Food and rations in the Military

[mack pl]

http://img265.echo.cx/img265/1062/rosjapopaczkizapakowane8gv.jpg
http://img265.echo.cx/img265/327/rosjappoczkiotwarte0yr.jpg
http://img265.echo.cx/img265/2217/rosjappaczkiskadniki4jx.jpg
http://img265.echo.cx/img265/2517/rosjappaczkipuszkiotwieracziku.jpg
http://img265.echo.cx/img265/9539/rosjappaczkiwidokoglny3ge.jpg
http://img265.echo.cx/img265/9075/rosjappaczkicukierekantrakt2on.jpg
http://img265.echo.cx/img265/6083/rosjappaczkimultiwitamina1ca.jpg
.http://img265.echo.cx/img265/8760/rosjappaczki2chusteczkihigieni.jpg

check this out: Russian MRE (http://specops.superhost.pl/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=345)[/img]

[JoaMei]

I thougt you would post a pic of a bottle Vodka.... ;)

Interesting.

[Werewolf01]

A buddy of mine gave me one of those once. I can't remember what was in it but it smelled like ALPO. :oops:

I didn't eat it..

[mack pl]

A buddy of mine gave me one of those once. I can't remember what was in it but it smelled like ALPO. :oops:

I didn't eat it..

thats why you need Vodka :P


p-)

[Werewolf01]

To get you drunk enough to eat it or have something potent enough to wash it down with?

[One_A]

Seriously though, where can I buy one of these in the US? I'm usually up for trying any new food. What are the entree choices? Can anyone translate what's on those labels?

[Herrmannek]

small bags in no order: tea, fruit jam, sugar, ,multivitamines,
cans first is:
1 cereal
2 groats
second:

I don't know what gowiadina is...

two long packages
(chlebcy amrenskije) are probably krackers :)

[VISTREL]

gowyadina = beef

[Werewolf01]

gowyadina = beef

gowyadina= alpo

[Herrmannek]

whats alpo?

[Werewolf01]

whats alpo?

Canned dog food here in the states.

[Herrmannek]

whats alpo?

Canned dog food here in the states.
rofl, when i was looking for an explanation of goviadina on russian sites first page i hit was a dog food store :)

[Werewolf01]

whats alpo?

Canned dog food here in the states.
rofl, when i was looking for an explanation of goviadina on russian sites first page i hit was a dog food store :)
rofl TOLD YOU!!!! rofl

[btdown]

Doesnt look to appealing..I'll take your word for it.

[tenda]

....mh...doesen't look good... :roll: :roll:

[FozzieBear]

they rations look much better... its a lot bigger than mre and sealed with a handle and stuff lol :P

[memphiz]

Just from looking at this you get the feeling "If I ate this I will never **** again"

[VISTREL]

russian **** is much better than most of the crap you eat and get cancer by the age of 50... :lol:

[Werewolf01]

russian **** is much better than most of the crap you eat and get cancer by the age of 50... :lol:

Oh yeah. I can imagine the quality contraol and the unltra modern facilites and all the chemicals that go into the veggies and the meat whiel they are growing. Reeeeal high quality. Packed in Chernobyl so you can eat it in the dark without a light..

[FozzieBear]

russian **** is much better than most of the crap you eat and get cancer by the age of 50... :lol:

Oh yeah. I can imagine the quality contraol and the unltra modern facilites and all the chemicals that go into the veggies and the meat whiel they are growing. Reeeeal high quality. Packed in Chernobyl so you can eat it in the dark without a light.. rofl rofl ill stick to brew kits and sausages and beans ;)

[oldsoak]

Be interesting to know what the menu range is and whether they have specialised rations etc. Keep us posted, this looks quite interesting.

[Michael RVR]

Is that for one meal, or a whole day ?

I have a few Aus ones at home i could break open if people are interested to do a comparison.
:)

[CRAZY MERC]

How can any of you say this is crap without actually trying it?

[TacoDelRio]

No no you guys got it all wrong!

You see, you pack the cans full of plastique and shards of metal, then tie it to a cow and BOOOOOOM!!!

Instant MRE's.
(No wodka)

[Belial]

I wonder what the trading value would be for that in exchange of french RCIR's or US MRE's

[kangur]

Australian Rations


http://www.specops.com.pl/taktyka%20zielona/adf_rat_pack/rationpack_lo.jpg


http://www.specops.com.pl/taktyka%20zielona/adf_rat_pack/ration_menu.jpg

http://www.specops.com.pl/taktyka%20zielona/adf_rat_pack/full_pack.jpg


http://www.specops.com.pl/taktyka%20zielona/adf_rat_pack/chocolate_contents.jpg


http://www.specops.com.pl/taktyka%20zielona/adf_rat_pack/juicy_fruit.jpg

http://www.specops.com.pl/taktyka%20zielona/adf_rat_pack/vegemite.jpg


found em on the net - if any one has better ones - would be a good comparison.

Regards,
Kangur
[/img]

[Catch22]

Mack, repost your French RCIR rewiev. It would be nice to have comparision of combat rations from around the world.

[mack pl]

Mack, repost your French RCIR rewiev. It would be nice to have comparision of combat rations from around the world.

okay ;)

ration de combat individuelle réchauffable

http://img42.exs.cx/img42/8018/S-kafranc1.jpg
http://img23.exs.cx/img23/9210/S-kafranc2.jpg
http://img27.exs.cx/img27/5106/S-kafranc3.jpg
http://img46.exs.cx/img46/3623/S-kafranc4.jpg
http://img46.exs.cx/img46/3623/S-kafranc4.jpg
http://img47.exs.cx/img47/4876/S-kafranc5.jpg
http://img27.exs.cx/img27/5527/S-kafranc6.jpg

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=21864&highlight=french+mre&sid=8a147496c1afee491db820313c471712

[cobalt545]

I couldn't see the picture in the link due to filters on the system at work. If it's the Russian rations that come in the big green plastic container with the handle then I know what you're talking about. I tried these rations in Kosovo in 1999. There were two small cans of some sort of pate, a big can of the same stuff with rice in it, loads of crackers, tea, a big vitamin pill, a candy wrapped in wax paper, and some other small sundry items. The food was so tasteless and bland that I couldn't eat much of it. Sure, there was a lot of food in there but it didn't matter since none of us could eat it. Now I know why the Russian troops in Kosovo were so quick to trade a day's rations with us.

[intelligenzija]

Does anyone have pictures of space food?

[anonymous individual]

I couldn't see the picture in the link due to filters on the system at work. If it's the Russian rations that come in the big green plastic container with the handle then I know what you're talking about. I tried these rations in Kosovo in 1999. There were two small cans of some sort of pate, a big can of the same stuff with rice in it, loads of crackers, tea, a big vitamin pill, a candy wrapped in wax paper, and some other small sundry items. The food was so tasteless and bland that I couldn't eat much of it. Sure, there was a lot of food in there but it didn't matter since none of us could eat it. Now I know why the Russian troops in Kosovo were so quick to trade a day's rations with us.

You got punk'd. :)

Good story, mate. p-)

[mi35d]

Aussie MRE's: Interesting bit of reverse cusine terminology. Usually something that is "minced" means added. So, "Beef minced with pasta" would mean hunks of beef with little tiny bits of pasta thrown in as a garnish. In cooking it would normally be, "Pasta minced with beef" to describe what they're offering.

That and the evil "vegemite"...

As for the Russian stuff, to each his own. Different cultures, different tastes. Hence that Chinese restaurant down the block. Better? Worse? Certainly. Worked with a variety of NATO folks back in the 80's and we would usually joke with each other over the rations. There was usually something in the kit that we would like over our own and vice versa. (German guys actually liked the dehydrated beef patty of the early MRE's.) And there was always a menu item that a soldier from the country of origin couldn't stand as well. That became a solidifying point - no matter what country, there are civilian companies that think a soldier will eat anything, regardless of the taste. (To the US MRE manufacturers: The buttered noodles SUCK. NO one eats them! If you put them in an MRE leftover box, they will remain there for the duration of the mission. Tasteless, bland, warm or cold. People in Afghanistan are using it as a decorative dry wall in house construction.)

[Silent 6]

Does anyone have pictures of space food?

Go to your local science museum, zoo or planetarium...they always have "Astronaut Ice Cream"

When I was in the US Army we had pretty nasty selections of the MREs. The beef stew entree was like alpo. I had that for 3 days out of 5, during a field exercise, and to this day (12 years later) I cannot eat any beef stew of any type!

I do miss the chocolate covered oatmeal bars though....anyone have any of those???

[Freibier]

The first US rations I tried as a kid were small cans with a few crackers on top and chocolate powder below - I really liked it.
Anyone remember them and what they were called?


German rations:
http://img172.echo.cx/img172/4773/epa4lt.jpg
http://img172.echo.cx/img172/3342/epa22sh.jpg

[Roy Batty]

I will grab a Canadian IMP (individual meal pack) when I get back to work on Monday and post some photos of it.

[memphiz]

I will grab a Canadian IMP (individual meal pack) when I get back to work on Monday and post some photos of it.
http://img194.echo.cx/img194/3671/armystuff0021gt.jpg
I had some kicking around

[Roy Batty]

Awsome. Thanks for the save. I refuse to keep them "kicking" around. I don't want to even see them if I can avoid it..lol

[memphiz]

Awsome. Thanks for the save. I refuse to keep them "kicking" around. I don't want to even see them if I can avoid it..lol
Haha no problem.
I only have them becouse I forgot I had them in my ruck, I still have 3-4 more left. Ill never eat them outside of the field, Ill let relatives try them if they dare, lol

[Anonymosity]

russian **** is much better than most of the crap you eat and get cancer by the age of 50... :lol:

Oh yeah. I can imagine the quality contraol and the unltra modern facilites and all the chemicals that go into the veggies and the meat whiel they are growing. Reeeeal high quality. Packed in Chernobyl so you can eat it in the dark without a light..

Chernobyl/Chornobyl is in ukraine...

