grape jelly.
FLAMELESS RATION HEATER
Quality: Deadly --- DO NOT EAT!!!
It looks a bit like a graham cracker, but it's full of poisonous and corrosive chemicals, and should NOT be eaten no matter what!
Follow the directions on the package in order to use it to cook an MRE packet --- without ever starting a fire!
All you need is fresh water, an unused MRE heater, and an MRE packet.
Just be sure to keep any significant source of heat --- such as open flame or exposed electical wiring --- FAR from this ration, as one of the by-products of the heating process is Hydrogen gas, which can EXPLODE!
That's all of the MREs that I've tried thus far. Let me know if you have any questions about them, or if there's a specific MRE entree you'd like me to try/be your guinea-pig for.
XD
I bought them from a local surplus store, and while most are meals that are offered by civilian MRE manufacturers (who make MREs for emergency use, disaster relief, mercenaries, wanna-bees, etc.), some are not on the menus for the civilian suppliers --- they might have been real GI MREs!
Having tried a lot of MRE dishes, I've decided to post a review of how they turned out when I opened the packets to eat them.
Troops, backpackers, and paint-ball players take note; this is what you can (likely) expect whn you open them up to eat them!
BEEF STEW
Quality:10/10
This was VERY good, kind of like Dinty Moore Beef Stew, but in a pouch rather than a can. The only Beef Stew that's any better is homemade beef stew!
CREAMY CHICKEN TETRAZZINI
Quality:4/10
It was OK, but that's about it --- not a meal I'd look forward to at the end of the day.
The Flavor was VERY bland, the texture mushy, and the chicken seemed to be the only ingredient with and flavor (or texture).
Not all that good.
CHICKEN WITH CHUNKY SALSA
Quality:4/10
It has some nice ingredients and a good texture...
...but it's watery, too tomatoey, and easily the blandest MRE entree I've yet eaten.
Bleh!
MEATBALLS IN MARINARA
Quality:10/10
This was incredible! I was really surprised at just how good it was --- it's just like the meatballs and marinara sauce made by Subway restaurants!
If you're lucky enough to have any bread with you while eating this culinary delight, be sure to make a sandwich with it (or at least dip it in the sauce).
I highly recommend it,
MEXICAN-STYLE MACARONI AND CHEESE
Quality: 6/10
It's a bit plain, but the flavor and texture aren't bad --- as long as you heat it first.
On the down side, it's actually a bit TOO spicy, and all those chili seeds have to be spit-out constantly.
It was the standard side-dish of ALL the MREs that actually HAD a side-dish, but it's only a filler at best.
VEGETABLE OMELET WITH CHEESE
Quality:1/10
It was DISGUSTING! One of the worst-tasting things I ever ate!
Both the flavor and texture are flat-out NASTY, and it looks like it was packed in the Reagan years (maybe it was --- word has it that the Army "re-issues" some of it's MREs every now and then, in order to meet command expectations of quantity).
I only gave it a one because of TWO reasons; it sat well without making me sick, and like all MREs, it NEVER spoils.
In short; it's good to fill your stomach... but eat it early-on, and save better entrees for later!
VEGETABLE PATTY IN BARBEQUE SAUCE
Quality:10/10
I was very surprised at this one --- it was delicious!
It's flavor, texture, and even aroma are all highly desirable. Even the sauce is very good.
The only regret I had when I ate it, was that I didn't have a SECOND helping!
It's also a Vegan dish, so it should be palatable to almost anyone.
Highly recommended.
CHICKEN CAVATELLI
Quality: 9/10
This consists of a chicken breast in a tomato sauce with mushrooms and something called "rib meat"
It's quite delicious and has a pretty good texture, but "rib meat" sounds very cryptic to me; it's probably just chicken rib meat, but you can't help but wonder.
It's very good, and I'd take it with me on any camping trip --- or to WAR!
CHICKEN WITH DUMPLINGS
Quality:7/10
I found this to be thick, creamy, and... bland. The dumplings were a bit mushy as well, and the gravy had a somewhat sickly color..
Otherwise, I would have given it a higher rating.
It's OK, but skip it unless you either want to try it, or if better alternatives are available.
HDR RATION CRACKERS
Quality:10/10
These come wrapped in a VERY TOUGH laminated foil packet, and are LOADED with vital nutrients. They have a great flavor to them, and a nice and very unique texture --- not soft or crunch, but more like "munchy".
This type of ration was designed for the Humanitarian Daily Ration (HDR), hence the title, and was designed primarily to combat starvation rather than provide regular meals. None the less, it's good with jelly, gravy, or sauces over it --- as a complement to other dishes --- or by itself as a snack to eat while on a march.
The best part is; it's very satisfying to eat (if not filling), but doesn't make you want to eat lots of them, as though they were popcorn.
In short, the HDR cracker is awesome.
RYE CRACKERS
Quality:10/10
These are crisp, delicious, satisfying, and they complement almost any dish very well.
My only regret is that I cannot buy these at my local grocery stores.
Highly recommended!
NEW MILLENNIUM ENERGY BARS
Quality:1/10
These are utter CRAP. Don't eat them unless you are starving, and have nothing else!
They have a creepy smell to them, don't taste terribly fresh. They look like plaster, and that's the consistency of them.
