Talk To Me About Meals Ready To Eat MRE

[GoodSamaritan]

A friend of mine always warns to drink plenty of water with MRE's. Otherwise they will become [b]Meals Refusing to Exit[/quote]

Another friend, who served when MRE's first came out said "three letters three lies"

I have tried a few of them and found them suprisingly tasty.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[ExSoldier]

I have tried a few of them and found them suprisingly tasty.

Wait till you have to live on them 24/7 for a few weeks. It was worse when I was Infantry and testing them, because the only way we had to heat them IF we had time was to bury them in the desert sand at Yakima Firing Center.

When I did the branch transfer to armor in the IRR, it was much easier. First off the concept had finally been proven by that time and they tasted better. Also because I found there were plenty of ways to heat them on an M1 Abrams! Sheeesh in the desert, the surface of the turret is durn near hot enough to literally fry eggs. Just plop the MRE on the turret but don't let it slide off if moving.

[madmike]

Still got my P38, on my key chain. Don't leave home without it.

I remember C-rats, and have lived on MRE's for a couple of weeks, several different times.

If you don't like them, then you simply haven't been hungry.

Keep a bottle of Texas Pete in the top of your ruck, you'll do alright.

mm

[ExSoldier]

have lived on MRE's for a couple of weeks, several different times. If you don't like them, then you simply haven't been hungry.mm

I've been hungry enough to turn my M16 into a harpoon gun (no live ammo handy, only blanks) and kill a wild dog, which my troops promptly turned into BBQ. Excellent tasting. Better than the MRE's, fer sure.

[JaredMcLaughlin]

I had to live on these things for a while not too long ago. The normal crackers are good. The new vegetarian meals are generally horrible. If they are desert colored, they are the new ones. I really think the older, dark brown ones are better. They have real food in them like, Ham Slice. Oh, the new cheese is really good, and there's a jalapeno cheese. Get a few, try them, see what you like. Everyone has their own prefference, and that's where bartering comes in. I really believe they counted on the barter system when they made these things, because there isn't a single one that's good all round. Some have great main dishes, and horrible sides, and vice versa. But you _can_ live on them. the meals with chicken are good imho.

[madmike]

Know what you mean, Ex.

I had rattlesnake for dinner, dispatched with a boot-heal.

Tasty, and a little more "exciting" than the MRE.

I think the MRE's I dealt with were some of the early ones, quite a few freeze-dried items, none of the "self-heating" things.

Now, if we're talking HUNGRY, how's about a nice, juicy grub?

Well, I think I could still stand to loose a few more pounds. . .

mm

[clt46910]

I had forgotten tabasco sauce. A few guys carried a bottle around with them to help the taste of the old C-rats. I even carried one around for a while. It worked on some of the stuff.

[GoodSamaritan]

The new vegetarian meals are generally horrible.

Off topic here, but...

The word vegetarian is actually an old Creek indian word. It means "lousy hunter".

Carry on.

[maclean3]

...now how many of you still have a P38 on your keychain? (You youngin's may not know what I'm talking about!)

Ha! I keep one clipped to a retractor ("zinger") on my fishing vest. It's one my Dad brought home with him from his last overseas duty in Iran (got home one month before the Shah was overthrown ). I use to carry it on my keyring until it opened up one day - ouch!. Got a couple others stashed here and there "just in case" ... they come in handy!
Jack

[ExSoldier]

Know what you mean, Ex.

I had rattlesnake for dinner, dispatched with a boot-heal.

Tasty, and a little more "exciting" than the MRE.

LOL You know, I remember one of the DUMBEST things I have ever seen an E-7 do in my life happened in the Yakima Desert during an FTX: Old Rocky Hauser from the 2nd Ranger Bn had come over to my outfit and was running a platoon. So he's being all HooooooAH for the kids and he catches a fat rattler and has it in his hands, but he's holding it too far down the neck. I'm about to point this out to him just as that old snake casually leaned back in Rocky's grasp and bit that nco right on the web of the hand! As he's slowly sinking to his knees (I'm on my jeep radio calling for the Dust Off) he's giving a valid class on snakebite First Aid! Chopper came shortly and as Rocky disappeared over the horizon, we ate that snake for dinner. He had like six or eight rattles on his tail. Forget what that says about his age. Rocky recovered in fine style but had to put up with some gawd-AWFUL abuse from the other nco's. We screwy looies were still too much in AWE of his Ranger Bn credentials.

[SammyIamToday]

I had to live on these things for a while not too long ago. The normal crackers are good. The new vegetarian meals are generally horrible. If they are desert colored, they are the new ones. I really think the older, dark brown ones are better. They have real food in them like, Ham Slice. Oh, the new cheese is really good, and there's a jalapeno cheese. Get a few, try them, see what you like. Everyone has their own prefference, and that's where bartering comes in. I really believe they counted on the barter system when they made these things, because there isn't a single one that's good all round. Some have great main dishes, and horrible sides, and vice versa. But you _can_ live on them. the meals with chicken are good imho.

The chili mac one is almost edible if you get to use the heater and put about 4 packets of salt in it. I think that's newgen veggie ones. Might have been around for the older ones too. All runs together anymore.

[AgentX]

Commercial hiking food is often lighter and better-tasting, in my humble opinion. MREs have a novelty value, but they're over-packaged. The newer ones aren't so bad on taste, but they do need to be heated to be palatable...then again, they are physically edible when cold, unlike dehydrated stuff, which is nice if you're on the move. They just tend to taste like plastic that way. (The old ones were equally mediocre, hot or cold...)

One thing, though, is that the MREs come with heaters which can lessen your need for a camp stove, if that's a concern. If you're bringing a stove, I'd stick with other options myself. But maybe that's because I've eaten so many (%#)@@#$% MREs...

MD

[QKShooter]

Well, I've found some MREs on Ebay & am going to try a few out first.

The expiration dates are cool but, never can be sure what extreme temp conditions they were stored under.

Since palatable water will not be a problem (at my intended destination location) I might just go with mostly dehydrated to save on weight. I want to keep the combined total weight of "Stuff Carried" to a reasonable minimum.

[ssssthesnake]

mre's are like guns or gun leather is a matter of taste . try a few difrent ones imo we used to trade in the corps some guys liked difrent kinds

[Colin]

We hated your MRE’s back in the 80’s. The Canadian army in Germany drew US rations in the field. Freeze dried everything!!. I still have a wrapped brownie here in my drawer that was so hard that I could beat a man to death with it. Not to mention the joys of having freeze dried hamburger with freeze dried ketchup on top of it, yuck!

We used to trade the Hershey bars to the local German kids for their father’s Heineken (Canadian army has long tradition of alcohol in moderate amounts). Why the kids would want a US chocolate bar in the Mecca of good chocolate is beyond me, but we preferred the beer and weren’t asking questions.