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Unloved by generations of soldiers, the MRE finds a fan base

nytimes.com

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Re: Unloved by generations of soldiers, the MRE finds a fan base

#12

Post by huitzitziltzin »

jimmygrapes wrote: post #3

Can't read due to pay wall but I'm kind of offended by the headline. MREs have gotten better over the years, give or take a few missteps, and haven't been anywhere near bad (yes, even veggie omelet can be salvaged) for decades. The current lineup[0] is downright decadent, at least in the US, and has been for longer than any writer at NYT has been alive. [0]: https://www.mreinfo.com/mre-menus-2021/

Don’t worry. The article is broadly complimentary to the scientific wonder which is the MRE, but does dutifully report several of the many less than complimentary nicknames they have acquired from their primary user base over the years.

Re: Unloved by generations of soldiers, the MRE finds a fan base

#14

Post by babaganoosh89 »

Animats wrote: post #7

Wornick, which makes most of the real MREs, used to sell a civilian version. Their brand was "MIL-SPEC", and then "Eversafe". Now they don't seem to want to sell those at retail, probably because they normally ship by the shipping container load and the eBay resellers can't handle that much product. Everybody seems to be out of stock on civilian MREs right now, except for resellers who are doubling the price. (Each m…

Chili Mac is the best flavor IMO, especially if you combine the cheese spread with it.

Re: Unloved by generations of soldiers, the MRE finds a fan base

#15

Post by creaghpatr »

kevinventullo wrote: post #9
jimmygrapes wrote: post #3

Can't read due to pay wall but I'm kind of offended by the headline. MREs have gotten better over the years, give or take a few missteps, and haven't been anywhere near bad (yes, even veggie omelet can be salvaged) for decades. The current lineup[0] is downright decadent, at least in the US, and has been for longer than any writer at NYT has been alive. [0]: https://www.mreinfo.com/mre-menus-2021/

Looks tastier and more varied than most school lunches I recall. Not a ton of vegetables unfortunately.

Some view that as a feature!

Re: Unloved by generations of soldiers, the MRE finds a fan base

#16

Post by dikei »

iszomer wrote: post #8
drmpeg wrote: post #2

Steve1989MREInfo https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2I6Et1JkidnnbWgJFiMeHA Nice!

I love this guy's channel. He's the only guy I've seen who has the guts to eat MRE's dated since WWII and perhaps older. The most recent I've seen was him comparing MRE's from the PRC (yes, China), Taiwan, USA, Russia, etc.

I remember Steve video about China's MRE where he had stomach problem after eating. Eat some biscuit from WW1-era: totally fine, eat some chow mein from PRC's MRE: instant diarrhea

Re: Unloved by generations of soldiers, the MRE finds a fan base

#18

Post by forgotmyoldname »

ravenstine wrote: post #4

That pound cake that comes with many MREs is one of the best things I've ever tasted. It actually has a kind of fakey/chemically flavor to it (if I remember it's usually apple flavor?), but for some reason it's still good, and the moistness and texture of the cake is exceptional. I wish they just sold those pound cakes by themselves.

Lemon pound cakes were the best. Loved eating those as a kid, as well as the spicy cheese paste.

Another fun thing as a kid was lighting the gas on fire that was emitted by the chemical heaters.

Re: Unloved by generations of soldiers, the MRE finds a fan base

#19

Post by bobthepanda »

drmpeg wrote: post #2

Steve1989MREInfo https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2I6Et1JkidnnbWgJFiMeHA Nice!

And Emmymade: https://www.youtube.com/c/emmymade

Emmymade is a more general food/cooking channel though. I do enjoy it, mostly because she'll give anything a chance once and isn't dismissive of food she isn't familiar with or doesn't prefer.

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