Wornick-packed MRE Menu No.7 Chicken with Salsa
Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 8:01 pm
This is probably the first MRE Ive consumed since 1999-2000 if not longer. This MRE was left over from those handed out after the last major storm hit south Florida knocking out power for three weeks. At first when offered the meal I passed. I cut my teeth on the first series of MREs in dark brown bags. But after roaming this site my MRE cravings surfaced and I finally tore into this one.
The first thing I noticed was the 'Pealable Seal'. Apparently you don't need a knife these days! I don't know if this is due to too many self-inflicted injuries (remember that most 'Yanks' in WWII seemed to open their tinned rations with knives!) or perhaps an attempt to prevent chipped nails in reference to female soldiers and fresh Second 'Balloons'! Anyway...
I peeked inside and saw the familiar boxes and packages. As I removed the contents I heard the sound of something gritty rattling around in the bottom of the main pouch. I placed the contents on the desk in front of me and immediately noticed the 'civvie' M&Ms. I picked these up to take a look at them. Immediately I had my question as to what the gritty stuff in the bottom of the main pouch was when the crushed, broken, and shattered bits of M&M's came spilling out of a separated seam and down the front of my clothes, scattering all over the floor! This is not a good way to start the renewed experience. After cleaning up I sifted among the other contents to make sure the main dish was actually included. I then went back to the M&M's.
Many of the members here - especially overseas where you appear more inclined to retain you agricultural heritage unlike here in America where we can't wait to turn it into track housing - will know what I mean when I say that the M&M's had a barn-yard aroma! That aroma that sits in your nasal passages and has the faint odor of stale hay, cows, horses, goats, and crap. This is exactly what the contents smelled like as I munched away. If anyone needs clarification on this just wait for your local fairgrounds or annual carnival and head into the farm animal 'petting' barn.
I then checked the Accessory Packet and was disappointed to notice the packaging was now clear plastic rather than the foil I remembered. I noticed a 'civvie'-looking packet of Ice Tea that made 8 Fl. Ozs.; a similarly packaged pack of moist towelettes; the long customary bottle of hot sauce; the pack of gum tablets which was just plain white (I once received a huge plastic bag of loose gum - about 3 to 4 pounds! - as a sample from a manufacturer saying they made the gum for the MREs and it was wintergreen(?) white with little green specs) in a clear wrapper and I seem to recall this started to appear in MREs towards the end of the brown bag series(?); the usual 'moisture-resistant' matches; one packet of iodized salt; and one packet of toilet paper.
I then checked the food portion of the MRE. This included (1) pack of Chicken with Salsa; (1) pack of Mexican Rice; (1) pack of Vegetable crackers; (1) pack of Cheese Spread with Jalapenos; and (1) pack of Shortbread Cookies.
I slit the cracker pack open on three sides and peeled the foil back. I remembered how desceptive the crackers are! They may lay there looking innocent but these bad boys have the habit of turning to crumbs the second you try to handle them. In my experiences, the crackers will hold together until after get the spread smeared around. Then as soon as you take your first bite they shatter into bread crumbs ending up a folded pile in the palm of your hand or right down the front of your clothes and into your lap. I leaned back, turned away keeping one eye on these as I carefully pushed them back away from me. I then reached for the cheese spread.