[GazB]

russian **** is much better than most of the crap you eat and get cancer by the age of 50... :lol:

Oh yeah. I can imagine the quality contraol and the unltra modern facilites and all the chemicals that go into the veggies and the meat whiel they are growing. Reeeeal high quality. Packed in Chernobyl so you can eat it in the dark without a light..

Chernobyl/Chornobyl is in ukraine...

A sensible person once said...


How can any of you say this is crap without actually trying it?

and an experienced person said:

As for the Russian stuff, to each his own. Different cultures, different tastes. Hence that Chinese restaurant down the block. Better? Worse? Certainly. Worked with a variety of NATO folks back in the 80's and we would usually joke with each other over the rations.

When it comes to MREs I guess only western countries have any clue. Of course I have heard that MRE actually stands for Meals Rejected by Ethiopians, but that may just be a nasty rumour... :P

[Carbine]

I'll take some pics of Finnish rations on tuesday and will post them on Thursday, unless someone beats me to the punch. They're affectionately called "Guerilla food packs" :)

Somehow the Russian stuff looks so cold-war-in-the-soviet-union... Red stars and everything. I'd pass on that.

[JoaMei]

I'll take some pics of Finnish rations on tuesday and will post them on Thursday, unless someone beats me to the punch. They're affectionately called "Guerilla food packs" :)

Somehow the Russian stuff looks so cold-war-in-the-soviet-union... Red stars and everything. I'd pass on that.

So they are at least 15 years old, but who cares.... ;)

[Carbine]

I suppose they think canned food doesn't go bad ;)

[Herrmannek]

I suppose they think canned food doesn't go bad ;)
Anyway Israelis are masters in issuing 20+ years old canned food...

[Dima-RussianArms]

Russian MRE

Not really, it is just part of it.
There are number of different MRE (ИРПБ) in use by the Russian Armed Forces.
They differ by content and calorie value.
Ex: regular army troops get 3100 cal, frontline troops 3600 cal, pilots 4400 cal, etc.
The ИРПБ consists of three parts: breakfast, dinner(lunch) and supper.

"говядина" is cows meat.

[koster]

Govyadina aint no fu****g dog food, its beef, tastes very good actually, ate it most of my life, have nothing bad to say about it.
Canned food does have a very long shelf life. We used to get old "tushonka" that was made back in 1946, and wasn't bad or anything.. nobody died from eating it, as far as I know.

the pilots get some really nice MRE's... lucky bastards.

[Herrmannek]

Govyadina aint no fu****g dog food
we know that, but when i tried to find some description for that meal i found a dog food store and someone said that russian meat he tried smelled like alpa thats why the confusion&jokes :)

[Anonymosity]

god all this talking about food is making me INSANELY hungry and im waiting for my parents to bring me my damn lunch! arghhh

[JoaMei]

Govyadina aint no fu****g dog food, its beef, tastes very good actually, ate it most of my life, have nothing bad to say about it.
Canned food does have a very long shelf life. We used to get old "tushonka" that was made back in 1946, and wasn't bad or anything.. nobody died from eating it, as far as I know.

the pilots get some really nice MRE's... lucky bastards.

Why do your Pilots get better stuff? They dont have a harder job than Frontline troops?

[Herrmannek]

Govyadina aint no fu****g dog food, its beef, tastes very good actually, ate it most of my life, have nothing bad to say about it.
Canned food does have a very long shelf life. We used to get old "tushonka" that was made back in 1946, and wasn't bad or anything.. nobody died from eating it, as far as I know.

the pilots get some really nice MRE's... lucky bastards.

Why do your Pilots get better stuff? They dont have a harder job than Frontline troops?
I think those rations are for the case of ejecting or crash landing behind enemy lines or on other hostile(ie enviromentaly) territory... Pilots fly over sea, mountians, deserts and cold places all the time so rations have to be top notch...

[JoaMei]

Govyadina aint no fu****g dog food, its beef, tastes very good actually, ate it most of my life, have nothing bad to say about it.
Canned food does have a very long shelf life. We used to get old "tushonka" that was made back in 1946, and wasn't bad or anything.. nobody died from eating it, as far as I know.

the pilots get some really nice MRE's... lucky bastards.

Why do your Pilots get better stuff? They dont have a harder job than Frontline troops?
I think those rations are for the case of ejecting or crash landing behind enemy lines or on other hostile(ie enviromentaly) territory... Pilots fly over sea, mountians, deserts and cold places all the time so rations have to be top notch...

Ok, that makes sense.

[JoaMei]

A question to the americans or others who tasted the german EPA-mre, how is it compared to what your army issues?

Because I only have experience with ours.

[Dima-RussianArms]

Why do your Pilots get better stuff? They dont have a harder job than Frontline troops?

Because they have to deal with altitude changes and G-forces.

Content and calorie value of meal packages are based on the scientific studies so everything in there is for a reason.


I think those rations are for the case of ejecting or crash landing behind enemy lines or on other hostile(ie enviromentaly) territory...
No, for ocasions like that they have NZ/neprikosnovennyj zapas (untouchable/emergency reserve).


the pilots get some really nice MRE's... lucky bastards.
You should see what Navy and submariners get: smoked meats, caviar and vine + lots of other good stuff
(content varies by package, not available in all areas, must be 18 years or older and enlisted in the Russian Navy)

[Herrmannek]

I think those rations are for the case of ejecting or crash landing behind enemy lines or on other hostile(ie enviromentaly) territory...
No, for ocasions like that they have NZ/neprikosnovennyj zapas (untouchable/emergency reserve).

Anything more about them ?

[Falco]

Do USAAF pilots even get MREs?

[Lightweight 88]

A question to the americans or others who tasted the german EPA-mre, how is it compared to what your army issues?


Ummm... I generally prefer our own (UK), The German ones do have some good items however. There's a rice dish with about 4 or 5 little pork roll things in it and a sort of stew that seems to be mainly peas. They're tasty. The meat paste and cheese are also better than UK equivalents (apart from the cherry jam...It's horrible).

Also quite like hartkeks... sort of like very thick Rich Tea (UK biscuit). Good for dunking in a brew.

Once had the misfortune to try to eat something called Sulze (spelling probably wrong and there should be an umlacht or something).... Scary experience.

[Chuckie]

Do USAAF pilots even get MREs?

I'd like to think that if I was a pilot, that I wouldn't be behind enemy lines long enough to be cooking up meals.

[Marsuitor]

I'm a little bit on the negative side this morning, here's a small review of some of the stuff i've tasted;
- Tried the Russian stuff in Kosovo in 2001. It sucked for content, look and taste. It honestly doesn't look appealing with those "soviet era" colors, tins and wrapping either.

- The French rations tries to be fancy restataurant style gourmet food in a compact field package. It fails IMO. I've had them quite a few times, this might be me, but every time i've cooked them up, the included heater burns the food on the bottom and leaves it cold on the top, with just about edible in the middle. I believe i had fried calamari with wine sauce or something once...

- I have a German one stashed away. Haven't eaten it yet, nor looked at what it's meals are. I see it's the same setup as the French with an included fuel heater. I foresee the same problem here as with the French rations.

- The British and Canadian rations;
These have good content with tasty food and good accessories. I remember seeing the British rations coming out at last place in the US edition of Maxim, but i don't agree with this. The only big thing i'll put my finger on is that they are very impractical with regards to how you heat them. You need a medium sized bowl with boiling water to throw them in to heat them up. This pretty much eliminates them for any emergency or E&E situations had you been carrying them while in a mess. They'd definately been spot-on had they included a US-style MRE heater.

- I know you Americans will hate this, but IMO MRE's are very tasty, varied and good food. The accessories are spot-on too. The biggest problem with them is the fact that they take a huge amounts of space compared to how much food there is. Three MRE bags for 24 hours is too much to carry around. But i guess it's just a matter or stripping them down.
Over here we always make sure we're stashed up with them anyhow. We trade one box of eight Norwegian rations for three American boxes.

[Wilco]

U.S. Rations come with Skittles, ****ING SKITTLES MAN.

[RGRBOX]

Great posts guys... I've been trying testing trading and collecting rations from different countries for some time yet. Those Russian Rations are on my list of rations I need to get. So far of all the ones I've eaten, I life the Dutch 24 hour ration pack the best... just has a lot of food and they taste great. I have a friend who just gave me three different Canadian rations last week. They look good, but because I don't like samon, i've not opened them yet... anyway, I will in a couple of weeks. The French rations are good, but it seems they only have on menu???? maybe it's my luck, I've got a **** load of them last year. the US rations are the ones I've eaten the most, 10 yrs in the US Army, and they have changed a lot since that first C-Ration boy I opend when I was 17. The early MREs were OK, but from what I've heard the new ones are pretty good. I still have about 4 boxes of German rations, but for the love of god, still can get the tins open, they're very flexable, and I've afraid I'm going to cut my hand off trying to open them. I've tried different Swiss rations, I don't know why, but they have several types... they all have a great chocolate in them... and someone told me they have a new one out... I got a can of something once that was dated from the 40's once... it was eatable.... anyway, back to my favorite ration, the Dutch, they are lite weight, and dehydrated, sure you can't eat them on the move like the MRE, but they have a good tast and the fill you up... if they would have been giving out Dutch rations in Rangers school instead of the one MRE per day, then I would have gained weight in those 72 days... anyway, thanks again for all of your posts, and I look forward to seeing soem of the different rations from countries I've yet to experience...

[Wilco]

Chili and Macaroni has to be my favorite MRE. Our(U.S.) MREs are delicious.

Cheese and crackers rocks, the cheese might have properties of rubber, but it tastes good.

[Werewolf01]

russian **** is much better than most of the crap you eat and get cancer by the age of 50... :lol:

Oh yeah. I can imagine the quality contraol and the unltra modern facilites and all the chemicals that go into the veggies and the meat whiel they are growing. Reeeeal high quality. Packed in Chernobyl so you can eat it in the dark without a light..

Chernobyl/Chornobyl is in ukraine...

I am aware of that. I was citing it as an example of fine Russian quality and engineering.

[Herrmannek]

- The French rations tries to be fancy restataurant style gourmet food in a compact field package. It fails IMO. I've had them quite a few times, this might be me, but every time i've cooked them up, the included heater burns the food on the bottom and leaves it cold on the top, with just about edible in the middle. I believe i had fried calamari with wine sauce or something once...


