I feel sorry for our soldiers Ever ate a MRE?

[Kenneth in NC]

Have you ever ate a MRE? We bought several "platoon" size BBQ Rib MRE's. They smelled great but tasted like !@#$%^&* Yuckkkk. My dog didn't even want to eat it. First time it's invited the cats on the porch in 2 years. Our guys/gals deserve much better food than this crap.

The "Cheese and Cracker" MRE turned out to be Austin Cheese Crackers Yup just like you buy at Wally World for $1.29 for 8 packs VS the $1.09 for 1 MRE. I will admit the ShortBread MRE and the Chocolate Filled Cracker MRE tasted OK, The Austin crackers were stale and the Date on the MRE was MARCH 2004.

We tried several other MRE's and it just didn't get better. OK I vented hmmm seemed like it made me more PO'd thinking that someone that might get shot was eating the stuff than the $209 my wife and I invested on this "puke" food substitute.

[Dawndra]

My FIL buys this wonderful meal replacement food type stuff on purpose! He eats them when he's camping.

Now, mind you, he camps in a CAMPER with a full fridge, freezer, stove AND oven. He could make whatever he wants....

Guess I can't complain much, cause I like to eat KFC when I'm camping.. hehe but at least that is food!

[MamaWolfInWV]

I sampled an MRE one time, but not too much sampling went on after the first nibble :haha: If I recall it had all the texture and taste of cardboard. The guys and gals that have to eat those have all my sympathy, although according to family and friends that served way back when the MREs are a gourmet meal compaired to what they were eating then. If I were in a situation where I had to eat them that would be a whole other thing but they are not something that I am going to willingly eat :no: .

[Kenneth in NC]

Dawndra, You and my DW think alike. KFC and homemade deserts when camping. We often cookout the second day but First night I can be 98% sure she'll show up with KFC

[oz in SC]

Some are good-we bought Jamaican Pork Chop(a strange boneless pork chop) and Chicken Tetrazini(pretty good)

We bought them back in 2001 and they are still fine.

Might be where you bought them/if they are actually mil-spec.

[moopups]

Meals Ready to Eat= 4 words - 3 lies.

[NancyinArkansas]

I ate one once and had the diareah before i even finished it-nough said-nancy

Actually our guys kind of liked them when I was in. Some were better than others, and some were good only when warmed up. Unless you are very active, they will put the pounds on you.

[Chuck]

Actually, they are engineered to do just the opposite. All of the empty calories are taken out, so if you are living on a steady diet of them, you'll only need to "go" about once every couple of weeks. No kidding.

[Q_Links]

When my DH was in the army, they said that MRE stood for 'meals rejected by Ethiopians'. Susan

[Dawndra]

that's too funny, Susan!

They even have gormet ones at Cabella's... bought some for the FIL at Christmas.. he was in heaven!

[Pigeon Lady]

Kenneth,

And to think, you got the "New Improved" kind!!!

When I was in Somalia in '93 MRE's were all we had for the first month. It got that when someone opened one I could smell it from yards away. My stomach would churn. I pretty much lived on the cheese and crackers and chocolate cookies.

[mistletoad]

At least MREs don't have canned cheese! Anyone else remember C-rats?

[james dilley]

just think those M R E's are packaged at alot of different plants in this country. and by minumum wage workers who don't care, they take their breaks and leave the machines unattended and no telling what fell in while they were gone . its a sad fact. they even package them here in the valley over in mcallen texas. done by aliens from s.o t b.

Still debating whether they are an improvement over the old C-rations....

[Pigeon Lady]

For a few days a small group of us lived in a hanger at the Kismayuu "airport". It was full of Belgian soldiers (they were the ones securing the place). One of our guys was half Swiss and went over to make conversation with them. The first evening he came back all excited over the French MRE's he'd seen. All the best quality stuff, Brie cheese and a little bottle of WINE thrown in for good measure! We sent him back to see if anyone would like to trade one of theirs for one of ours. They looked at him like he was nuts. Over the course of 4 days we tried to barter everything from flashlights,batteries, flip flops, mosquito nets, you name it. They never would give any up. We were a miserable little bunch!

I don’t think you can get real US military MRE’s outside of the military. You are probably eating the civilian versions. http://www.mreinfo.com/civilian-mres.html. Try not eating for a couple of days and then giving the MRE’s another go. They will probably taste much better. Hunger is the best sauce.

[cowgirlone]

My BIL in the army gave us a couple to try. WHEW! now I know why he requests tabasco in his care packages.

[HermitJohn]

Originally Posted by Chuck

Actually, they are engineered to do just the opposite. All of the empty calories are taken out, so if you are living on a steady diet of them, you'll only need to "go" about once every couple of weeks. No kidding.

I knew a guy who used to brag he only needed to go once every couple weeks. Ate nothing but meat and refined sugars/flour. Colon cancer got him besides having gout and gastric problems of all kinds. He complained elimination was comparable to giving birth to rocks so became dependent on laxatives. Human body wasnt designed to let food putrify in the gut for such a protracted period. Really unhealthy. Healthy diet will make you eliminate 2 or 3 times per DAY without diarreah and without giving birth. Dont want white refined anything nor huge quantities of meat.

[Gary in ohio]

You have to put the meals in proper context. You havent eaten for days, you been fighting for your life with people all around you trying to kill you and your now hungry. MRE are pretty good.

If you buy MRE's dont buy the military MRE's, buy the humanitary MRE's, they are a bit better quality.

MRES are also not ment to be your only meal for months on end, just a meal while out on patrol. A more hearty meal is suppose to be available back at base camp. At least its suppose to work that way in theory.