Cheese Spread with Jalapenos? I don't know what happened but it seems every food these days has to have peppers in it? How long will it be until someone asks for 'peppers with a side order of peppers and extra peppers on top... and do you have any pepper sauce?' I figure if this meal has MEXICAN Rice and Chicken with SALSA does it really need Cheese Spread with JALAPENOS? But who am I to ask. So I cut the cheese pack open after kneading it to get it mixed. I then put the pack on the desk and pressed gently to kind of even out the contents. I then pinched the pack in the middle to separate the contents into two roughly even portions. I proceeded to squeeze the first portion out onto one of two cracker squares. My immediate first impression was that this stuff looks - LITERALLY! - like a pale peanut-packed turd. Im sorry... I don't wish to offend. But thats exactly what it looked like! I wish I had a camera or I would have posted a pic so you could judge for yourself. I just sat there looking at this oval-shaped 'intestinal sculpture' sitting on my cracker and knowing my eventual question of 'Whats this gonna look like on the return leg of the trip?", had just been answered. I took a fork and began attempting to spread the cheese around and immediately was reminded of those early MREs and spreading the cheese around. It had that same clumpy appearance like really wet sand. I could squish it with a fork and it would spread out under compression. But once I tried to smear it around it just clumped together. Plus there was that familiar sound! Wet... like really loose cat food. I finally managed to spread the cheese around each large cracker, carefully picked one up and took a very... careful... bite.
Nothing! The cracker actually held up although I admit I bit down very slowly letting the pressure do the work rather than just chomping down. About the third bite the cracker said 'F-it' and folded into the palm of my hand. So I ended up with a jalapeno cheese spread sandwich. The crackers were as I remembered... void of any real taste. I finished the crackers and was quite surprised when I didn't experience this stuff getting stuck right in the center of my chest. The old cheese spread used to if I ate it too fast. The Cheese Spread with Jalapenos was alright. But still... I like the original cheese spread.
I then focused on the main dishes by slitting open the Chicken with Salsa and the Mexican Rice along the long axis of each pouch. The Chicken with Salsa probably had about five or six strips of chicken in it. I think it was cooked a little too long during production. Even if I had heated this MRE I don't think it would have helped. Ive eaten most of my MREs unheated. The chicken broke apart very easily with slight pressure from the edge of the MRE spoon. It also had a very dark appearance come to think of it. Almost looked like steak strips! I then inspected the Mexican Rice and began to squeeze it out of the package to combine it with the Chicken and Salsa. This resulted in the Mexican RIce sliding out of the pack in two solid slabs. Think about the MRE dessert cakes. When they come out of the pack they have an oily sheen on the surface and tend to take on the interior shape of the pouch. Thats exactly how the rice was. It was slightly oily on the surface but broke up very easily. It too could have used more prep time during production. Im guessing it was only cooked about 3/4 of the way with the intent being that heating it with the FRH would provide sufficient time to produce a warm and tender product. As it stands, the best way to describe the texture it to think about cold white rice from the chinese food you ordered the night before and accidentally left sitting out. A bit dry and not tender. After only a few spoonfuls I was starting to feel I was losing this battle. But just then my digestive system remembered and I dug in, extracting heaping spoonfuls of Chicken with Salsa mixed with Mexican Rice. I was a bit surprised that I wasn't feeling negative effects like heartburn while inhaling spoonful after spoonful.
Next up was the Shortbread Cookie! I was looking forward to this! I had longingly gazed at the long narrow tan package while running my hands over it. I didn't test for texture thru the packaging as I didn't want to bruise this delectable morsel. I just figured it would probably be one long thick cookie with the consistancy of soft but firm, chewy oatmeal cookies. I slit the pack open and to my surprise there was a colorful pack looking up at me! This inner wrapper had a color like lime-yellow with some green stripes. I slowly extracted this inner pack from the outer wrapper. I flipped the pack over and read the front only to find to my absolute shock and disappointment it read: LORNA DOONE SHORTBREAD COOKIES! Let me see if I can some up in one word how I felt at this moment....
Ahem... here we go... @*^!%$@*!^%$%&@%@$!&**%$^!@^!*$&@%!%$!$!@^$&%*(%&@%@%$&%&@^%@!$!@^%&^%!@*(&^!