Haha its a flaw of every canned food :) . Just boil from both sides(its safest way too because of very dangerous bacterias that can rise in cans but can be easily killed by firmly heating whole package while still closed

[JoaMei]

So many people have german rations and did not try them?
Does that mean I have to test the MRE? :|

[Belial]

The French rations are good, but it seems they only have on menu???? maybe it's my luck, I've got a **** load of them last year.
Iirc, they come in at least ten different menus with one menu per crate.

To all those who don't know how to heat a can correctly : you'll remember Herrmannek's wise words when you'll either be ****ting your pants or even dying due to a bacteria intoxication ;)

[RecceGuy]

The French rations are good, but it seems they only have on menu???? maybe it's my luck, I've got a **** load of them last year.
Iirc, they come in at least ten different menus with one menu per crate.

To all those who don't know how to heat a can correctly : you'll remember Herrmannek's wise words when you'll either be ****ting your pants or even dying due to a bacteria intoxication ;)

Don't know about other rations but British ones are irradiated after packaging which kills all the bacteria that is in the food so they last a long time (hence people getting 8 year old rations and them still being edible) If this is the case with other countries rations (and I assume it is) then you're not going to get harmful bacteria until you've had the can/package open for a while ie. a day and you try and reheat it.

[Belial]

The French rations are good, but it seems they only have on menu???? maybe it's my luck, I've got a **** load of them last year.
Iirc, they come in at least ten different menus with one menu per crate.

To all those who don't know how to heat a can correctly : you'll remember Herrmannek's wise words when you'll either be ****ting your pants or even dying due to a bacteria intoxication ;)

Don't know about other rations but British ones are irradiated after packaging which kills all the bacteria that is in the food so they last a long time (hence people getting 8 year old rations and them still being edible) If this is the case with other countries rations (and I assume it is) then you're not going to get harmful bacteria until you've had the can/package open for a while ie. a day and you try and reheat it.
Was just taking the piss out of the other guys :)

You never know though ... some thick skulled idiot might feel the need to put an open can aside and reheat it after a few couple of hours ;)

Anyway, eating a french ration that's cold is a sacrilege :)

[Herrmannek]

Almost every can is irradiated now..and sickness still happens very rarely of course...its probability thing some have worse luck than others so beter safe than sorry :)

[Freibier]

Those canned rations taste best when you boil them in hot water.

[RecceGuy]

I was fairly impressed with the French rations when I got some on Salisbury Plain, they were different which is always good. But whats the cheese in MRE's all about??? Its like the silicone sealant you put on your bath!!!!
And as for that black bean burrito thing, no wonder the marines we had attached to us called it "the pouch of death".
But other than that I quite like MRE's.

[Catch22]

As for MRE's I've tried several of them, menu No.21 is my fav.

List of all current (24) MRE menus here: http://www.mreinfo.com/mre-menu-2004.html

[BadKarma26]

Aussie MRE's: Interesting bit of reverse cusine terminology. Usually something that is "minced" means added. So, "Beef minced with pasta" would mean hunks of beef with little tiny bits of pasta thrown in as a garnish. In cooking it would normally be, "Pasta minced with beef" to describe what they're offering.

That and the evil "vegemite"...

As for the Russian stuff, to each his own. Different cultures, different tastes. Hence that Chinese restaurant down the block. Better? Worse? Certainly. Worked with a variety of NATO folks back in the 80's and we would usually joke with each other over the rations. There was usually something in the kit that we would like over our own and vice versa. (German guys actually liked the dehydrated beef patty of the early MRE's.) And there was always a menu item that a soldier from the country of origin couldn't stand as well. That became a solidifying point - no matter what country, there are civilian companies that think a soldier will eat anything, regardless of the taste. (To the US MRE manufacturers: The buttered noodles SUCK. NO one eats them! If you put them in an MRE leftover box, they will remain there for the duration of the mission. Tasteless, bland, warm or cold. People in Afghanistan are using it as a decorative dry wall in house construction.)

thats why they give us this

http://files.turbosquid.com/Preview/Content_on_9_17_2002_18_40_00/tobasco.dxf_thumbnail1.jpgAE5F4248-8672-478D-8B5E4E82E925D57D.jpgLarge.jpg

SO GOOD. yah and jalapeno cheese spread is ****ing outstanding. My favorite US MREs (entrees) are probably chicken and rice, Jamaican pork, beef enchiladas, and cajun rice with sausage. spicy food rocks. tobasco rocks. 'nough said.

[Roy Batty]

They finally just started putting Tabasco in Canadian IMPs.

[Mr Hat]

russian **** is much better than most of the crap you eat and get cancer by the age of 50... :lol:

Oh yeah. I can imagine the quality contraol and the unltra modern facilites and all the chemicals that go into the veggies and the meat whiel they are growing. Reeeeal high quality. Packed in Chernobyl so you can eat it in the dark without a light.. rofl rofl ill stick to brew kits and sausages and beans ;)

rofl rofl . The wet kit is ****e. main meals are crud. Try ****ing eating a treacle pub. It stays the same even after it's been run over and jumped on with old PARA boots. Choco pud is pure white sugar coloured brown and you telling me they nice. but yeah, Bacon and beans all the way.

[Mr Hat]

Out of despiration I once had a 9 yr out of date made in 1985, out of date in 1996 ration which tasted quite nice seeing as how it's older than me. Also older than any SA80. LOL rofl It was chicken and pasta. It tasted quite nice, I was on hard routine so it was eaten cold(Damnit)

[Mr Hat]

err, burp! :bash:

[East]

Maxim did an article on various military rations of the world. I don't remember the specifics, I do know that France was rated the best though, and the British ones were rated the worst. I wouldn't take this to seriously though because there were only like 10 countries in the comparision.

[perdurabo]

Somehow the Russian stuff looks so cold-war-in-the-soviet-union... Red stars and everything. I'd pass on that.

So they are at least 15 years old, but who cares.... ;)
duno how old they are but Russians still use red star symbol like on their AF all planes have red stars... so prabably they are not soo old.

[FozzieBear]

russian **** is much better than most of the crap you eat and get cancer by the age of 50... :lol:

Oh yeah. I can imagine the quality contraol and the unltra modern facilites and all the chemicals that go into the veggies and the meat whiel they are growing. Reeeeal high quality. Packed in Chernobyl so you can eat it in the dark without a light.. rofl rofl ill stick to brew kits and sausages and beans ;)

rofl rofl . The wet kit is ****e. main meals are crud. Try f*** eating a treacle pub. It stays the same even after it's been run over and jumped on with old PARA boots. Choco pud is pure white sugar coloured brown and you telling me they nice. but yeah, Bacon and beans all the way. god those treacle puddings were ****ing rank! it was like eating a block of wood the main meals aint too bad i like the lancashire hotpot but anything beef is nasty, love the yorkies the oatmeal block and the fruit biscuits :D

[oldsoak]

You'll eat anything when you're hungry, you ungrateful lot ! :)

[Mr Hat]

russian **** is much better than most of the crap you eat and get cancer by the age of 50... :lol:

Oh yeah. I can imagine the quality contraol and the unltra modern facilites and all the chemicals that go into the veggies and the meat whiel they are growing. Reeeeal high quality. Packed in Chernobyl so you can eat it in the dark without a light.. rofl rofl ill stick to brew kits and sausages and beans ;)

rofl rofl . The wet kit is ****e. main meals are crud. Try f*** eating a treacle pub. It stays the same even after it's been run over and jumped on with old PARA boots. Choco pud is pure white sugar coloured brown and you telling me they nice. but yeah, Bacon and beans all the way. god those treacle puddings were f*** rank! it was like eating a block of wood the main meals aint too bad i like the lancashire hotpot but anything beef is nasty, love the yorkies the oatmeal block and the fruit biscuits :D

So true! I love the main meals apart from corn beef hash on hard routine(never try it).

[FozzieBear]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y240/hist2004/image003.jpg these are the russian 24hr packs i was on about... anyone got info as to whats inside em?

[CouchCommando]

Here you go:
http://www.mreinfo.com/russia.html
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/8042/russianmenuenglish10242yd.th.jpg (http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=russianmenuenglish10242yd.jpg)
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/733/russianrationold21502lx.jpg

[FozzieBear]

Here you go:
http://www.mreinfo.com/russia.html
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/8042/russianmenuenglish10242yd.th.jpg (http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=russianmenuenglish10242yd.jpg)
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/733/russianrationold21502lx.jpgwow those looks attrocious ill stick to the british 24hr packs thanks :P even though they could do with more in em.

[Chuckie]

Here you go:
http://www.mreinfo.com/russia.html
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/8042/russianmenuenglish10242yd.th.jpg (http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=russianmenuenglish10242yd.jpg)
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/733/russianrationold21502lx.jpgwow those looks attrocious ill stick to the british 24hr packs thanks :P even though they could do with more in em.

Whew... You aren't kidding.. I'd rather eat tree bark..

http://www.mreinfo.com/images/ru/russian-ration-th-parts09.jpg

[Herrmannek]

You would eat anything...

[JoaMei]

Whew... You aren't kidding.. I'd rather eat tree bark..

Basically it takes just one day in the field doing hard work or 40km marching and you will eat it, and it will taste good.
I thought I would never like the EPA packages, but they tasted like mana from heaven if you are really hungry.

Were you REALLY hungryonly one day in your life?

[Chuckie]

Whew... You aren't kidding.. I'd rather eat tree bark..

Basically it takes just one day in the field doing hard work or 40km marching and you will eat it, and it will taste good.
I thought I would never like the EPA packages, but they tasted like mana from heaven if you are really hungry.

Were you REALLY hungryonly one day in your life?

Actually yes, I'm starving right now. I've had food poisoning since last Wednesday and haven't eaten a thing except some broth on Friday (You can read about this in my posting last week in Off-Topic). I've lost 14 pounds in 6 days. That Russian MRE still looks like $hit. I'd rather eat my belt than that.

[Mr Hat]

Whew... You aren't kidding.. I'd rather eat tree bark..

