A case of 1988 MREs...yum!

[CaptBob]

Packed seventeen years ago, put into storage somewhere, moved to the California Wing Civil Air Patrol headquarters storage facility, and then -- when they wanted to get rid of all their junk -- finally sold to yours truly about nine years ago for (I think) $12 a case . . . I put a few individual meals aside and the rest are in storage.

So, recently, I thought it would be a good idea to update my emergency supplies and get a case or two of current MREs. Done. Now, what about these old ones? Let's crack open a couple and try 'em out!

The Beef Stew was very good. Nice texture and very tasty. Meatballs (can you really call them that? "Meat Marbles" is more fitting) in tomato sauce was also still pretty good. My favorite so far was the "Pork with rice in BBQ sauce". Very yummy.

I found that most of these taste best when I used the crackers to scoop/dip into the mixture and eat it that way. Who needs a spoon! Besides, the tomato sauce and the BBQ sauce are rich enough that you need the crackers to help balance out the taste. The crackers by themselves have a "processed" taste to them anyway.

These old MREs had dehydrated fruit in some of the meals. I had pears with one of them. A little water from the cooler helped make these edible. They're soft and recognizable on the outside and tough and chewy on the inside. That's good eatin'!

The main component that suffers with these old MREs (other than an eater with a weak stomach) is the drink mixes. Not only do they clump an crystalize, but it took a considerable amount of shaking in a half-litre water bottle to get this stuff to resemble something potable. Even then, it had an "off" taste. Feh! Just gimme a beer!

Coffee is still coffee; cocoa is still cocoa; and so on. I'm sure many of you have way too many green matchbooks and oddly-folded tissues in your collections.

Not bad. Three out of twelve meals in an impromtu, uncoordinated tasting. Now, if I can only find the rest of the case, I'll do a more thorough examination and taste test. Pictures, too! If I get sick, you get to see those pictures as well. (Lucky you.)

So, it's out to the garage or into the closets or into the shed or...well, I'll let you know when I find them.

Until then, happy dining.

Capt Bob

[kman]

Thanks for the reviews, CaptBob! Looking forward to the pictures - except the ones if you get sick.

So did any of those MREs have cheese spread in them? I was wondering how that stuff held up.

[CaptBob]

Four of the meals in that case should have cheese spread. I still have to locate the dumb thing.

Does everyone else have a cluttered garage like I do? Uggh.

[DIRTYDAVE]

No, I live in an apartment, so I do not have the luxury of a garage, but I am going house hunting this month and plan on buying a house or condo whatever I can afford...housing is expensive as hell down here in Florida, so I will have to locate a shack somewhere.

[CaptBob]

Packed seventeen years ago, put into storage somewhere, moved to the California Wing Civil Air Patrol headquarters storage facility, and then -- when they wanted to get rid of all their junk -- finally sold to yours truly about nine years ago for (I think) $12 a case . . . I put a few individual meals aside and the rest are in storage.

...

So, it's out to the garage or into the closets or into the shed or...well, I'll let you know when I find them.

It's now three years later. In the year since I tried those 1988 MREs, I've collected quite a few rations:
- about eight cases of MREs from 05 and 06
- full case of salmon-colored HDRs
- full, sealed B case (5-16) of 1996 MREs (first in the tan bag!)
- full case of MCWs (but they're labeled "Food Packet, Cold Weather" interestingly enough!)
- full case of RCWs
- plus various LRPs, TOTMs, T-rats, IMPs, Brit 24-hr rats, Hooah! bars, old dark-brown MREs, MCIs, a single yellow HDR, Eversafes, a couple of Mil-Specs, shelf-stable bread, flight survival rations, liferaft rations, and a ton of entrees, side dishes, and other junk.

But I still haven't found that original 1988 case of MREs that got me started in this mess!

[CaptBob]

It's almost five years later and I STILL haven't found the original case that got me started. (I hope my wife hasn't thrown it out! She'd never admit to it.)

When I do find it, I'm going to do a review of something I find in there.

[calixtesaint]

Happy hunting!
Now I am really awaiting your next taste test!