After at least a decade this is what I find in the MRE of today? Did I miss something? I can understand foreign nations incorporating 'civilian'-packaged products into their rations. Many of them have defense budgets smaller than the annual operating budget of some of our individual states! Did I miss the announcements that the U.S. enlistment age was being lowered to 9 years? Was there a report that all branches of military service were having a difficulty in retaining Lieutenants? I don't want to open an MRE and find the same stuff I can find in the snack isle at the grocery store! Does anyone else feel at all disappointed that the MRE seems to be heading into 'campy' territory?
I also noticed the sodium content of this meal alone and it was staggering. I believe the total came up to somewhere around 2,900-something milligrams. Just thinking about it gives me indigestion. But it was close to 3,000-milligrams and I couldn't help but think 'Does anyone REALLY need the packet of iodized salt for this meal? If you're looking for a stroke I can understand. But otherwise....'
Perhaps some of you here can guide me in the right direction to MREs that DO NOT contain civilian-packaging. I would also like all those who remember the 'Meal, Combat. Individual' to please join me at this time by digging out your M1 'piss-pot' helmet, your vintage canteen cup BEFORE the butteryfly handles, some instant coffee, and raising a toast to the MCI... the LAST subsistance item issued to troops in the field with the word 'COMBAT' in the title. That kind of... um... tells you something... don't it!?
Markings:
"3239M2 2 3FF1" on top flap of carton for Chicken with Salsa.
"Chicken with Salsa 332-23" over "3239 M2B P-19076 2 3FF-3" on retort pouch for Chicken with Salsa.
"3253M2 2 2FE [1]"
"Mexican Rice 228-03" over "TWC 3253 M2A 2FE-4" on retort pouch for Mexican Rice.
"3231138" on Vegetable Cracker pack in ink.
"3156A3TP" stamped into the foil along the edge seam on the Cheese Spread with Jalapenos.
"3217122" in ink on the foil pack for the Shortbread Cookie. There is a dot just under the sequence so Im inclined to believe the proper number is "3217.122"? The dot isn't in line with the numbers but just slightly below it and placed as indicated previously.
"326711" over "3 C" on the Accessory Pack. The "3" in the second line appears under and slightly to the right of the "2" in the top line. The "C" appears about two spaces to the right and under the first "1" in the top line. It is also larger in size than the numbers.
Sorry I don't have pics for the above but will provide some just as soon as I can.
The first thing I noticed was the 'Pealable Seal'. Apparently you don't need a knife these days! I don't know if this is due to too many self-inflicted injuries (remember that most 'Yanks' in WWII seemed to open their tinned rations with knives!) or perhaps an attempt to prevent chipped nails in reference to female soldiers and fresh Second 'Balloons'! Anyway...
I peeked inside and saw the familiar boxes and packages. As I removed the contents I heard the sound of something gritty rattling around in the bottom of the main pouch. I placed the contents on the desk in front of me and immediately noticed the 'civvie' M&Ms. I picked these up to take a look at them. Immediately I had my question as to what the gritty stuff in the bottom of the main pouch was when the crushed, broken, and shattered bits of M&M's came spilling out of a separated seam and down the front of my clothes, scattering all over the floor! This is not a good way to start the renewed experience. After cleaning up I sifted among the other contents to make sure the main dish was actually included. I then went back to the M&M's.
Many of the members here - especially overseas where you appear more inclined to retain you agricultural heritage unlike here in America where we can't wait to turn it into track housing - will know what I mean when I say that the M&M's had a barn-yard aroma! That aroma that sits in your nasal passages and has the faint odor of stale hay, cows, horses, goats, and crap. This is exactly what the contents smelled like as I munched away. If anyone needs clarification on this just wait for your local fairgrounds or annual carnival and head into the farm animal 'petting' barn.