Basically it takes just one day in the field doing hard work or 40km marching and you will eat it, and it will taste good.
I thought I would never like the EPA packages, but they tasted like mana from heaven if you are really hungry.

Were you REALLY hungryonly one day in your life?

Actually yes, I'm starving right now. I've had food poisoning since last Wednesday and haven't eaten a thing except some broth on Friday (You can read about this in my posting last week in Off-Topic). I've lost 14 pounds in 6 days. That Russian MRE still looks like $hit. I'd rather eat my belt than that.

Stupid lamer! :bash:

[Pyle]

http://img265.echo.cx/img265/9539/rosjappaczkiwidokoglny3ge.jpg

is the middle one a CONDOM?

[VISTREL]

yep

[Herrmannek]

tea flavor :)

[Catch22]

Just some tea ;)

[Undo]

I have had the russian 24 hour pack and it is quite qood, or at least not too bad. I would say on par with MREs. If you are looking for an enjoyable culinary experience, you are looking in the wrong place either way. My favorite meals were always stolen...err requisitioned from field kitchens. We once stole...err acquired a whole pan of fresh lasagne...

sigh...good times...

Herrmannek, lol. "just heat the can on both sides before you open it". Your going to cause someone to lose an eye.

[Herrmannek]

Herrmannek, lol. "just heat the can on both sides before you open it". Your going to cause someone to lose an eye.
May I know why? Because only the tea joke comes to my mind... Guy goes to the doctor and complaints that when he drinks tea his eye hurts.. so doctor asks if he takes spoon out of the glass :)

[Undo]

Herrmannek, lol. "just heat the can on both sides before you open it". Your going to cause someone to lose an eye.
May I know why? Because only the tea joke comes to my mind... Guy goes to the doctor and complaints that when he drinks tea his eye hurts.. so doctor asks if he takes spoon out of the glass :)

Oh, I thought you were joking because if you heat the can too long it will explode from pressure. Tricky thing to time. I would at least perforate the can before heating in this fashion if you are serious.

[Resevoir Hogs]

I just came accross an amussing article about a guy(civilian) in Ottawa who is taking a page from Supersize me but instead of Mc****s its the Canadian Forces rations or Individual Meal Packs that are being tested. He's going to eat Breakfast, Lunch and Diner for 30 days and see what the results are gonna be. He'll enjoy such dilicacies as Ham steak and mustard sauce, Tariaki Chicken and the colon compressing Sausage and Hash Brown. I laugh because even after two weeks of eating IMPs I am inclinded to fation a makeshift enema bag and shoot coffee up the runner.
His doctors and a nutritionist will be monitoring his condition and expect him to quote "experience an increase in body fat, decrease in energy levels, and mood changes ranging from anxiety to depression."

You can follow his cronicles of constipation here at his website:
http://www.rationman.blogspot.com/

[JoaMei]

Even if he dies from this, his body will not decompose.... :lol:

[RGRBOX]

He'll be preserved like an egg... That stuff never leaves your system.... I think I passed some stuff from an MRE I ate 12 years ago, last week....

[ValkXB70]

LOL I remember the days of the IMP. First day your body purges all the **** from your body. Then your are plugged up so tight you fart from your ears. After eating normal food again, your body once more purges the remnants of the IMPs you consumed for the past few days. Not fun times ahead for that poor guy.

[RGRBOX]

Sounds like my vacation last year in the UK... the food did the same thing.. I was home for three days before I could take a ****...

On the other hand, after a BA flight to Huston three years ago, the food did the opisite... I **** for three days non stop... and I though someone was pouring tabasco on my ass....

[Lexi]

I'd do it out of own free will.. holy **** I love IMP's.

He's gunna get fat though, those things are loaded with carbs n' calories.
But ohhh god.. mmmmm omelette and salsa...


woot Damn fool, I want me some IMP's :(

[Bartok5]

I'd do it out of own free will.. holy **** I love IMP's.... woot Damn fool, I want me some IMP's :(

Yeah, OK Lexi. I reckon everything's relative. Let us know how you feel when you've had the "pleasure" of eating a non-stop mix of IMPs and MREs for 6 months straight in the Afghan desert. I'd be interested to hear your newfound perspective..... :)

Rations are meant to sustain life during combat operations, full-stop. If you happen to actually enjoy them, then that is a bonus. It is also a rather negative indictment of the care and attention that was provided to you during your formative years. But hey - I'm not here to question anyone's home life.

Military Rations are what they are - essential fuel for military duty. Nothing more, and nothing less. Like 'em or hate 'em, at the end of the day you will certainly eat them (and sincerely appreciate them) if there is nothing else forthcoming. A bit of "suck it up, buttercup", if you know what I'm saying. And if not, perhaps someday you will. Until then, continue to "enjoy" your "boil in the foil" weekend novelty meals..... :D

[Abolith]

I rember going on a week long hiking trip last year and taking nothing but MRE's..took three days before I could take a crap again, and when I did my roommates thought something had died under the house! :lol:

[Johnnyringo]

MRE peanut butter used to stop me up so bad, after I pitched a loaf I felt like I had wrestled an alligator.

[miguelencanarias]

Being a Spaniard, I was really curious about the famous American MREs I saw in movies and news.

Thinking that maybe my fellow European and non-American members of the forum would find this interesting (US grunts are more than used to them, but for us it is something exotic), I performed a detailed analysis of one set.

Next week, I will do the same with Spanish Army MREs, which apparently are so much better that, according to one Spanish Legion NCO, after 3-4 days in the field in joint manouvres, the yanks would sell their mothers AND their virgin sisters to the legionarios for our Raciones de campaña. I don't know, probably it has to do with attraction to new, different things.

The pics are 800x600 or 600x800, and the mp.net forum will resize the pics automatically. So if you want to see a pic in its full size, drag and drop the pic on the address bar of your browser.

I ordered 4 MREs via ebay. I included a CD as a universal measure unit everybody can understand. This is what I got:

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre01.jpg


The packages are rather light, bulky but somewhat soft. Plastic is very resistant:

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre02.jpg


I chose the Turkey breast with gravy and potatoes, its name conveys a certain air of healthy food, not too heavy and tasty.

I was to find out how wrong I was...

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre03.jpg


It is not that easy to open the outer bag without resorting to scissors, but I managed. This is the first thing you see:

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre04.jpg


And after taking everything out of the bag (again, drag and drop the pic on the browser address bar for full size):

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre05.jpg


Main course:

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre06.jpg
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre08.jpg


Other goodies:

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre09.jpg
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre10.jpg
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre11.jpg
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre12.jpg
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre13.jpg


There is a small bag with accessories. Once open, this is what you get:

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre14.jpg


I opened the boxes, here are the products packed:

The crackers are rather decent:

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre15.jpg


The pretzels are strong in taste, I only ate a couple. We evil, American-hating Europeans thought pratzels were forbidden in the military after some high commander almost choked to death with one of them... just kidding. Anyway:

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre16.jpg


The chocolate bar is very dense, one quarter of it is more than enough to fill a non-combatant like me. And I am 1,88 m and 110 kg, I don't get satisfied with little.

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre18.jpg


The heater is interesting for non-American soldiers. It's your average chemical heater, but well designed for field use.

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre20.jpg
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre21.jpg
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre22.jpg
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre23.jpg
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre24.jpg


The main course, extracted from the cardboard case, is a sealed plastic bag:

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre25.jpg.


After heating, this is the result:

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/mre26.jpg


MY CONCLUSION:
Usual remarks about MREs include: taste, calories, body smell and constipation after consumption.

My opinion: considering what it is, the food tastes reasonably good (not the horror stories one hears so often) and is more than capable of satisfying a young male body under severe physical stress. I think MREs should never be consumed if you are not in the field, they are really, I mean really, energized products that can give your heart a run for it if you are not excercising. I can almost feel my blood vessels getting clogged as I type.

The peanut butter was a discovery for me. Peanut butter is almost unknown in Europe, and now I can see why American kids get it all the time. French paté is better, but what the hell.

About the body smell... absolutely true! In the name of all that is holy, do not eat MREs at least two days before you visit your girlfriend, or she will dump you as certain as there is a God in the skies.

The constipation... I don't know what you are talking about, right after I ate the MRE I had to go to the bathroom and dropped everything including the first purée my mom gave me when I was a baby.

In a nutshell, America has done a good job with the rations for the soldiers. And if you are bitching about it, remember that Marines fought the whole Pacific war on their C rations (K rations were for the Army and Navy pussies).

[msnger]

ahaha nice :) thanks
I want some MREs :)
nice pics

[3rdMillhouse]

Nice..........so, what´s with the CD? Is it edible? What is it doing there? Size comparison?

[miguelencanarias]

Nice..........so, what´s with the CD? Is it edible? What is it doing there? Size comparison?
Read the caption above the first picture: "I included a CD as a universal measure unit everybody can understand".

I thought that would be nice, since one doesn't get an idea of the size in pictures where there is nothing to compare.

[thatkidandrew]

size comparison

[LMHZ]

I wait anxious for the analysis of the Spanish "Raciones de Campaña".
Good post. Thanks

_______________________________


Muchas gracias Miguel, te lo has currao. Saludos.

[miguelencanarias]

One note to the Americans: I loved the "do not eat" sign on the chemical heater bars!!... one can't never be too careful... LOL

Things like that are perfectly understandable in a country full of ambulance chasers, where you can sue anybody for almost anything. 'Your Honor, my client ate the chemical bars in the heating bag thinking they were some sort of snack, and we are suing the US Army for 200 million dollars for the pain and suffering sustained afterwards. Excuse me, Your Honor? No, he wasn't retarded BEFORE he ate them. Really. He wasn't...'.

[TriggerHappy]

One note to the Americans: I loved the "do not eat" sign, on the chemical heater bars!!... one can't never be too careful... LOL

Things like that are perfectly understandable in a country full of ambulance chasers where you can sue anybody for almost anything. 'Your honor, my client ate the chemical bags in the heating bag thinking they were some sort of snack, and we are suing the US Army for 200 million dollars for the pain and suffering sustained afterwards. He wasn't retarded BEFORE he ate them. Really'.

