I'm still working my way through a case of 1982 MREs and I decided to try this one today. It's a 1982 Frankfurters produced by Sopakco. I've had a later version of this menu before and I really didn't care for it. It doesn't help that I'm not really a fan of hotdogs to begin with. Anyway, let's take a look!
As you may be able to see, this MRE includes crackers, grape jelly, beans with tomato sauce, frankfurters, cocoa beverage powder and an accessory pack. Let's a take a look at the accessory packet!
In addition to the standard components, the accessory packet includes a vanilla fudge bar and dehydrated catsup. I wonder why they didn't just call it "ketchup" like most people do.
Here are the frankfurters and beans in their retort pouches.
While these were heating up in boiling water, I decided to prepare an Army mocha by combining the coffee, creamer and sugar with the cocoa.
The creamer was still good in this MRE. In all the others from the same case, with the exception of the Pork Patties menu, the creamer was clumped up. The only thing the two had in common is that they included the dehydrated catsup. And the catsup was also still good, which is a rare discovery in most of these MREs from the early 1980s. Here's a look at the catsup prior to adding water.
And here's the whole ration, fully prepared.
The first thing I decided to try were the beans. Beans in their unprepared form are known to last a very long time so I figured these would also stand the test of time. I almost did. I took a few bites and they seemed to taste okay but it wasn't long before a sour, bitter taste coated my tongue. I believe the tomato sauce was still good, however as I chewed the beans, that's when I noticed they were bad. Next, I tried the frankfurters. These actually tasted okay but I was scared too try much of it. I noticed they were very soft and a bit mushy. I don't know if they were always like that or if that happened over the course of nearly 40 years. They had a very artificial smoke flavoring added and I could tell they were pretty high in sodium. While probably not the worst menu, I'd rather have a beef patty instead. Similarly, when at a BBQ, I always choose a hamburger over a hotdog.
The catsup is very different from regular store bought ketchup. The only way I can think to describe it is that it tastes like sweet and sour paprika, if such a thing exists. It's was probably a welcomed addition but I preferred it on the pork patty instead. The vanilla fudge bar was starting to bloom and the chocolate and the vanilla filling were pretty sour so I had to pass on it.
You may be able to tell that the crackers are a little more toasted than usual and they tasted the part too! Grape jelly is probably my least favorite but it still tasted okay on these crackers. I only wish they were a bit more toasted, in which case I would have not used the grape jelly. Lastly, as one would expect, the mocha was delicious and made even better by the fact that the creamer was still usable.
