1980 Production LRP - Chicken & Rice - Full Review!

[steve1989]

Hello again, I want to first thank everyone that posts any information about Rations. You are contributors to a very interesting and un-tapped hobby and historical reference.

Here is one of my many new reviews that I will be posting - after a long gestation period of some very interesting U.S. ration reviews I have this as my re-introduction into this obscure and sometimes seemingly quite risky detailed analysis of military rations of the past.

Food Packet - Long Range Patrol - Menu 8 - Chicken and Rice

The pack is overall 20% smaller than a regular MRE. Trust me, if you saw one in person - it would be noticeably smaller looking compared to a regular U.S. MRE.


As with your usual vintage mre, the packaging is dark brown. After further investigation I ruled that this LRP was produced around September-November 1980.

When I opened the accessory packet, I naturally buried my nose in the 30 year old air immediately - as I always do with these old rations.
The smell is almost indescribable - you see, the Hydrogenated Oils along with the Cocoa and 30 years of "aging" kindof turn in a Nickel-Based "Motor-Oily" Rancidity that you will only 100% fully understand if you actually opened one of these and smelled one for yourself.

I have been for the last several years anticipated the day I would enjoy the experience of testing an old LRP " "Fudge Bar" Dessert.
I finally get this chance - and I gotta say it was somewhat disappointing.

The Chocolate Fudge Bar had that strange rancid oil W/ cheap chocolate smell.... naturally I like the Savage I am, still bit into it - I ingested 2 small bites and got the full experience of rancid hydrogenated oils and old sorbitol - they put that Sorbitol in there to keep you from getting constipated by the way - it's a sugar alcohol, but it was originally designed as a baby laxative back in the day.
I threw it out after giving it a solid chance - not without solid photo's, though...!

The hot chocolate from these old LRP's are incredible! This one in particular tasted better than any other ration cocoa I've ever had! And that's saying alot!
What an incredible experience! 32 year old Hot Chocolate - and it was the best I've ever had.

You get 2 Coffee's in these LRP's... it's the old-school Type 1 with ascorbic acid as a preservative. You can taste the ascorbic in it.. it's noticeable, indeed. I split the sugar between the 2 and drank 1 full coffee - it was not enjoyable I must say. But I champed it out anyways because I hate wasting rations.
These old Type 1 coffees fascinate me - they remind me of the smell like an office break room from 20 years ago. Just a different smell - I cannot explain it.

The Creamer was still intact and did not turn into one solid mass like they usually do within 25-30 years time. Other than that it was like any other creamer.

There was no interdental stimulator in the packet. This applies for any other time I open an old ration accessory packet the Interdental Stimulator is never there! Robbery, I say! heh

The Chicken & Rice was perfectly intact - no pinholes or anything that damaged it in any way after all these years.

As for the taste test - I tear it open and it proceeds to to the vacuum 'hiss' that we all so satisfyingly love to hear when opening our Rations.
Add the allotted amount of hot water and you immediately smell the freshly sealed in time chicken & rice come to life, again.

The chicken was slightly chewy - alot of dark meat. It tasted very good, though and was very moist and flavorful. If I were on a long Recon Patrol out in the field ... well I would certainly enjoy the portability of this very practical and tasty little ration.

Betty (My old dog) and I ate it. I ate half, and she had the rest. 3 weeks later writing this review and she's by my feet now and we are A-Ok!


It was exciting! I enjoyed the ration and making this Review.


Thankyou. -Steve

[steve1989]

More Pics

[steve1989]

1 more!

[cavguy]

Great review! Shame about the fudge too, it looks so edible, but tasted so evil I guess...

[steve1989]

Thanks, Cavguy! Yeah, man, the Fudge Bar looks perfect, doesn't it? Oh boy, it sure was wrong after 32 years, though. Tasted like a motor-oil and plastic flavored cookie! Texture was absolutely perfect when I bit it, but the taste was just bad! heheh

[norge]

very very nice review
and cool pictures of the ration

to bad with the chocolate fudge,but i remember the
taste like the way you wrote even when fresh

cheers ken

[Ruleryak]

Great review!

There was no interdental stimulator in the packet. This applies for any other time I open an old ration accessory packet the Interdental Stimulator is never there! Robbery, I say! heh

I've had this happen more often than not as well it seems. Oh, and one of the few I've actually had appear in the package was inadvertently used by my boss. I had received the ration in the mail at work, opened it to show him and then he got a call so I sat back at my desk and got back to work. Totally absent minded, he picked up the interdental stimulator and used it as a tootpick When he realized it he apologized profusely, but it was too late

[mreheater72]

steve1989, again thank you for very much for your fascinating review of an interesting vintage US ration !

…After further investigation I ruled that this LRP was produced around September-November 1980…

That is very interesting! From with source did you find out that exact DoP? Are there any date codes on the ration contents?

…The Chocolate Fudge Bar had that strange rancid oil W/ cheap chocolate smell.... naturally I like the Savage I am, still bit into it - I ingested 2 small bites and got the full experience of rancid hydrogenated oils and old sorbitol…

I made the same experience some years ago, here with a “BROWNIE, CHOCOLATE COVERED”. It looked great, but the smell and taste was absolutely horrible !

…The hot chocolate from these old LRP's are incredible! This one in particular tasted better than any other ration cocoa I've ever had! And that's saying alot!
What an incredible experience! 32 year old Hot Chocolate - and it was the best I've ever had…

That is surprising . The same kind of cocoa packed in Kraft Paper was content of late B-2 Unit MCI cans, these hot chocolate tends to get rancid…

…The Chicken & Rice was perfectly intact - no pinholes or anything that damaged it in any way after all these years.

As for the taste test - I tear it open and it proceeds to to the vacuum 'hiss' that we all so satisfyingly love to hear when opening our Rations.
Add the allotted amount of hot water and you immediately smell the freshly sealed in time chicken & rice come to life, again.

The chicken was slightly chewy - alot of dark meat. It tasted very good, though and was very moist and flavorful. If I were on a long Recon Patrol out in the field ... well I would certainly enjoy the portability of this very practical and tasty little ration.

Betty (My old dog) and I ate it. I ate half, and she had the rest. 3 weeks later writing this review and she's by my feet now and we are A-Ok!...

Good to here that all is ok with you and your dog after eating the entrée . But it is freezedried, what should happen to it except loosing taste? Some times ago I ate some MRE freezedried STRAWBERRIES from the early Eighties, they tasted perfect .

Again thanks a lot for that great review , I hope we will see some more akin ones the next weeks…

So long mreheater72