It's funny cause it is true.LOL

[SAPPEROIF]

Yea aren't MRE's great...eat one when you haven't for awhile and you won't crap for days.. rofl

[Enduring Freedom]

Thanks for the review.

I look forward to the review of the spanish rations.

[TriggerHappy]

Yea aren't MRE's great...eat one when you haven't for awhile and you won't crap for days.. rofl

Drink lot of water.LOL

[miguelencanarias]

Muchas gracias Miguel, te lo has currao. Saludos.Gracias a ti, hombre.

Thank you for the remarks, man.

[Enduring Freedom]

.........
Things like that are perfectly understandable in a country full of ambulance chasers, where you can sue anybody for almost anything. 'Your honor, my client ate the chemical bars in the heating bag thinking they were some sort of snack, and we are suing the US Army for 200 million dollars for the pain and suffering sustained afterwards. He wasn't retarded BEFORE he ate them. Really'.

Off topic: IIRC US soldiers can't sue the government for things that happen to them during their service.

[3rdMillhouse]

One note to the Americans: I loved the "do not eat" sign on the chemical heater bars!!... one can't never be too careful... LOL

Things like that are perfectly understandable in a country full of ambulance chasers, where you can sue anybody for almost anything. 'Your honor, my client ate the chemical bars in the heating bag thinking they were some sort of snack, and we are suing the US Army for 200 million dollars for the pain and suffering sustained afterwards. He wasn't retarded BEFORE he ate them. Really'.


HahhaHAHhAhAHAHhAhAHAHhAhA that was hilarious.

[ed316]

My favorite was beef stew with tabasco. Coffe was the best. Just chew the coffee crystal, add water, and swish it around your mouth. Instant coffee.

[askDNA]

The peanut butter was a discovery for me. Peanut butter is almost unknown in Europe, and now I can see why American kids get it all the time. French paté is better, but what the hell.


Isnt Pate made out of meat? Do you put it on crackers/bread like peanut butter? Anyways, that meal looked pretty delicious minus the turkey.

[Ipkiss]

I was told that MRE stood for: Meals Rejected by Etheopians.. ;-)
But seriously, we sometimes get the heater issued with some MOM meal during our trips by train to Bergen-hohne. The cabin stinks like hell but it actually works. If I got some spare time soon I'll try to make a review of our dutch 24hr package.

btw: there's nothing wrong with peanut butter!

[miguelencanarias]

Isnt Pate made out of meat? Do you put it on crackers/bread like peanut butter? Anyways, that meal looked pretty delicious minus the turkey.I am not going to tell you of what exactly is paté de foie-gras made of, you would never try it then... and yes, you can spread it on a cracker, a slice of bread or even a nice steak or solomille.

[ca180sx]

My favorite was beef stew with tabasco. Coffe was the best. Just chew the coffee crystal, add water, and swish it around your mouth. Instant coffee.

Hell yea, we do that all the time in the field to keep us awake. I hate MRE's. You eat them so much that theres so little selection after a while and then its the same all over. Plus you can't crap at all and when you do it comes out as an "MRE brick". Nice breakdown of the MRE though. Almost as if you glorified it. They suck....

[miguelencanarias]

I was told that MRE stood for: Meals Rejected by Etheopians..
Other aceptions: Meals Rejected by Everybody, and many more...


But seriously, we sometimes get the heater issued with some MOM meal during our trips by train to Bergen-hohne. The cabin stinks like hell but it actually works. If I got some spare time soon I'll try to make a review of our dutch 24hr package.

Oh, I forgot to mention the smell hanging in the air that made me open all the windows, thanks for reminding me.

I look forward for your review of the Dutch MREs.

[foxtrot023]

Nice review Miguel. As I said before I lived on MREs for a week and they weren´t that bad, or I was very hungry.....as a matter of fact I can´t remember!!! do MREs cause amnesia?????? answer me dammitt...
what was I asking?

[miguelencanarias]

Nice review Miguel. As I said before I lived on MREs for a week and they weren´t that bad, or I was very hungry.....as a matter of fact I can´t remember!!! do MREs cause amnesia?????? answer me dammitt...
what was I asking?
ROFL
They cause erectile dysfunction. Or this is what you have to tell your girlfriend to keep her away while the smell fades away.

[bluffcove]

You ate Military rations off a plate, Man you are brave, Eat it out of the foil then you cant see the food before you eat it!

It never looks as good as it tastes.

has anyone here had the type 2 diabetes inducing treacle pudding from the British packs, They are amazing for the first half hour before your sugar crashes and you feel like shyte

[elephantkiller]

did anyone ever have the ham omlette MRE - it was in the old dark brown bags. i opened one once and seriously almost puked. it was like sewage after it had been in the tropical heat for 2 weeks. my god it was horrible. the best are the kosher meals. i would trade 3-4 regulars for one of the koshers. the vegitarian weren't to bad either.

[Bootneck]

Good review. I'd like to see more reviews of rations from around the world.

[dangerdan87]

Dont Chew The Gum!!!!!!!!!!

[jaybird13]

I've had a spagetti ration. It tasted exactly like anned spagetti.

[miguelencanarias]

I've had a spagetti ration. It tasted exactly like anned spagetti.
anned? sorry, I don't follow... what does that mean?

[SAPPEROIF]

anned? sorry, I don't follow... what does that mean?

rofl um...more than likely meant canned

[Firefly26]

Boy you got the MREs that were always the last ones in the case. You need the beefsteak, or chicken with cavatelli, or the pork chop in jamaican style sauce. There were also some other new ones that were pretty good.

[Irish]

I always found after eating ration packs(MREs)I got constipated,and their designed that way so you don't have to "bring the kids to the pool"every time you eat them! our one are quite good and the Sf get even better ones..

[miguelencanarias]

By the way, what is a 'beef teriyaki'?

[ed316]

Beef cooked in Teriyaki sauce.


http://www.petenelson.com/Photos/Misc/Long%20Life%20Foods%20MREs/Beef%20in%20Teriyaki%20Sauce%20with%20Vegetables/Entree.jpg

[miguelencanarias]

teriyaki being what kind of sauce exactly? hot? sour? sweet?

[ed316]

A sweet soy sauce IMO. It's Japanese I think.

http://www.lowfett.de/Portals/0/Teriyaki%20Marinade%20Gemüse.jpg

[Stryker]

Peanut butter is almost unknown in Europe
In the Netherlands peanut butter is very common!

[miguelencanarias]

In the Netherlands peanut butter is very common!Sorry, I didn't know that. It is in Spain, and I have never seen it in other European countries I have visited (UK, Germany, Austria, France, Slovenia, Italy) so I assumed it wasn't common. My mistake.

[Stryker]

I don't think that's a big mistake. I was myself very suprised when I found peanut butter there last summer (and was even more surprised, when I foundf out, that it looks on the bread like sh*t...)! ;) But the Dutchman have much strange food. ^^

[miguelencanarias]

I agree with you on the peanut butter color... I swear to God, I was hesitant to put it in my mouth.

[Enduring Freedom]

@ Irish_army01

EDIT

:bash:

[Resurrection]

Nothing beats watching Danes get angry.

Now let's step away from the computer, and calm the f*ck down.

[Irish]

edit1234567

[miguelencanarias]

Edited. Thanks everybody.

[JasonH]

Isnt Pate made out of meat? Do you put it on crackers/bread like peanut butter? Anyways, that meal looked pretty delicious minus the turkey.

Yes it is, Liver, fat, some other stuff I'm sure my fiancee is keeping from me hah. But the thing is it doesn't taste like liver at all and it's very good. I ate a ****load of that in france. I'll take it over peanut butter anyday.


I am not going to tell you of what exactly is paté de foie-gras made of, you would never try it then... and yes, you can spread it on a cracker, a slice of bread or even a nice steak or solomille.

Hahaha, my fiancee did that with me, she told me after I tried it.

[Marmot1]

Beef cooked in Teriyaki sauce.


http://www.petenelson.com/Photos/Misc/Long%20Life%20Foods%20MREs/Beef%20in%20Teriyaki%20Sauce%20with%20Vegetables/Entree.jpg


Man, cat food looks better... rofl

[miguelencanarias]

Man, cat food looks better... roflExactly what I thought when I first saw the picture. that reddish hue makes it look like half-cooked meat. Disgusting. But it probably tastes reasonably good. I don't know.

[3rdMillhouse]

paté de foie-gras made

A Duck's liver, it's made of duck liver.

[miguelencanarias]

A Duck's liver, it's made of duck liver.And the penny drops...

[3rdMillhouse]

And the penny drops...


What?! Penny drops? Hold on I´m gonna check a dictionary.

EDIT: ehhehehehehhehe ignore the sentence above

[miguelencanarias]

What?! Penny drops? Hold on I´m gonna check a dictionary.It is an expression. When someone suddenly realizes something and all of a sudden he sees everything clearly. It is a reference to when you stablish communication in a public phone, it happens when the coin (the penny) drops inside the box.

[ZoneOne]

I and many others have survived for weeks on those things. When its the only thing readily available to eat -- you enjoy it... or you go hungry.

110kg - damn your a big boy
;-)

[Roaming East]

You havent run the gastric triathalon that is the Seafood Jambalaya. Ive even everything from week old pizza to a live feeder mouse and nothing has destroyed my entire GI track faster than that particular MRE. I mean shiat through a goose destroyed.
Much like a questionable hook up, its starts off acceptable mainly because your desperate. The act of taking it is acceptable but nothing you'd go back for. its when you wake up that you regret life and pray for death.

[miguelencanarias]

110kg - damn your a big boy
;-)
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/cuba.jpg

I used to make a lot of sports, and the muscle structure stayed. Now I am 36 and obviously you grow bigger due to age. It will happen to you too, if you are young, ZoneOne.

[miguelencanarias]

You havent run the gastric triathalon that is the Seafood Jambalaya. Ive even everything from week old pizza to a live feeder mouse and nothing has destroyed my entire GI track faster than that particular MRE. I mean shiat through a goose destroyed.
Much like a questionable hook up, its starts off acceptable mainly because your desperate. The act of taking it is acceptable but nothing you'd go back for. its when you wake up that you regret life and pray for death.I enjoyed every word of this post. You have a way with words, RoamingEast. Terribly funny. Loved the 'gastric triathlon' thing. Real genious.

