Hi! I was at a nearby surplus store recently and they had a case of MREs, I originally thought they were genuine US MREs from the pre-1996 era, but after further inspection, I found that they were some strange civilian MREs. I didn't think much of them after I found a case of C Rations, but I decided to go back and buy just one to try. I don't know who manufactured these, the case didn't have any indication. If anyone has any idea who produced them, please share it with us. Let's take a look!
At first, I couldn't decide if it was from 1987 or 1997, but I've come to the conclusion that it's from 1997 because that was the first year the beef ravioli menu came around and the cardboard sleeve for the entree had a more current design.
This MRE includes:
- Beef Ravioli in Meat Sauce
- Chicken Patty
- Lemon-Lime Beverage Base
- Crackers
- Peanut Butter
- Chocolate Covered Oatmeal Cookie
And an accessory packet that has:
- Moist Towlette
- Iodized Salt
- Pepper
- Matches
- Generic white spoon
Two entrees? That's odd. When I brought the MRE up to the cashier, the guy suggested that I go back and grab an FRH. I don't know if these were already in the case prior to being opened or if they threw some in there. In either case, it looks like it was from 1992, so this would have to be one of the first FRHs produced.
As I thought it would, it didn't work too well. I put some warm water in it, it began to sizzle and got a bit warm to the touch. Shortly after, it started to bubble up and I had to dump it all out and boil the retort pouches in water instead.
Here's the full meal, prepared and ready to eat:
The ravioli was okay, but it never was my favorite meal of all time. The tomato sauce had a nice flavor to it, there wasn't a whole lot of beef or cheese but I'm perfectly okay with that. The chicken patty was also just okay, it didn't have much flavor but adding salt and pepper helped a bit. It had a very interesting texture, very similar to a hamburger.
The crackers were pretty tasty, they were even overbaked a bit which is always a nice addition. I didn't put too much peanut butter on it as that really makes me thirsty. I always eat the peanut butter separately. And the chocolate covered oatmeal cookie bar. Need I say more? Wonderful as always, the texture on the surface was a bit rough but it was great. I finished all of this off with the lemon lime beverage and overall, this MRE made for a good lunch.
Although it was civilian MRE, I found this to be very similar to the government ones. I don't think I'll return to get more but I'd say this was worth what I paid for it.
