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I've had a couple of leftover bags from a case of 1984 MREs that I saved for a future review, and one of them was definitely not a "thing" haha..for your reading/viewing pleasure I present Chicken a la King (the main has a date code of 4098). Here's a shot of the contents (yep, I got the unfortunate opportunity of having to try out some 33 year old cheese spread, but luckily it didn't leak or purge its nastyness; everything was in excellent condition..except for, umm, well you know).
-The main
-Fruitcake produced March 3rd, 1984
-Crackers and cheese spread
-Cocoa Beverage Powder, Type 1
-Accessory Packet A (no candy) I'll get this out of the way right now: the crackers were toasted, crunchy, lightly salted..simply delicious. There was absolutely NO WAY I'd ruin and disrespect these crackers by even getting them within close proximity of an open pack of 33 year old cheese spread! But here they are, side by side. This was triple wrapped in old newspaper and tin foil, then thrown away after checking in out. Vile with an absolutely disgusting smell of old, spoiled dairy, chalk and vitamins...weird. Folks, the Chicken a la King was fantastic! It has great, fresh color with only the lightest hint of a metallic taste. It was barely noticeable! I've had much stronger hits of metallic flavor in MRE retort mains that were 20 years older, and those were inedible! Not this puppy..flakey chunks of mostly white chicken, firm green peas, red bell pepper and only a few mushrooms. I usually get a dog food type smell from some of these meals, but nothing of the sort! There was something that appeared to be a filler of sorts, it could have been the food starch & wheat flour. The fruitcake tasted soooooo good people! It sure doesn't photograph well with the dark walnuts, but make no mistake, these nuts were fresh with absolutely no rancidity or bitterness..perfect!!! The raisins, pineapple and cherries were delicious! Cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon rounded out this fabulous dessert and the aroma was well balanced. Typically cloves overpower anything it's paired up with, but not in this case...plus the pineapple and cherries had a nice firm crunch to them (just like the cherry nutcakes, I totally love those!) The coffee instant (2.2 grams) and the cocoa beverage were perfect too (along with the creamer and sugar..no clumping!) I prefer my coffee instant to be strong, so I usually go with 4 fluid ounces rather than 8. Add creamer and sugar, and that's a nice cup o' joe my friends!

I'm nearing my photo upload limit so I guess that I'll wrap this up..oh, the gum. DONT EVER go into this old MRE gum like you would with something newer folks. I didn't hurt myself but your apt to crack or lose a tooth if you don't go slow! Be careful! This meal was so damn fresh you guys, I'm not even exaggerating or joking around. I had a couple more photos of the Chicken a la KING that I wish there were room to add. It was perfect, and so was this fruitcake. What a meal! I still have a case of 1982 brown bags (still double banded) that came from the same lot..I can't wait to check them out and share with you guys. Well, I have some KING to finish in my kitchen! Take it easy!

Amazing that so many components were in that great of shape! Never had the pleasure to try chicken a la king, but if/when I do I hope it's half as good as yours looked. I may just avoid the cheese outright though.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing!

Great review, brave man.
It's amazing how rations last, well past recommended dates.
I have a 25 yrs old french 'Mackerel in Mustard Sauce' main I'm willing to post if you are game
Yowie

Yowie wrote:Great review, brave man.
It's amazing how rations last, well past recommended dates.
I have a 25 yrs old french 'Mackerel in Mustard Sauce' main I'm willing to post if you are game
Yowie

Hey Yowie,
Everything (with the exception of that cheese spread) was better than you could ever expect for a 33 year old MRE! I wish I could have recorded it. Break out that French main, sounds gnarly!

Thanks so much for sharing this, NuWorldMann! Truly a wonder of food storage - and a great look into such an iconic classic menu. Fantastic review!

steve1989 wrote:Thanks so much for sharing this, NuWorldMann! Truly a wonder of food storage - and a great look into such an iconic classic menu. Fantastic review!

Thanks Steve! It was a blast to do that's for sure. What a meal, I was getting pretty excited as I went further into reviewing it, and it shows! Next up, probably this weekend, will be frankfurters with bean component

JT1991 wrote:Awesome! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks JT, and you're welcome

Evergreen21 wrote:Amazing that so many components were in that great of shape! Never had the pleasure to try chicken a la king, but if/when I do I hope it's half as good as yours looked. I may just avoid the cheese outright though.

Stay away from the cheese Evergreen! And bury it if at all possible Yeah, I was literally blown away at the quality..just amazing. Thanks again!

Great review. The first time I ever had an MRE was in 1984 in a field exercise. I was fascinated and adored it. Even if it was a mess of preservatives and stodge. Your review took me back to a happy and curious time; thanks!