[3rdMillhouse]

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/cuba.jpg

I used to make a lot of sports, and the muscle structure stayed. Now I am 36 and obviously you grow bigger due to age. It will happen to you too, if you are young, ZoneOne.


JESUS CHRIST!!!!!!! How tall are you? 2.20 meters?

[Zamboni]

We evil, American-hating Europeans thought pratzels were forbidden in the military after some high commander almost choked to death with one of them... just kidding.

That's pretty funny.

[Abolith]

You havent run the gastric triathalon that is the Seafood Jambalaya. Ive even everything from week old pizza to a live feeder mouse and nothing has destroyed my entire GI track faster than that particular MRE. I mean shiat through a goose destroyed.
Much like a questionable hook up, its starts off acceptable mainly because your desperate. The act of taking it is acceptable but nothing you'd go back for. its when you wake up that you regret life and pray for death.


a LIVE feeder mouse?! that is a story I gotta hear.

[bigvig]

Hahaha, the chocolate bar looks like a turd.


Great thread.

[Wiseman]

I love MREs, the best one is the Veggie burger. It has all of the cool snacks. mmmmmmm.

[Kap]

I still have several MREs of my own under my desk somewhere. My favourite is the Veggie burger!!!! rofl

[Kap]

I still have several MREs of my own under my desk somewhere. My favourite is the Veggie burger!!!! Because it has lots of snacks! rofl

Damn, I just read the post above me after I posted this! I guess great soldier minds think alike! :)


WTF! edit edit edit

[Roaming East]

Well the mouse thing was prompted by the rumour that i would eat anything provided it was meat based.
Flash forward to a friend who owns a rat snake and the rest as they say is history. A hint for any future takers. Bite down on the head fast and just swallow. Chewing just makes it taste worse and they have a habit of pooping in mid crunch

[miguelencanarias]

Well the mouse thing was prompted by the rumour that i would eat anything provided it was meat based.
Flash forward to a friend who owns a rat snake and the rest as they say is history. A hint for any future takers. Bite down on the head fast and just swallow. Chewing just makes it taste worse and they have a habit of pooping in mid crunchok, way too much information, thank you very much, I am not sleeping tonight.

[miguelencanarias]

Man, I ate the MRE this morning for breakfast. I have been unable to eat anything else for the rest of the day, and I feel like pure shyte, on the verge of an embolysm.

Now I got it: MREs are designed to be used by 18-25 year-old healthy servicemen. At that age you could eat a tupperware and your body would take it no problem. I am 36 and I am writing my Will right now!! Jesus I am gonna die today!!

[Lt. James Anderson]

Nothing wrong with MREs unless you have to eat them for four months like we did in Iraq. I thought I was gonna die ... I could actually taste chemicals in them after eating them for so long. The last twenty days I ate only one a day but spent the whole night puking I think my body was rejecting them ... I estimate that I lost at least 20 pounds for those 20 days (my biceps were no thicker than my wrists) ... Good times ... LOL

Spaghetti with meat sauce ... my favorite! Also beef stew ... awesome when you mix it with cheese, crackers and tobasco sauce ...

[miguelencanarias]

4 months? don't you guys have barrack kitchens and stuff? I would die the first week if I had to eat MREs every day.

[Lt. James Anderson]

At first you hate them, then you get used to them (your body I mean)... then you start liking them ... then you hate them even more ... LOL Well, we didn't have anything else to eat ... that was at the beginning of war ... and if you are away from the main base or airport you don't get **** especially if you are in the infantry (people actually fighing the war) ... But, no regrets ... it was an awesome time ... some bad some good experiences ... I'm glad I got to do what I joined the military for.

[Apathy]

Beef cooked in Teriyaki sauce.


http://www.petenelson.com/Photos/Misc/Long%20Life%20Foods%20MREs/Beef%20in%20Teriyaki%20Sauce%20with%20Vegetables/Entree.jpg

That looks exactly like the food that I give to my dog. :<

[Abolith]

Well the mouse thing was prompted by the rumour that i would eat anything provided it was meat based.
Flash forward to a friend who owns a rat snake and the rest as they say is history. A hint for any future takers. Bite down on the head fast and just swallow. Chewing just makes it taste worse and they have a habit of pooping in mid crunch



HAHAHAHAHA I love it!

[Scout Ranger]

this is a good thread.

look forward to a british 24 hr ration review. :)

[oregongrunt]

The worst thread ever, brings back bad memories.

[alphabet]

Mmm, turkey breast and spaghetti, the two meals I actually enjoy. As for the other meals, gross, I'm so looking forward to eating those for another 7 months... In my entire 7 months in Anbar province, I had 8 hot meals (MRE Heaters don't count!, slept on an actual bed with a matress 12 times, took 13 real showers, (not baby wipe showers or dump a bucket of water on you shower!), and called somebody 4 times. In fact I didn't shower for 73 days.

The entire time I was over there I only got pissed one time. Oh and when guys from 1st LAR shot at us in Husaybah during Steel Curtain, even though we popped flares like 5 times. Anyway... those guys from from 1st LAR Weapons company... we were staying at BP Saipan for nearly 2 months and finally we got a chance to go back, they would ferry us to and from camp al-qaim. It's probably around 8 o clock 2000 for you moto guys out there. Well, after an hour long SAFETY BRIEF ON CONVOY OPS for a ride that normally takes us 15 minutes well... it took them almost an hour and a half so we missed breakfast and lunch already well we figured we'd make it for dinner. NOPE! So we get back at around 10'ish that night, and the next day those guys wake us up at 4 in the morning so we can BZO our weapons. Now, I'm not one to argue but I told some Gunny our situation and pretty much told him how it was and how we're not going to the range at all, and told him to charge me. He didn't amazingly and nobody said a word about it! But they had the audacity to try to make US go to a range and BZO our weapons ? Hahaha, yeah right. They were attached to 3/6 and we somehow ended up getting attached to 1st LAR. Kicked out of my own battalion. Oh well!

The things you take for granted when you're there! My back is so messed up now from either one, sleeping in a hole in the ground or two, on a flat wooden board. I mean hell I've got scoliosis now. Don't ask me how, but I have it! I'm 20 years old, with a lot of grey hair, bad knees, a bad back, and 5 lines/wrinkles in my forehead that weren't there until I joined the Corps. But I love it and wouldn't trade anything for it.

Take care everybody! Whoops forgot this was a thread about MRE's...

[dave81]

That's quite a story...I got so caught up in it I forgot this was a thread about MREs!
Anyway I had the pleasure of eating one can of some kind of pork MRE food left over by the Spanish Army in a camp that was renamed to FOB Echo (don't know if it has since been renamed) which I guess was once their HQ before they pulled out.
I was going to save it as a souvenir, since the can had a real pretty symbol of the "Fuerzos Armados" (or is it Fuerzas Armadas? -- meaning Armed Forces). But in the end curiosity got the better of me so I took pictures of the can, then opened it and ate the contents. It was REALLY good! I only wish I could remember what the name of it was.

...By the way, I was once in another Middle Eastern country where the French were camped at and after raiding a building they were housed in (to scavenge for any leftover goodies, of course) we found boxed wine (like juice boxes) that apparently is included with their MREs. Miguel, is the Spanish Army like that too?

[scrybe]

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce is my favorite. I almost forgot about the vegetarian meat patty in BBQ sauce though. It's actually pretty damn good! The texture is exactly the same as the mystery meat in all the other MREs, and the sauce is alright. It only took me about 4 days of a 6 day FTX to get real tired of MREs. I can't imagine how some of you guys deal with it for so long. It's not that they are bad, they just all begin to taste the same.

[chillycraps]

you lucky freaks, wait till you have tried the Singapore army's version... we call it combat ration, we have duck rice, chicken rice, fried noodles... and chrysanthemum tea powder very much like your "instant" coffee.

eek. The thought of it makes me shiver. The infantry here rather dump it along the march route and starve rather than put those things inside our mouth... load reduction. :)

[miguelencanarias]

That's quite a story...I got so caught up in it I forgot this was a thread about MREs!
Anyway I had the pleasure of eating one can of some kind of pork MRE food left over by the Spanish Army in a camp that was renamed to FOB Echo (don't know if it has since been renamed) which I guess was once their HQ before they pulled out.
I was going to save it as a souvenir, since the can had a real pretty symbol of the "Fuerzos Armados" (or is it Fuerzas Armadas? -- meaning Armed Forces). But in the end curiosity got the better of me so I took pictures of the can, then opened it and ate the contents. It was REALLY good! I only wish I could remember what the name of it was.

...By the way, I was once in another Middle Eastern country where the French were camped at and after raiding a building they were housed in (to scavenge for any leftover goodies, of course) we found boxed wine (like juice boxes) that apparently is included with their MREs. Miguel, is the Spanish Army like that too?

Hi Dave! Good story! It is Fuerzas Armadas. The cans (yes, food is canned so the Spanish MRE is sensibly heavier than the US one) are dark green with the logo of the Army (a falcon) on top. The rations include a can opener. Next week I will go into detail about the Spanish MRE.

As for wine in a box (Vino en tetrabrick) instead of the God-mandated glass bottle, well, things like that are the real Horrors of War. Red wine in a cardboard box... godless heathens!

[miguelencanarias]

That looks exactly like the food that I give to my dog. :<I have a feeling, Apathy, that your dog would not only reject to eat the Beef Suriyaki, but he would also look down on you with that 'what the fock is your problem?' stare dogs reserve for when they are truly, truly offended...

[miguelencanarias]

In my earlier thread MREs: detailed look (http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=79460) I promised to take a closer look at the Spanish Army Raciones de Campaña. Here it is.

First of all, you must know that the concept is slightly different than the American MRE. As with the old American K rations, Spanish Raciones de Campaña (from now on: SRC - I just made it up -) are designed as either Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner. There are only 5 menus for each type of meal, codified 1 to 5 for Breakfast, A1 to A5 for Lunch and B1 to B5 for Dinner.

