Greetings everyone! It’s been way too long since I’ve done a review, but rest assured I’ve been eating and enjoying rations.
I am on my annual camping trip to Glacier National Park, aka ration fest! To start off the trip, for dinner I had a Chinese PLA type 13 ration, menu 3.
- Ration
I don’t know much about Chinese rations, but I know a few of the differences between the different types. The type 13 contains two entrees, flameless heaters with insulating bags, and a small side item, as well as a beverage mix. It’s sister ration, the type 9, is similar in size, but differs greatly in contents. The type 9 contains one entree and many different side items such as egg roll, pound cake, etc.
This menu contained fried noodles with pork, and fried rice with chicken. The side item was a small packet of spicy cabbage. Also included was an instant beverage mix and an accessory packet with a small spoon and napkin.
- Contents
I was quite pleased with the performance of the heaters, and the inclusion of the insulation bags I think is brilliant. The FRH worked very well and heated the entrees to piping hot in just under 10 minutes. As a bonus, the insulating bags slip off easily, so I plan to put those beauties in my bag to use with US FRH’s.
- Heating
I got everything plated and ready. I decided to forgo the plastic spoon for titanium chopsticks (might as well be authentic, right?). I tried the rice first, and found it delightful. Very well seasoned and aromatic. The chicken was a tad dry, but they were small bits (about 1/4 inch), so the dryness didn’t really detract from the entree at all. There were small (emphasis on small) bits of what I believe to be carrots in it. I tried the fried noodles with pork next. It wasn’t quite as aromatic as the other entree, but was seasoned well. The pork pieces were mostly thin strips, and there were small bits of vegetables in this entree as well. I’d be happy with either entree in the field, but I’d have to go with the rice as my favorite.
- Ready to Eat
The spicy cabbage was pretty good, especially coming from a guy who doesn’t really like cabbage much. It was a pretty small quantity, but the flavor really popped. It tasted very similar to a sauerkraut, but with some heat to it.
The beverage didn’t really have an discernible flavor that I could tell. It tasted essentially like a vitamin drink, and was a yellow-ish color.
I’m not sure if this ration is meant for a single meal or 12-hours, but the two entrees provided a lot of food. Granted, the rice and noodles took up most of the entrees. I’m not sure what the actual protein content was, but it was quite filling. I didn’t intend to eat all entrees entirely for this review, but they were so good that I hated to see it go to waste.
Anyway, I was very pleased with this ration, and would certainly eat it again. Thanks for reading!
