military rations

[naga]

for those of you in the service, how do them mre rations taste nowadays?

when i was little my pops would bring tons of these packets home and they usually had some meat packet type thing, cheese, peanut butter, crackers and jelly.

for dessert there was either a fruity pop tart type thing or dehydrated fruit, in which you were supposed to rehydrate but we just ate them like candy bars and just let it melt in our mouth (anyone know where i can pick some of this stuff btw?)

[seahag]

maybe at some store that sells stuff for camping.

[seahag]

http://www.areyouprepared.com/mre.html

[seahag]

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/commerce/command/CategoryDisplay?cgrfnbr=13256091&cgmenbr=226&sort=A

[slackerbot]

MRE's are somewhat tasty these days. there are some you want to avoid. sliced ham, frankfurters, and a few others. blah. the "deserts" are usually Tootsie Rolls, Jolly Ranchers, granola bar, a cookie.

3000 calories in one MRE. weight gainer to go. ;) only bad thing is that if you eat it everyday, you'll get constipated. that stuff sucks the water out of you.

[naga]

Originally posted by seahag
http://www.areyouprepared.com/mre.html

thanks seahag..

Originally posted by mumeishi
but after 4 years at the "asylum" (where they feed you grade d meat.. i kid you not)
gah! now i'm afraid to ask... what the hell is grade d meat?!

Originally posted by slackerbot
MRE's are somewhat tasty these days. there are some you want to avoid. sliced ham, frankfurters, and a few others. blah. the "deserts" are usually Tootsie Rolls, Jolly Ranchers, granola bar, a cookie.

3000 calories in one MRE. weight gainer to go. ;) only bad thing is that if you eat it everyday, you'll get constipated. that stuff sucks the water out of you.

you serious, 3000 calories? ..and i'd imagine your superiors would warn you all of dehydration?

iguess they stopped making that dried fruit thing.. that shit was good. then again i was still little and i haven't eaten a single mre since then. :D

[Asharak]

I can still remember the c-rations from when my dad was in the Army from '77 to '82. I thought they tasted like shit when I was a kid.

The MRE's are alright. I first got to try some in junior high right around Desert Storm. A teacher's husband was in the Air Force and he brought some packets in the classroom one day.

[slackerbot]

Originally posted by naga

you serious, 3000 calories? ..and i'd imagine your superiors would warn you all of dehydration?

iguess they stopped making that dried fruit thing.. that shit was good. then again i was still little and i haven't eaten a single mre since then. :D
hydration is your personal responsibility. i've seen a few people go down as heat casualties. it's not a pretty sight. that was enough incentive for me to stay hydrated. plus, getting the silver bullet was something i wanted to avoid. another incentive. :p

[slackerbot]

maybe i got my hands on some older MRE's because it said 3000 calories for the entire MRE, not just the main course. :p

yeah, pound cakes and cookies are grubbin. even the pineapple chunks were good. shelf bread = :(

[mangamonster]

MRE's don't taste too bad. The rations have come a long way since the nasty 70's. Very similar to canned foods u buy off the shelf. I liked to eat the tuna cassarole mre with lots of Tabasco. The only bad thing was that the candy tended to melt ...exept fo the m&m's. To be honest, marine cooks prepare food much shitier than what an MRE can offer....the honest truth. Fuck th'chow hall.

[mumeishi]

O.o

like i said.. if you can mix the stuff up, you can pretend it's a meal.

the lo mein one sucks.

are you sure about the calorie count? it has to be higher than 1300-1600.. i'll check. i have one leftover at home.

did they get rid of the chocolate chip cookie bar? the last time i got one in an mre was maybe five yeras ago (or.. maybe it came with a box of k-rats). that sucks! that was the only thing i ever liked.

[slackerbot]

i think the chocolate cookie bar was replaced with the chocolate brownie. er, i mean chocolate flavored shelf bread. ;)

[slackerbot]

omg.. if this is the same "sports energy bar" shit they pack in MRE's, then bleh.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0009XH7KO/qid=/br=1-2/ref=br_lf_hpc_2//002-3751393-4123234?v=glance&s=hpc&n=3760901

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0009XH7KO.01.PT01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

[Rev.Bucky]

Originally posted by slackerbot
omg.. if this is the same "sports energy bar" shit they pack in MRE's, then bleh.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0009XH7KO/qid=/br=1-2/ref=br_lf_hpc_2//002-3751393-4123234?v=glance&s=hpc&n=3760901

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0009XH7KO.01.PT01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Right now in my head, I see Al Pacino doing an ad for these!! lol

[randall fairbrook]

i remember my great grandpa talking about d rations in wwI



then my grandpa talking about k rations in wwII

http://www.marauder.org/krations.htm


..then i remember my uncle talking about c rations in vietnam


http://www.qmfound.com/Rations_C_1943.gif


my uncle has a lot of mre's he keeps around, i have tried them..not bad



here is a good page on the history of military rations:

http://www.qmfound.com/army_rations_historical_background.htm

[AddictProne]

nestle makes desert bars which withstand 100 degree heat without melting. I saw it on foodtv.

['jim]

I remember Hershey made tham during Desert Storm.

I've got some very old (no idea) rations around here somewhere; crackers and some dehydrated jelly. I'm not sure why I have them.