I only have 2 Lunches here. Interestingly enough, one of them is specifically designed for Muslim personnel.


(Pics are hi-res but mp.net will resize them. To see them in detail, simply drag & drop on the browser address bar).


Rations come in a dark green plastic bag. Printed with a low contrast, difficult to read red ink, you can notice from the beginning that there is no clear description of the kind of menu it contains. Knowing that the box contains Lunch A2 doesn't help much if you don't already know what is supposed to have the A2.

You can see the size in this picture, comparing two SRCs with an American MRE and a CD (a measure unit everybody understands). Weight is more or less the same, SRCs being slightly heavier (probably due to the cans inside).

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_01.jpg

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_02.jpg

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_03.jpg



The ink contrast is so poor that you have to literally put the box 5 inches from your eyes to read the text. The Muslim rations are printed in yellow instead of red.

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_04.jpg

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_05.jpg



Inside there is a cardboard box that opens to reveal the instructions, written in Spanish, English and French.

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_06.jpg

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_07.jpg

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_08.jpg
Drag & Drop on the browser address bar to read the text

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_09.jpg
Drag & Drop on the browser address bar to read the text



Much to my dismay, considering how much fun I made of the MREs with a 'Do Not Eat' sign on the heating chemical bars, the SRC include the same warning too!! 'Solid combustible. Not edible' (no sh*t! really?).


Here is the content of the Lunch A2 Menu:

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_10.jpg

Chicken instant soup:
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_11.jpg


Main course. Tripes (typical in some parts of Spain):
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_12.jpg


And squid in its ink (why to put them in military rations is beyond me):
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_13.jpg


Yes, they have the seal of Spain in the cans. Nice, uh?
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_14.jpg


There is bread, but not inside the box. It is supplied apart.

Excuse me if I don't open the cans. I am still recovering from the trial of the MRE Turkey breast with potatoes I ate 2 days ago, and I will puke if I see other than an apple. Maybe next week I will open them to show you the inside.

Even if for the moment I cannot stand the sight of canned military food, let me tell you that while being normal for a Spaniard, the food selected contradicts solid reports about Spanish rations being craved by US soldiers. Why in God's name would a young man under severe physical stress crave for chicken soup, a can of squid in its ink and tripes in sauce, instead of a solid steak or hamburger, is beyond me.

The only thing I can think of is that other menus have better food (maybe #2 is an early trial, and #5 is the best). In the pics below, notice how Menus #4 and #5 contain two more cans than the rest. Therein lies the difference.

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_27.jpg

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_28.jpg
(Pics from another website. Not hotlinked)

The Muslims, by the way, are better off with their menu: Spanish chickpeas are delicious:
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_15.jpg

Quince cream is a dessert that can be taken alone or spread on a cracker. Nice.
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_17.jpg

The many sealed tablets in the SRC serve different functions: water purification, hydrating, heaters, energetic, C vitamin...

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_18.jpghttp://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_19.jpg
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_20.jpghttp://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_21.jpg
http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_22.jpg


And the piece d' resistence: the mini oven. That's right. You fold the metalic sheet and you get a mini oven you can use to heat the cans.

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_25.jpg

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_26.jpg



But my personal favourite is the napkin bag with the seal. I love it.

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_23.jpg



My opinion:
I think the Spanish Army should adopt a few concepts from the American MREs. If you put food in cans you have to provide a can opener in every box, which is not practical. Or make the lid self-opening with one of those rings you pull. Guess what option did they chose...

http://www.olgagurkovska.com/mre/sp_24.jpg

Second, when you are running up and down a hill all day long, you want solid meat, tasty if possible, not squid and tripes (which many people, me included, don't like). Chicken soup? are you kidding?

A quick snack like a chocolate bar would also be appreciated.

Again, all this conflicts with those reports about GIs almost willing to give head for a box of Spanish rations during joint manouvres, so somebody will have to solve the mistery.

Personally, I think the guy who sold me the packages gave me the worst menus available, the equivalent of the American Seafood Jambalaya or Ham Omelette menus.

I hope you liked the thread.

[scm77]

Good reviews!

I want to see what the squid with ink looks like. :lol:

One of the accessories is "Bag with Cellulose paper (10 sheets)" what is that?

[Enduring Freedom]

Nice review, mate!

[mogsniper94]

My guys liked to see how the other half eats.. It may not be better but its different. I feel sorry for ya, because that doesnt seem like alot of meals! Hopefully they will expand the menu like with MREs.

[miguelencanarias]

Good reviews!

I want to see what the squid with ink looks like. :lol:

One of the accessories is "Bag with Cellulose paper (10 sheets)" what is that?Napkins, paper towels.

[scm77]

Thanks.

8910

[aixina]

callos [drooooooooools]
give me a spanish ration over chicken jambalaya anytime,

[QuarterBack]

Nice revieuw!

But the USA MRE looked a lot better! And of course my one dutch MRE's are good to ;)

But you are saying that that Turkey brest with patoes and gravy was really bad, but it looked quite nice! A lot better then what we get here in the netherlands!

Here in the Netherlands we get a can stuffed with patoes en vegitable, or chicken with rice or some other Dutch food. And we have a lot of versions and they are all terrible! ;)

That Squit in ink sounds really bad to ;)

[miguelencanarias]

Nice revieuw!
But you are saying that that Turkey brest with patoes and gravy was really bad, but it looked quite nice! A lot better then what we get here in the netherlands!

I admit my remarks can lead to confusion. The turkey breast was actually reasonably good. What my stomach was unable to take was the whole thing. I mean: MREs are saturated, energized meals designed for young soldiers in heavy physical activity. A civilian cannot take one of those things and hope to get along as if he just ate what his wife cooked at home. That's why my review was positive and at the same time I thought I was going to die.

[miguelencanarias]

I opened an new thread with the review of the Spanish Raciones de Campaña:

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?p=1628764&posted=1#post1628764

[Oscar]

First published in the SFOR Informer #15, July 23, 1997

The outer wrapping looks very business-like and functional - a survivalist-green brick lightened only by a sombre red and yellow flash of the Spanish national flag. The material feels as though it could withstand a fair amount of moisture.

The SFOR Informers RAT RATS (Ration Ready Action Team) is about to launch upon a testing of the "lunch" ration, menu "B" of five menu varieties available to the troops of the Spanish Fuerzas Armadas (armed forces).

The box within is quite small but is very well packed and contains a surprising number of items, including three cans of tinned food. The overall effect of green cans and wrappers was described by one U.K. Royal Air Force tester as "looking like rations used to look." At this point, even before any tasting began, a very favourable remark was made: a U.K. Petty Officer points out that the small, black, chunky and durable-looking can opener provided to give access to the main dishes is, in his opinion, excellent. To show his faith in this opinion, he shows us a can opener obtained from a ration shared with some Spanish soldiers now hanging proudly next to another of the PO’s constant companions - a British ration can opener he has been using since 1979. "It’s even better," he declared, "because it’s also got a bottle opener." Anyone who knows our indefatigable, one-hundred-percent- Brit-is-best PO, will understand just how lofty this praise is.

Having started out by talking about the accessories, let’s get the rest of them out of the way. They include one set of instructions, ten sheets of you-choose-the-use tissue paper, two saline tablets, two water purification tablets, a book of matches and the world’s biggest, I mean really huge, multi-vitamin tablet. There is also a compact, functional, folding metal stove and two heating blocks.

The small pack of liver pate with red peppers got no comment at all from the RAT RATS because I ate it all myself without them noticing - it was rather scrummy. They were all trying to drum up courage to eat pickled mackerel. Again, they were slow of the blocks. I didn’t quite finish it all but while they were pulling faces and asking whether a mackerel is a sea fish or not (cultured bunch, what?), I did some serious damage to the portion. My attention can’t be everywhere, though, and the Royal Air Force RAT RAT was tucking into the 200 grams of stewing steak and declaring that she "wouldn’t sniff at that even in a homemade dish." What she left on the plate was barely enough to allow me to make judgement. Two Americans on the team barely participated on the grounds that they had just started chewing some fresh gum. Not a problem. I glowed all over from a warming packet of instant consommé and finished off with pears in syrup - I almost never eat canned fruit but these were very good quality and didn’t have that tinny taste.

And then it happened, just as I was losing faith in U.S. RAT RATS, back came a young Specialist, tasted the mackerel, and declared it, "Quite good, really."

And that is our overall judgement of these rations "Quite good, really." They are no-bones-about-it combat rations and that is probably why RATS more used to high-tech rations held back a little. They’re high energy and you would become podgy if you ate this quantity three times a day and were not burning it off in the field. We haven’t seen rations for the other meals of the day so are not able to comment on them. And we have to point out that there are no crackers in the ration to put the pate on. How do the Spanish resolve this - is there another box of accompanying goodies somewhere that our suppliers deemed too good to give to us?

http://www.nato.int/sfor/nations/various/spanish/spanish.htm

[Resurrection]

Excellent review miguelencanarias! Thanks.

[BMF_EOD]

I have had a lot of MRE's from different countries and I can say many are more tasteful. I really liked the Australian ones (minus the devils toothpaste- Vegemite). But- I have always liked two things about our MREs.

1. Weight. Carry a weeks worth of MREs that utilize cans to appreciate.

2. Modularity. Most guys I know never eat the MRE at once but thoughout the day. The packing makes this very easy. You can survive on 1 a day like this without feeling too hungry.

I would like to see them include-
1 small pack of baby wipes
something disposable to brush your teeth.

[miguelencanarias]

As you can see, bread (pan galleta) is issued apart.

[Keegan]

The devils toothpaste.....? You just dont know what your missing out on.......

So how many of these gourmet feasts would you take with you when your out in the field.......?

[jaybird13]

Any chance you will be doing reviews of MRE's from other countries?

[Resurrection]

It'd be cool if we could have a sticky with all these MRE reviews.

[Moose]

You should try the French MREs if im not mistaken they get a litle botle of wine ? or am i dreamin this upp.

[Kaplanr]

I like the required health information on the US packets.

Somewhere in a combat zone, under sporadic mortar & sniper fire
Sounds of bullits and shells impacting nearby!