I then checked the Accessory Packet and was disappointed to notice the packaging was now clear plastic rather than the foil I remembered. I noticed a 'civvie'-looking packet of Ice Tea that made 8 Fl. Ozs.; a similarly packaged pack of moist towelettes; the long customary bottle of hot sauce; the pack of gum tablets which was just plain white (I once received a huge plastic bag of loose gum - about 3 to 4 pounds! - as a sample from a manufacturer saying they made the gum for the MREs and it was wintergreen(?) white with little green specs) in a clear wrapper and I seem to recall this started to appear in MREs towards the end of the brown bag series(?); the usual 'moisture-resistant' matches; one packet of iodized salt; and one packet of toilet paper.
I then checked the food portion of the MRE. This included (1) pack of Chicken with Salsa; (1) pack of Mexican Rice; (1) pack of Vegetable crackers; (1) pack of Cheese Spread with Jalapenos; and (1) pack of Shortbread Cookies.
I slit the cracker pack open on three sides and peeled the foil back. I remembered how desceptive the crackers are! They may lay there looking innocent but these bad boys have the habit of turning to crumbs the second you try to handle them. In my experiences, the crackers will hold together until after get the spread smeared around. Then as soon as you take your first bite they shatter into bread crumbs ending up a folded pile in the palm of your hand or right down the front of your clothes and into your lap. I leaned back, turned away keeping one eye on these as I carefully pushed them back away from me. I then reached for the cheese spread.
Cheese Spread with Jalapenos? I don't know what happened but it seems every food these days has to have peppers in it? How long will it be until someone asks for 'peppers with a side order of peppers and extra peppers on top... and do you have any pepper sauce?' I figure if this meal has MEXICAN Rice and Chicken with SALSA does it really need Cheese Spread with JALAPENOS? But who am I to ask. So I cut the cheese pack open after kneading it to get it mixed. I then put the pack on the desk and pressed gently to kind of even out the contents. I then pinched the pack in the middle to separate the contents into two roughly even portions. I proceeded to squeeze the first portion out onto one of two cracker squares. My immediate first impression was that this stuff looks - LITERALLY! - like a pale peanut-packed turd. Im sorry... I don't wish to offend. But thats exactly what it looked like! I wish I had a camera or I would have posted a pic so you could judge for yourself. I just sat there looking at this oval-shaped 'intestinal sculpture' sitting on my cracker and knowing my eventual question of 'Whats this gonna look like on the return leg of the trip?", had just been answered. I took a fork and began attempting to spread the cheese around and immediately was reminded of those early MREs and spreading the cheese around. It had that same clumpy appearance like really wet sand. I could squish it with a fork and it would spread out under compression. But once I tried to smear it around it just clumped together. Plus there was that familiar sound! Wet... like really loose cat food. I finally managed to spread the cheese around each large cracker, carefully picked one up and took a very... careful... bite.
Nothing! The cracker actually held up although I admit I bit down very slowly letting the pressure do the work rather than just chomping down. About the third bite the cracker said 'F-it' and folded into the palm of my hand. So I ended up with a jalapeno cheese spread sandwich. The crackers were as I remembered... void of any real taste. I finished the crackers and was quite surprised when I didn't experience this stuff getting stuck right in the center of my chest. The old cheese spread used to if I ate it too fast. The Cheese Spread with Jalapenos was alright. But still... I like the original cheese spread.
I then focused on the main dishes by slitting open the Chicken with Salsa and the Mexican Rice along the long axis of each pouch. The Chicken with Salsa probably had about five or six strips of chicken in it. I think it was cooked a little too long during production. Even if I had heated this MRE I don't think it would have helped. Ive eaten most of my MREs unheated. The chicken broke apart very easily with slight pressure from the edge of the MRE spoon. It also had a very dark appearance come to think of it. Almost looked like steak strips! I then inspected the Mexican Rice and began to squeeze it out of the package to combine it with the Chicken and Salsa. This resulted in the Mexican RIce sliding out of the pack in two solid slabs. Think about the MRE dessert cakes. When they come out of the pack they have an oily sheen on the surface and tend to take on the interior shape of the pouch. Thats exactly how the rice was. It was slightly oily on the surface but broke up very easily. It too could have used more prep time during production. Im guessing it was only cooked about 3/4 of the way with the intent being that heating it with the FRH would provide sufficient time to produce a warm and tender product. As it stands, the best way to describe the texture it to think about cold white rice from the chinese food you ordered the night before and accidentally left sitting out. A bit dry and not tender. After only a few spoonfuls I was starting to feel I was losing this battle. But just then my digestive system remembered and I dug in, extracting heaping spoonfuls of Chicken with Salsa mixed with Mexican Rice. I was a bit surprised that I wasn't feeling negative effects like heartburn while inhaling spoonful after spoonful.
