Unknown Polish ration

[housil]

who claimed that those entrees taste quite good - one even said that he preferred them over MREs. Is it true?

Depends what "you" like. There are some MREs I don´t like this much - or at all. EPa´s, IMP´s, RCIR´s also have great dishes. I would never say any country´s rations are the best. Some are - some don´t

[rationtin440]

It is interesting to see the approach taken by different countries regarding ration components. From looking at the Polish and a few other rations, I get the impression that the idea/concept is a no-nonsense approach, sticking with stuff that will deliver maximum protein and carbs to keep soldiers going while dispensing with the extra desserts and snack items that are part of the MREs and that might give a temporary carb rush. Anyone in forums who knows more about nutrition please chime in because this is just a theory of mine, I was a medic and EMT, NBC defense specialist in the army national guard, very little knowledge or training in nutrition. Also, and I hope this does not offend anyone here in the forums, it seems that with some of the rations, including the Polish ones, the food is more in keeping with the culture and hard working mindset of the nation. In many of these countries, the citizens and soldiers are used to working hard and needing the high protein, and may not be used to the idea of extra snacks and dessert items in the rations that may or may not give the best nutritional value. Just a different mindset and approach to rations it seems to me.

[rationtin440]

In order to address any understandable confusion regarding my last posting here, and please forgive me if this is wandering OT----I just think I owe everyone an explanation, I had failed to explain my opinion that the hard working and no nonsense approach by Poland and some other countries with regard to rations could also have something to do with how badly their industries and agriculture resources were hit during the war years. We in America were largely spared and our systems did not suffer nearly as much. I'm thinking that the attitude towards ration development in many other countries was "do what works" and with soldiers having had to deal with critical shortages of the most basic foodstuffs in the past, they may be more accustomed to not having alot of "extras" like snacks and dessert items and candy. It is just a case of what people in other countries have had to deal with in their history, and the influence it may have on rations. Thanks for bearing with me.

[housil]

Rationtin440, I guess the whole "ration thing" is not this easy to answer.

There are bigger countries like the US with a very big defense budget and smaller ones.
The US can afford to have an own "department" that is doing research and evaluation about nutrition, diet etc. of their soldiers in combat and their special needs.
Other countries can´t afford this (much), so they just use what they get in their groceries and put them in a sturdy plastic bag.
And there are countries they just don´t care...

I believe, US MREs give you a very balanced nutrition in carbs, fat, proteins and vitamins. They are mostly low-fat (<3,3g/100kcal) as fat can get rancid. They also have the highest variety.

I agree with you, "... the food is more in keeping with the culture ..."

Eastern countries are used to "lard", sausages, stew etc.

[Fusilier]

Interesting thoughts!
I remember going in every military show in the 90's where one can always find field kitchen which served only two types of porridge: "Military porridge" (buckwheat, onion and pork) and "Marine porridge" (noodles, onion and pork). And one year - BAM! Army introduced our own ration (in that time I didn't even new about other countries rations). At that time it seamed like a "haute cuisine"

At first, I think, post-soviet countries simply tried to copy US stuff and after some time adapted to their needs and recourses. For example our Lithuanian rations are made to be consumed in the woods and not in the international missions overseas, so army excluded some unnecessary snacks as every soldier can and should find some food on the go: berries, mushrooms, fish, even birch sap in spring etc.

[Norton]

I think these rations remind me of Typical American Construction worker lunch box meals in my dads time.
(Mine too when I was single)
Many American construction workers ate simple High Cal lunch like potted meat, boiled chicken, wax paper wrapped Hard cheese crackers or Deviled Ham and left over biscuits
Only a theory here but those guys may have not been married.
Even myself who is married eats left over diner Bread, Cheese and hard boiled eggs for my daily construction site breakfast.

Also on Canoe trips. For Lunch I prefer canned meals of Potted meat or Underwood Deviled Chicken on Norwegian/Finn crackers for it's high calorie and ease of packing. It fills me up and give me plenty of energy.

I would not mind having one of these Polish canned meat spread on heavy Scandinavian rye crackers as a camping or firewood cutting lunch ,

[RockyRaab]

If this sounds cynical, forgive me. But I think the typical US GI of today grew up on junk food, fast food, and processed food like "Hamburger Helper." None of which is actually good for you, but which they all crave - and clamor for. Give them good honest meat and potatoes fare like their grandparents ate (including me) and they simply throw it away. So, rather than have them eat nothing or very little, the US Army gives them what they WILL eat. Which, unfortunately, is largely junk. Kool-aid and Skittles.

I'm not a world traveler, but I'd bet that many European or at least Eastern European soldiers/people are much more comfortable with a meat and potatoes/noodles diet with a good amount of vegetables added in. We in the US would call it "heavy" food. They'd call it "home cooking."

Me? I grew up a farm kid with a Dad who also worked in the stockyards. So I'm right at home with a high-meat AND and high-vegetable diet. I'll eat ANYthing - and like it. And have, by the way. I've eaten and liked everything from caviar to live monkey brains. (Yes, the brains of a still-temporarily-living monkey. With a spoon. Really.)

My bottom line is this: A given country's military knows that Napoleon was absolutely right: an army travels on its stomach. They try to give their soldiers what is good for them, what will sustain them, and - maybe most importantly - what they will actually eat and not toss into some ditch. That differs if the soldier is British or French, German or Norwegian, Korean or South African, Polish or Brazilian. But it MUST be something those soldiers are used to. Or it does no good whatever.

[rationtin440]

Thanks for re-inforcing my point RockyRaab! I was trying to explain it similar but you made it easier to understand.

[RockyRaab]

Hey, these writer guys, ya know? Just can't help doing their thing.

[housil]

I can only speak for us (Germans).
You are right, we (mostly) do still "home cooking" from raw, fresh ingredients every day like e.g. "Pichlsteiner Stew"


One great thing we brought over from the US, slow cooking


Et viola


or "Rouladen"


Fill with vegetables and mustard




















So this is German "home cooking" how we do it (almost) every day.

BUT, e.g. our troops in Afghanistan don´t get this either. In the German Army, they must offer you the same (sanitation, medical and hygienic) standart like back home. As there are non of them in Afghanistan, ALL foods must be delivered from Germany all the way down. So there is a limitation on what you can send. So e.g. egg´s don´t make it this longs this far. We had once a food poisoning in Masar-i-Scharif in 2011, cause by the ground beef sauce of the Spaghetti Bolgnese dish. Afghans are not used to wash their hands after using the bathroom...

You don´t have this problem with rations.
In the German Army, you get fed until there is a real (field) kitchen established. Rations and field kitchens (B-rations) don´t need any refrigeration , so they can´t spoil.

So feeding the troop is always a compromise of circumstances and nutrition and I think, the Americans have one of the best, most advanced feeding program of all Armies in the world.
Even our´s start to replace ours to regular, grocery items...