Menu 7 is listed on the package to contain (English version): Chuck steak in gravy with vegetables; pork pate; special hard biscuits; honey; raspberry-flavored tea instant drink concentrate; cranberry-flavored cereal bar; chewing gum; coffee candy; vitamin C candy; salt; pepper; paper napkin; wet wipe; toilet paper; plastic bag; disposable spoon; drinking straw; flameless chemical heater.
The main course in this ration was in fact "pork neck in sauce with vegetables". This was written in Polish on the outside package and on the box of the entrée itself. Whoever did the English translation doesn't know what "chuck steak" is.
I started my lunch at my desk still. Here are the components laid out on a keyboard tray.
First up was the cranberry flavored cereal bar. One of the thin, rice-paper backed variety. Dense and both chewy and hard at the same time. Not too strongly flavored, but could taste the cranberry "flavor". Not sure if any real cranberries were harmed in making the bar (per the package, I think 8.5% cranberry). Not bad, but I wouldn't buy this in a store. Prefer the Orifo bars in other rations.
Next I opened the "special" crackers, pate and honey. The honey probably suffered the most due to age, as it was about half crystalized into crunchy lumps. Still very nice tasting. The Pork Pate is listed as 71% pork and 13% liver. Tasted by itself and on iron-hard crackers, it was very mild in flavor and didn't really taste too livery. Too bland, actually, though it did improve a little with a sprinkle of salt. Here I must mention that Poland still uses the uber-hard "panzerplatten" hardtack crackers. They are so hard to eat that after managing to get one down (some with honey, some with pate), I brought in a pack of "stunt crackers" to stand in for them. 2012 MRE crackers to the rescue? Despite the lack of flavor in the pate AND the crackers, I did eat about half the spread before giving up. But I didn't starve before heading down for the rest of lunch later in the afternoon.
Down in the kitchen, I fired up the flameless heater. I'd heard good things about these (included in the Polish and some other European rations) and it didn't disappoint. It ran full throttle for the suggested 15 minutes and got my entrée decently warm. 20 minutes probably would have been better with a flip halfway through. When I peeled back the foil lid, the smell was SO GOOD! One really large hunk of pork and several smaller bits with sauce, white beans, red kidney beans and carrots. Reminded me a lot of "Bean with bacon soup" available here in the States. I added a little black pepper because I like it, not because it was need and I ate every drop of sauce and bit of pork. I used one of the provided iron biscuits with the meal and even soaking in sauce only softened it a little, but didn't make it really any easier to eat. Great lunch!
I also mixed up the raspberry tea drink. I used the suggested 250 ml of water and it was pretty diluted. The Vitamin C candy was decent and had a soft center. The coffee candy is very strong (which I liked).
There you have it. A nice Polish lunch that was still very good nearly 2 years "late". I have two more with similar dates that need to be eaten soon, as well as a couple of newer ones.
Any and all comments are welcome!
Rob