"Sgt., I can't eat this; Doc says I have to cut down on my Sodium and Cholesterol, it'll kill me one day."

Can't wait for your review of Manot Krav (IDF Combat rations) The olives are offset by the not so fine juice powder (a pebble like consistency)

[Pte Schwede]

When i served with UNPREDEP in Macedonia, i tried some MRE:s,
the most nice tasting was the French MRE:s, the most interesting was
the US MRE:s with nice stuff as M&Ms and Tabasco sauce, i pretty much
enjoyed the German MRE:s as well, the absolute most boring was the Swedish 24h rations.

[buttchowder]

Thats cool. Is tripe a big Spanish thing? I personally enjoy it, but I am probably in the minority. Also, what is the quince spread you are showed? Is it like butter or something?

[miguelencanarias]

Thats cool. Is tripe a big Spanish thing? I personally enjoy it, but I am probably in the minority. Also, what is the quince spread you are showed? Is it like butter or something?

Well, in Madrid tripes are big, very traditional. In the rest of Spain, as far as I can tell, really not so much. Personally I can't eat them. I guess they included them to keep up to the Army tradition of bad food. Otherwise I don't know what the story is.

As for the quince, not really butter, it is more consistent. You know what, I promise you all that next week I will open those cans and show you the insides (no pun intenteded - tripes/insides).

[miguelencanarias]

It'd be cool if we could have a sticky with all these MRE reviews.
I am afraid not, as much as I would like. But nothing prevents you from adding your own photografic review of your own country's MRE.

[Freibier]

I'm not sure if I know what tripes are.
If they are what I think they are (cut up cows stomach?) then those rations are the most disgusting ever :|
Thanks for the review anyway!

[I love Rachael Leigh Cook]

Tripe?! Sheesh. I think there is a theory that armies who are in a perpetual bad mood because of the crap food they get are better fighters. That would explain why the Brits managed to conquer the world - the soldiers would do anything to find some real food.

[Roaming East]

Tripe?! Sheesh. I think there is a theory that armies who are in a perpetual bad mood because of the crap food they get are better fighters. That would explain why the Brits managed to conquer the world - the soldiers would do anything to find some real food.
LOL you're my hero for tonite

[Resurrection]

I am afraid not, as much as I would like. But nothing prevents you from adding your own photografic review of your own country's MRE.

In fact there are quite a few things. But what I meant by the sticky proposal was so these excellent reviews of yours wouldn't disappear.

[BMF_EOD]

The devils toothpaste.....? You just dont know what your missing out on.......

So how many of these gourmet feasts would you take with you when your out in the field.......?

If that question is directed to me:

Depends on the mission. A typical hump for most units (non-recon or SO) is 3 Days. I strip down all the dumb stuff in the MRE, keep the stuff that is useful and repackage it. I personally would take 3 stripped down MREs and 4 or 5 powerbars. Water is the most important thing to me and I usually go heavy.

I spent about 4 months with CDT-4. I know what I am missing out on, amd am happy for it. rofl

[AIRBORNEJOCK]

when i was given an mre i thought it was the muts nuts i soon realised that it was good for a period of 1 weeek maximum after that i dont think sustaining yourself on them was realistic.
im not saying british rations are the best inthe world but they are dfo the best ive worked with so far.and after being on op telic for 5 months on them they must be something ok.

[miguelencanarias]

In fact there are quite a few things. But what I meant by the sticky proposal was so these excellent reviews of yours wouldn't disappear.Yes, Resurrection, thank you, having them stick would be nice but I doubt I deserve such attention.

Actually, my first response was directed at the previous message by Jaybird. It is just a mistake, I clicked on the Quote button in your msg. instead of the button in the msg. above.

[Dalamara]

Those vitamins look like condoms.

[QuarterBack]

Well if it is oke, I could revieuw a Dutch MRE ?!

[szr]

Good threads, miguelencanarias
I want to see what the squid with ink looks like. :lol:I'd be interested in seeing pics of the squid as well. :)

[miguelencanarias]

Good threads, miguelencanariasI'd be interested in seeing pics of the squid as well. :)OK, I'll open the cans this weekend and show you the inside.

[Otsoa]

"And squid in its ink (why to put them in military rations is beyond me)"

That is one of my father's favourite dishes. When my Tia put that dish on the table my sisters and I almost made a dash to the bathroom :lol: Spanish rations have come along way since the days of my father's service (he was a cook in a unit based in the Canary Islands)

[miguelencanarias]

Really? wow that is a coincidence. I live in the Canaries.

[Tommer]

I should make a review about the Norwegian Field Rations, those rule!

[grabie_bis]

Hey miguel, where is your "posavasos" CD?

send me a copy ASAP...

[miguelencanarias]

Hey miguel, where is your "posavasos" CD?

send me a copy ASAP...LOL, as if it was me who first had that idea. For the non-Spanish speakers, posavasos is Spanish for coaster. He is making a joke.

[Dan2004]

Well the mouse thing was prompted by the rumour that i would eat anything provided it was meat based.
Flash forward to a friend who owns a rat snake and the rest as they say is history. A hint for any future takers. Bite down on the head fast and just swallow. Chewing just makes it taste worse and they have a habit of pooping in mid crunch

I know where you're coming from. Except for me it involved a bar bet and a small hamster. Yummy!

[Mundzos]

I tried US MRE's and some where really good, while some Russian stuff I tried wasn't that good....How about other people, which MRE's do you like and which ones do you hate....

Also if anybody has US MRE's and would like to get rid of them, let me know...

[Ol' Bob]

I think Chicken tetrazini is the best US MRE, the worst is either chicken with salsa or the cheese omelette

[wotsnext]

I believe US MREs are the modern equivilent of silk stockings in Afghanistan

[Noble713]

I like to mix cheese spread into the clam chowder, but it's good without it.

The tuna is good too, partially because it comes with tortillas.

The various forms of pound cake are simply a gift from the gods.

[Johnnyringo]

The four fingers of death...

or chili...

both equally sh*tty

[Dragonscript]

Tobasco sauce, mixed with the cheese pack, spread on crackers. Still my favorite field snack.

Good/bad MREs all depend on how old the box is and how hungry you are.

[Mundzos]

I still like to take them whenever I go hunting, fishing or camping....It's not like homemade meal, but it's good enough to satisfy my hunger while being outdoors....Too bad that their prices have sky rocketed since Katrina....:-(

[MPNFL]

beef steak with mushrooms MRE. best. EVER.

[Sloppy Joe2]

sloppy joe FTW!

and **** the cheese and veggie omelette!

[Hooahman]

Pound cake in any form is excellent. I wish it was in every MRE :(.

[Cipher]

Cajun rice and jambalaya are the best. The macaroni and chili MRE is pretty good (I think they have M&Ms in them), and the cheese omlette thing is crap.

[Kap]

I like pork rib, chicken noodle, and beef stew.


Cheese Omelette is the EFFING WORST.

[gaijinsamurai]

In my era (1985-91, 1997-2002) beef slices in BBQ sauce, chicken ala king, and the omelettes were the worst. Especially the omelettes.

[cchccrowder]

Cajun rice and jambalaya are the best. The macaroni and chili MRE is pretty good (I think they have M&Ms in them), and the cheese omlette thing is crap.

AMEN! both those are delicious (for being an MRE) the omlette one is crap as well as the maybe sloppy joe? or barbeque or something. i forget. it was terrible and the bun was stupid. vanilla pound cake should be an item in EVERY MRE.

[StrykerLead]

The British boil-in-the-bag stuff was good - Steak and vegetables and the butterscotch pudding were great when out on a cold, wet northern European winters day. Not sure how they'd suit the sandbox though....

I know the Brit Artic stuff was dehydrated - never had to try them though.

[Sgt.Axeman1224]

vegetarian meals are very good but the omelet is the worst ever. I have had it once in basic, took two bites and threw it out. Out of all the MRE's i have ate through the last two years you will always find the omelets untouched.

[pfcsmith1371]

Country Captain Chicken is the worst, the best is pot roast w/ veggies

[kerfuffled]

Not to derail the topic but, Ive heard the Canadian IMP's are among the most sought after field rations. Any comments from those who have tried them?
Beans and Weiners FTW!!!

[Ol' Bob]

I can't believe we forgot about the creamsickle cookie. Or the Oorah/Hooah bar that thing wears my jaw out.

[scottyboy]

In my day (pulls up a sandbag) it was good old Compo....i particularly like the goulash, the tinned cheese was affectionately known as "Possessed cheese" in stead of Processed Cheese it was truly awful.

[jimmyboots]

Country Captain Chicken is the worst, the best is pot roast w/ veggies

qouted for absolute truth! spot on PFC!

[mi35d]

Dehydrated pork patty. First edition of the MRE's.

[pfcsmith1371]

I can't believe we forgot about the creamsickle cookie. Or the Oorah/Hooah bar that thing wears my jaw out.

Dont forget about the Chocolate Sports bar. That thing almost impossible to chew.

[Kap]

Dont forget about the Chocolate Sports bar. That thing almost impossible to chew.

But it is so delicious!!

[Partial_Panel]

Dehydrated pork patty. First edition of the MRE's.

I remember that one. I got one in Boot (1984). We were in field training, and they wouldn't let us prepare them properly, and had to eat it "raw".
It was like eating fish food.

The best rats were the Air Force flight rations/box lunches. On a KC-10 flight to El Centro, CA., I got one with a pastrami & cheese sandwich, apple, hard boiled egg, and a little can of tomato juice. Not bad.

[StrykerLead]

In my day (pulls up a sandbag) it was good old Compo....i particularly like the goulash, the tinned cheese was affectionately known as "Possessed cheese" in stead of Processed Cheese it was truly awful.

The tinned stuff....? I remember some of that in my cadet days (sorry!), hamburgers and alike - it served its purpose

[seraosha]

Ham Slice = Worst
All others are passable, but add "Stable Bread" and you are now in a different realm.

[ShotOver]

Lacking a sweet tooth, I always trade my M&M's and chocolate bars for the tinned fruit and cheese, can't go wrong with some cheese and vegemite on crackers.