MRE's

[NCO]

When I was doing my time in the army we sometimes had so called "sissipakkaus" (guerilla backages) for food. One pack had one days food for intens recon/raid operations (around 5000 calories) And some water cleaner tablets, desinfection towels and such. On training mission one pack lasted for two days. All it contained could be bought from your local store. Barring the infamous military crisp bread also known as "vanikka"(plywood) and even that was really good. Nothing high tech in it, but it kept you going better than any of us hoped. Usually if the day was busy, as they always were, we just ate the crisp bread during the day and made warm food inside our tent in the night during our "stove watch".
Thus I state that all you really need is crisp bread.

[doc bandit]

I had my share of "C rations" while I was at basic and advance school for the Army. Infact I still carry my P38 that I got in basic in the summer of 82. As far as MRE's go you can try Birgade Quartermaster, they some times have them on sale there. Luckly I haven't had to deal with them while I've been deployed in Iraq this tour. We get them when we do our weekend field training, and our yearly annual training. With enough Hot Sauce and Adobo seasoning they don't taste half bad. But I still bring a couple cans of Tuna Fish for just in case of a bad pick of a MRE

[crashdive123]

What? You don't care for the chicken tetrazzini?

[doren]

I could have been the Country Captain Chicken.

[Alpine_Sapper]

What? You don't care for the chicken tetrazzini?

lol. Nah, nah, the chicken tetrazzini is a'ight. It's that nasty Jamaican pork chop in cinnamon sauce "thing" they want to put in there. Not even the tabasco or the jalapeno cheese can make that thing taste halfway decent. But I can scarf through one in like 20 seconds (just don't taste it *shrug*) on a 72 hour defense.

[Ken]

The ham and chicken loaf. I haven't seen THAT around in a while. It was the most disgusting meat I've ever seen in a package. But still (heh, heh, heh) not as bad as Haggis.

[doc bandit]

Don't forget those LOVELY dried beef and pork patties, also the dried potatoe patty. which were also nasty as all

[Ken]

Don't forget those LOVELY dried beef and pork patties, also the dried potatoe patty. which were also nasty as all

Agreed. Whatever happened to the Frankfurters with "Bean Component" (Not for Flight or Pre-Flight Use).

[doc bandit]

I personaly liked the Frankfurters with Bean Component. Throw the Beans on a hot engine block and grab a stick and cook the dogs over a small fire. When you ran with a Recon Scout Platoon as their "DOC", you could do stuff like that. I almost forgot about the dried fruit. They were pretty good . Another good use for the Bean Component was the good old bean claymore for ambushes.

[Ken]

I personaly liked the Frankfurters with Bean Component. Throw the Beans on a hot engine block and grab a stick and cook the dogs over a small fire. When you ran with a Recon Scout Platoon as their "DOC", you could do stuff like that. I almost forgot about the dried fruit. They were pretty good . Another good use for the Bean Component was the good old bean claymore for ambushes.

I thought this MRE was pretty good, too. Four franks - not bad. I believe that the dried fruit was diced peaches. Came with cheese spread, crackers, brownie, and the accessory pack.

The chow mein and the spiced beef are other ones I miss .........

[WillDeerborn]

It's hard as hell to find MREs around here and when the surplus store does have 'em they go for anywhere from 6 bucks to 9 bucks a pop...But they were the best food I had while I was in the ARMY.

[Rick]

Why buy them? There are plenty of civilian versions on the market. Long shelf life, good food, etc. I'm partial to A-Paks but there are a lot out there.

[JungleBoy]

I'm just surprised no one's pulled out references to Meals Rejected by Ethiopians, or MR. E...

[Ultimate Survivor]

It's hard as hell to find MREs around here and when the surplus store does have 'em they go for anywhere from 6 bucks to 9 bucks a pop...But they were the best food I had while I was in the ARMY.

you must have had some really bad cooks then MRE'S are the worst i have ever eaten, everybody i know says the same, my brother said the yanks were swapping them for british rat packs as the food was better. but each to thier own if you like them ok, not everyone likes frogs legs or liver

[Rick]

I'm just surprised no one's pulled out references to Meals Rejected by Ethiopians, or MR. E...

I guess they have.

[Alpine_Sapper]

you must have had some really bad cooks then MRE'S are the worst i have ever eaten, everybody i know says the same, my brother said the yanks were swapping them for british rat packs as the food was better. but each to thier own if you like them ok, not everyone likes frogs legs or liver

lol. I think he was making a reference to the green eggs and other ghastly pseudo food they used to roll out in the chow halls, or even worse, on LOGPAC when you were in the field and got hot chow. *ugh* I'd much rather go back to the track and eat another MRE than suffer through that gastro intestinal time bomb.

[BK-72]

It's hard as hell to find MREs around here and when the surplus store does have 'em they go for anywhere from 6 bucks to 9 bucks a pop...But they were the best food I had while I was in the ARMY.

I've noticed the same thing, plus many on-line stores seem to be out of tehm too. The exception being http://www.longlifefood.com/

[Ultimate Survivor]

it never ceases to amaze me how men can go into battle, see things that would and often does make people sick, then when they leave the service all they seem to moan about is the poor state of the food.

[crashdive123]

Food on a submarine was great.

[Alpine_Sapper]

it never ceases to amaze me how men can go into battle, see things that would and often does make people sick, then when they leave the service all they seem to moan about is the poor state of the food.

That's because no one wants to think about the rest of that crap. But the food is something universal everyone can complain about in a joking fashion.
You know how it is...

Old cadence:
They say that in the Army, the food is mighty fine.
But a chicken jumped offf the table and started marching time.
They say that in the Army, the coffee's mighty fine.
It looks like muddy water, and tastes like turpentine....
etc.