[lakeside resort]

which 'bots have served in the military? what's it like? is 28 too old to join the military? what are the benefits, like training and experience and financial and stuff? is it a definite that if one were to sign up now, he/she would be sent to Iraq? I don't believe in this war, though I do believe in the idea of serving one's country.

[herrokitty]

I think you're too old.
And if you don't want to go to Iraq, become a cop or join the coast guard.

[wnoodle]

No offense to the peeps in the military, they're in the thick of it and envy their courage, but I would suggest the same as HK here, consider law enforcement or some other public service occupation.

[tangent23]

French Foreign Legion

[yamchild]

Originally posted by lakeside resort
which 'bots have served in the military? what's it like? is 28 too old to join the military? what are the benefits, like training and experience and financial and stuff? is it a definite that if one were to sign up now, he/she would be sent to Iraq? I don't believe in this war, though I do believe in the idea of serving one's country.

are you planning to be a great writer (http://www.giantrobot.com/forums/showthread.php3?threadid=36717)?

from my observation of people i know who were in the the military, it takes a certain personaility type to serve in the military and be content. someone who's willing to submit to somebody else's discipline, work hard, and not question someone else's authority. it's definitely not for everyone. the flip side is that some people are really ill-suited for civilian life.

[nagasawa]

Originally posted by lakeside resort
...I don't believe in this war, though I do believe in the idea of serving one's country.

I believe that you can serve your country without joining the military.

[nagasawa]

Oh yeah, I like the mashed potatoes and gravy. My cousin is a helicoptor pilot currently on his third "trip" to Iraq.

[lakeside resort]

are you in the military? I know some people that have been to Iraq and some who are currently there.

this is not part of a plan to be a great writer. I do think though that military training is good for men. all South Korean men and lots of men from other countries have compulsory military service. I don't think it'd be a bad idea for American to adopt that policy, but it'd go against most Americans' idea of "freedom," I suppose, to have to do it.

[yamchild]

Originally posted by lakeside resort
are you in the military? I know some people that have been to Iraq and some who are currently there.

this is not part of a plan to be a great writer. I do think though that military training is good for men. all South Korean men and lots of men from other countries have compulsory military service. I don't think it'd be a bad idea for American to adopt that policy, but it'd go against most Americans' idea of "freedom," I suppose, to have to do it.

i come from a country that has compulsory military service for all men, and i don't think it's all that great. i mean, it's good in that in fosters a sense that everybody is in the same boat, that possibly the government would make more considered military decisions because there is so much more at stake. but it's terrible in that i think the military really is not for everyone. besides, what's so great about military training for men? and what about women? if military training is so great for all men, why not put all women in the military, too? what is the difference between the genders that makes military training so good for all members of one gender only? i think if a draft was re-instituted, it should be instituted for all able-bodied people of all genders. then it'll really get people thinking about what it means to force people to serve in the military.

[herrokitty]

i think everybody over the age of 18 with a myspace page should be conscripted or put into a work camp

[lakeside resort]

Originally posted by yamchild


i come from a country that has compulsory military service for all men, and i don't think it's all that great. i mean, it's good in that in fosters a sense that everybody is in the same boat, that possibly the government would make more considered military decisions because there is so much more at stake. but it's terrible in that i think the military really is not for everyone. besides, what's so great about military training for men? and what about women? if military training is so great for all men, why not put all women in the military, too? what is the difference between the genders that makes military training so good for all members of one gender only? i think if a draft was re-instituted, it should be instituted for all able-bodied people of all genders. then it'll really get people thinking about what it means to force people to serve in the military.

Either way, it couldn't hurt. I also believe in school uniforms, and not for the Japanese schoolgirl fetish factor. Hell, put all the girls in the same pantsuits as the boys, I don't care.

[puppy fields]

Originally posted by lakeside resort
is 28 too old to join the military?

I believe 42 is the oldest eligible age

[golivar]

speaking of MREs, this was just on cnn.com yesterday. what a coinkidink.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/05/combat.cuisine.ap/index.html

[herrokitty]

You dont have to pack a gun to serve your country. Sides, you probably couldn't handle one. become a good politician. do some nonprofit work. adopt an asian baby.

[lakeside resort]

are you implying that you can? I see you like to draw out your little battles. that means you're holding a grudge. that's a sign of Oriental rage. you probably have a gun, don't you? maybe I should back off.

[herrokitty]

Originally posted by lakeside resort
are you implying that you can? I see you like to draw out your little battles. that means you're holding a grudge. that's a sign of Oriental rage. you probably have a gun, don't you? maybe I should back off. ๏̯͡๏) ๏̯͡๏)

[lakeside resort]

sorry, I'm not up-to-date on Internet jokes. what is that? anyway, don't ever talk to me again. not even with your indirect snipes. I'm not interested in engaging you further.

[herrokitty]

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q169/Kreas12/l_07077cc53c8b67eb7e9304943d5026ff.gif

[mangamonster]

I served for five years as a 'doc' with the marine corps...aka, yummy target.

On a serious note though, it was the most memorable time of my life...work hard, play hard ;)

I also carry at least one box of MRE's stashed with me at all times since my tour ended.