Next up was the Shortbread Cookie! I was looking forward to this! I had longingly gazed at the long narrow tan package while running my hands over it. I didn't test for texture thru the packaging as I didn't want to bruise this delectable morsel. I just figured it would probably be one long thick cookie with the consistancy of soft but firm, chewy oatmeal cookies. I slit the pack open and to my surprise there was a colorful pack looking up at me! This inner wrapper had a color like lime-yellow with some green stripes. I slowly extracted this inner pack from the outer wrapper. I flipped the pack over and read the front only to find to my absolute shock and disappointment it read: LORNA DOONE SHORTBREAD COOKIES! Let me see if I can some up in one word how I felt at this moment....
Ahem... here we go... @*^!%$@*!^%$%&@%@$!&**%$^!@^!*$&@%!%$!$!@^$&%*(%&@%@%$&%&@^%@!$!@^%&^%!@*(&^!
After at least a decade this is what I find in the MRE of today? Did I miss something? I can understand foreign nations incorporating 'civilian'-packaged products into their rations. Many of them have defense budgets smaller than the annual operating budget of some of our individual states! Did I miss the announcements that the U.S. enlistment age was being lowered to 9 years? Was there a report that all branches of military service were having a difficulty in retaining Lieutenants? I don't want to open an MRE and find the same stuff I can find in the snack isle at the grocery store! Does anyone else feel at all disappointed that the MRE seems to be heading into 'campy' territory?
I also noticed the sodium content of this meal alone and it was staggering. I believe the total came up to somewhere around 2,900-something milligrams. Just thinking about it gives me indigestion. But it was close to 3,000-milligrams and I couldn't help but think 'Does anyone REALLY need the packet of iodized salt for this meal? If you're looking for a stroke I can understand. But otherwise....'
Perhaps some of you here can guide me in the right direction to MREs that DO NOT contain civilian-packaging. I would also like all those who remember the 'Meal, Combat. Individual' to please join me at this time by digging out your M1 'piss-pot' helmet, your vintage canteen cup BEFORE the butteryfly handles, some instant coffee, and raising a toast to the MCI... the LAST subsistance item issued to troops in the field with the word 'COMBAT' in the title. That kind of... um... tells you something... don't it!?
Markings:
"3239M2 2 3FF1" on top flap of carton for Chicken with Salsa.
"Chicken with Salsa 332-23" over "3239 M2B P-19076 2 3FF-3" on retort pouch for Chicken with Salsa.
"3253M2 2 2FE [1]"
"Mexican Rice 228-03" over "TWC 3253 M2A 2FE-4" on retort pouch for Mexican Rice.
"3231138" on Vegetable Cracker pack in ink.
"3156A3TP" stamped into the foil along the edge seam on the Cheese Spread with Jalapenos.
"3217122" in ink on the foil pack for the Shortbread Cookie. There is a dot just under the sequence so Im inclined to believe the proper number is "3217.122"? The dot isn't in line with the numbers but just slightly below it and placed as indicated previously.
"326711" over "3 C" on the Accessory Pack. The "3" in the second line appears under and slightly to the right of the "2" in the top line. The "C" appears about two spaces to the right and under the first "1" in the top line. It is also larger in size than the numbers.
Sorry I don't have pics for the above but will provide some just as soon as I can.
