A case of 1988 MREs...yum!
Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2005 3:33 pm
Packed seventeen years ago, put into storage somewhere, moved to the California Wing Civil Air Patrol headquarters storage facility, and then -- when they wanted to get rid of all their junk -- finally sold to yours truly about nine years ago for (I think) $12 a case . . . I put a few individual meals aside and the rest are in storage.
So, recently, I thought it would be a good idea to update my emergency supplies and get a case or two of current MREs. Done. Now, what about these old ones? Let's crack open a couple and try 'em out!
The Beef Stew was very good. Nice texture and very tasty. Meatballs (can you really call them that? "Meat Marbles" is more fitting) in tomato sauce was also still pretty good. My favorite so far was the "Pork with rice in BBQ sauce". Very yummy.
I found that most of these taste best when I used the crackers to scoop/dip into the mixture and eat it that way. Who needs a spoon! Besides, the tomato sauce and the BBQ sauce are rich enough that you need the crackers to help balance out the taste. The crackers by themselves have a "processed" taste to them anyway.
These old MREs had dehydrated fruit in some of the meals. I had pears with one of them. A little water from the cooler helped make these edible. They're soft and recognizable on the outside and tough and chewy on the inside. That's good eatin'!
The main component that suffers with these old MREs (other than an eater with a weak stomach) is the drink mixes. Not only do they clump an crystalize, but it took a considerable amount of shaking in a half-litre water bottle to get this stuff to resemble something potable. Even then, it had an "off" taste. Feh! Just gimme a beer!
Coffee is still coffee; cocoa is still cocoa; and so on. I'm sure many of you have way too many green matchbooks and oddly-folded tissues in your collections.
Not bad. Three out of twelve meals in an impromtu, uncoordinated tasting. Now, if I can only find the rest of the case, I'll do a more thorough examination and taste test. Pictures, too! If I get sick, you get to see those pictures as well. (Lucky you.)
So, it's out to the garage or into the closets or into the shed or...well, I'll let you know when I find them.
Until then, happy dining.
Capt Bob
So, recently, I thought it would be a good idea to update my emergency supplies and get a case or two of current MREs. Done. Now, what about these old ones? Let's crack open a couple and try 'em out!
The Beef Stew was very good. Nice texture and very tasty. Meatballs (can you really call them that? "Meat Marbles" is more fitting) in tomato sauce was also still pretty good. My favorite so far was the "Pork with rice in BBQ sauce". Very yummy.
I found that most of these taste best when I used the crackers to scoop/dip into the mixture and eat it that way. Who needs a spoon! Besides, the tomato sauce and the BBQ sauce are rich enough that you need the crackers to help balance out the taste. The crackers by themselves have a "processed" taste to them anyway.
These old MREs had dehydrated fruit in some of the meals. I had pears with one of them. A little water from the cooler helped make these edible. They're soft and recognizable on the outside and tough and chewy on the inside. That's good eatin'!
The main component that suffers with these old MREs (other than an eater with a weak stomach) is the drink mixes. Not only do they clump an crystalize, but it took a considerable amount of shaking in a half-litre water bottle to get this stuff to resemble something potable. Even then, it had an "off" taste. Feh! Just gimme a beer!
Coffee is still coffee; cocoa is still cocoa; and so on. I'm sure many of you have way too many green matchbooks and oddly-folded tissues in your collections.
Not bad. Three out of twelve meals in an impromtu, uncoordinated tasting. Now, if I can only find the rest of the case, I'll do a more thorough examination and taste test. Pictures, too! If I get sick, you get to see those pictures as well. (Lucky you.)
So, it's out to the garage or into the closets or into the shed or...well, I'll let you know when I find them.
Until then, happy dining.
Capt Bob
