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Here's a rarity I've yet to see reviewed. This is a 2004 Beef Teriyaki w/ Rice MCW produced by Ameriqual that came in a case of 2004 MCWs I purchased recently. The case along with the look of the MCWs doesn't really seem to have changed much over the years. But this menu isn't produced anymore so I thought it would be a good idea to get it documented.

Picture of the ration, front and back: Inside of the MCW upon opening: All contents laid out: As you can probably tell, the only major difference between modern MCWs and one from nearly 14 years ago is that all the packaging is white. Now it's brown like it is in a LRP or MRE. I do wonder what rationality went behind making it all brown, but I must say the white packaging does look pretty neat.

Accessory packet items, front and back: Now it's time to get the real fun of the subject: the freeze dried meal: Here's some pictures of the nutrition facts and ingredients if you're interested: Check that out, there's alcohol in this one. Surely I'm not the only one who's curious about that. I didn't really notice it while I was eating it but I trust that it is in there. And no, I didn't get a "buzz" or anything like that. There are also peanuts in it. What an interesting meal! I do wonder why they decided to get rid of it.

Let's take a look at those shortbread cookies:

I don't know about you, but I think it's pretty hard to go wrong with Lorna Doone cookies.

Let's see what everything looks like: On the surface, this may look like a pretty lightweight meal but it certainly was not. The main was the bulk of it. The beef teriyaki was very similar to the current production oriental chicken with rice MCW. It was a nice blend of sweet, sour and downright tasty. The peanuts and green peppers were also an interesting addition and I thought they went pretty well with it.

The cookies were a bit on the stale side and I couldn't really taste a whole lot of shortening in them. I don't know if it was age or not. I'm hesitant to say it was because I've had older Lorna Doone cookies from a LRP and those tasted much better. The peanut butter was pretty good, it's certainly hard to say no to. I decided to save the crackers for last and after I ate everything I wasn't hungry for them. Sad to say, I tossed them out. But they aren't much different than the current ones. The only MRE crackers to really look out for are the ones from the 1980s era MREs that either had salt or were brown and crispy.

The accessory packet came with two pouches of apple cider plus coffee, creamer and sugar. I wish they included that much with current MCWs. Like so many of the Taster's Choice coffee packets of its time, this one was dry molded so that was a pass. Oh well, at least I get creamer and sugar! :/ And that green gum, I love it. I don't know what flavor it is but it always takes me back to my childhood when I chew it.

I'll never get tired of saying this but, I do wonder why they phased this one out. I'll bet it was cost or some equally ridiculous excuse. Thanks for reading!