It has way, way, WAAAAAAAAAYYYY too much sugar in it, tons of artificial sweeteners, and has virtually NO FRUIT CONTENT, despite being FRUIT-FLAVORED (the "Tropical Fruits" bar had no fruit pulp or juice, other than coconut shavings!).
They'll make you body temperature spike, give you NO ENERGY, and them make you tired and eventually sick to your stomach ---guaranteed.
The package is also VERY hard to open --- that's the best part!
FIG BAR
Quality:8/10
It's kind of like n over-sized "Fig Newton" bar, and has a fig paste filling.
It's soft, chewy, sweet, nutritious, and it keeps.
Good stuff.
TOASTER PASTRY
Quality:7/10
Will somebody PLEASE tell the DoD that US Troops don't carry toasters into the field!
Seriously though, you can cook it with a ration heater (see below). It's similar to a cinnamon "Pop Tart", and it's soft, chewy, and sweet. VERY sweet. As in, "don't spread grape jelly over it, like I did" sweet.
If only the Omelet were any good, this would be a perfect side...
GRAPE JELLY
Quality:8/10
This is basically identical to the grape jelly packets you find at restaurants.
It's a good spread for Rye or HDR crackers, or you could just eat it out of the packet if you're on a march.
It tastes pretty good and it'll give you some extra energy... but otherwise it's basically just ordinary grape jelly.
FLAMELESS RATION HEATER
Quality: Deadly --- DO NOT EAT!!!
It looks a bit like a graham cracker, but it's full of poisonous and corrosive chemicals, and should NOT be eaten no matter what!
Follow the directions on the package in order to use it to cook an MRE packet --- without ever starting a fire!
All you need is fresh water, an unused MRE heater, and an MRE packet.
Just be sure to keep any significant source of heat --- such as open flame or exposed electical wiring --- FAR from this ration, as one of the by-products of the heating process is Hydrogen gas, which can EXPLODE!
That's all of the MREs that I've tried thus far. Let me know if you have any questions about them, or if there's a specific MRE entree you'd like me to try/be your guinea-pig for.
XD
You can find MREs --- civilian, military, or even both --- at your local military surplus store. You can also buy them online, but I'd only buy them from a licensed distributor if I were you (avoid E-bay).
also, here's an MRE info site you might find interesting;
http://www.mreinfo.com/
As far as buying any go, technically the military MRE isn't legal for sale but the government doesn't really worry about enforcing that (not enough of them disappearing off of trucks and probably because it's food which is a basic human need unlike say a crate of grenades or ammo going missing), and after a flood of them (no pun intended) were shipped out for Katrina victims the MRE market saw a spike in sales. I'm waiting to see if a friend can find me some since he's in the military and can guarantee what he finds is real. Plus since they have a long shelf life (in the Schlock Mercenary webcomic after a few centuries they actually improve to the point that those from our age are heavily sought after) I think they can handle my waiting a bit longer before hitting a surplus store.
Even so, MREs have three distinct advantages;
1- They're lighter than C-rations
2- They're smaller and more compact than C-rations
3- They're cheaper and faster to produce than C-rations
yeah they may be more expensive, larger and heavier.
But they taste better are resistant to nukes, can take a beating and have a wider application because you can fit just about anything in a 12oz can. they use P38s (can opener) and they were sharp as hell. Lets see you kill a man with an MRE. At best you’ll give them a nasty paper cut!
for you kids out there a c-rat or C Ration is THIS
Here is how you use them. Lets see you make a coffee cup out of an MRE!
C-rat cooking manual
You've just sold me on C-rats. Unfortunately, they're harder to come by these days than MREs. You can also fill them up with TNT, nails, scrap metal, shredded C-rat can fragments, broken P-38s, and so on, and make a simple, improvised landmine out of them (US troops are trained to do this --- and have --- but back in the day, it seemed that "Charlie" used this trick more often...).
"Lets see you kill a man with an MRE. At best you’ll give them a nasty paper cut! "
Or, you could fill it with something squishy, place it where "Gomer" will set foot and slip on it, and plant punji sticks where he'll land...
You'd think that the larger networks would have caught on by now?
Seriously though, corporate TV are out to do exactly what that title suggests --- make money.
Educational TV aside, there was a time, long ago, when I would actually TURN MY TV ON during Saturday mornings. That was because there were really cool cartoons on TV at the time. Making money was a primary objective with these older programs as well, but they also had halfway decent animation, and were driven by a coherent story (a lost art, not only in cartoons, but apparently in MOST TV shows as well...).
Now when you look at Saturday morning cartoons, I swear they're ALL product-pushers. How many variations of Yu-Gi-Oh (and the dorky little card games it promotes) will there be before the madness ends?
No more do we get Flash Gordon or Blackstarr where people could be seen getting hurt or killed and seeing that guns weren't toys to play with or even He-man which had realistic looks at things (helped having a psychologist consultant for every episode). Or even Robotech when it came out where you see two obvious deaths of lead characters within 2 episodes. What little we do see is censored anime that's dumbed down because apparently american kids aren't as smart and able to handle it as the japanese kids are.
I've read that Tabasco Sauce is a key factor in determining the authenticity of MREs, and that the stuff is also really popular with troops in the field.
XD