So today's MRE tasting was the venerable Sloppy Joe, menu No. 17, lot code 34 7257. I think this makes this MRE a few days over 10 years-old. I purchased this ration from a military commissary back in 2009 (if memory serves, might have been 2010). It was stored in a "cool, dry place", i.e. my basement, until lunchtime today.
This was a great ration back in the day. But how did it stand the test of time?
You can see that there is a nice selection of food items ("Barbecue sauce with Beef", tortillas, cheese flavor crackers, the beloved Cheese spread with Jalapeños, fruit punch, a cookie, and an accessory packet.
Nice accessory packet; I like my coffee and Tabasco sauce:
While I was waiting for my entree to warm up, I broke into the crackers and punch.
Normally I wouldn't drink the punch. I'm not a big fan of sugary drinks, and this 'punch' doesn't contain any vitamins. It does have a few electrolytes, but seems devoid of useful nutrition. But since this was a review, I sampled it. Not bad. Sweet for my tastes, but a nice artificial cherry flavor. It was reminiscent of Hawaiian Punch. Had the right color, too: day-glow kindergarten.
The crackers were fresh tasting and crisp. These are essentially commercial "Cheez-It" baked crackers.
A tasty salty snack at any time.
Let me digress for a moment. I usually found that an MRE had more food than I could eat in one sitting. Typically, I'd eat the main entree and then stash the other components in my pockets or a rucksack for use later. This strategy kinda fails with items like the cheese crackers and short bread cookie because, invariably, these items would get crushed and turned into "Bits and Dust, Cheese cracker-type." C'est la vie. C'est la guerre.
Back to the Sloppy Joe.
I heated the Sloppy Joe packet, tortillas, and cheese spread in a pan of simmering water. Maybe I should have used the FRH for thoroughness, but as I was inside, I just went with hot water. Is that a 'cheat' here? Had I been in the field, I would have stuffed Sloppy Joe, Tortillas, and cheese into the FRH. All these components work best when warm and supple. After heating, I kneaded the cheese spread for uniformity (always a good idea, regardless of date.).
Normally, I'd open the Sloppy Joe package, add the Tabasco and cheese spread into the Sloppy Joe pouch, and then spoon it all from the Sloppy Joe pouch into my face or onto a piece of tortilla for more dignified consumption. Since I was at home today, all the components went on to a plate where I could taste each individually before mixing in my usual manner.
The Sloppy Joe mix (Barbecue sauce with Beef) was still quite good. It tasted heavily of tomato sauce and was very sweet. Not much spice. After a few little bites, I noticed a slightly chemical flavor, probably a preservative.
The cheese spread definitely had that funky sour cheese spread with preservatives taste. Most grown-ups with an actual palate do not like this stuff, but, if you eat it often enough when freezing cold and hungry,....well, I've grown to enjoy it.
Age had robbed the Tabasco of it's red color, but not it's flavor and heat. Hooo-ah!
All mixed together and slathered on bits of tortilla, it made for a delightful lunch. And then kinda sat, leaden-like, in my belly. Yup, just like it was in 2007.
Much to my surprise the coffee and cookie were still very fresh. The cookie still had a strong smell of vanilla and kept it's crisp crunch. Even the creamer was good.
So, all in all, this ration held up quite well. All the components remains edible and fairly fresh. That cheese spread did taste fairly strong, but I sure ate it all.
My tasting assistant liked the cookie, but preferred the cheese crackers.
Oh, the gum. The gum was still soft, and tasted of spearmint. After chewing for 5 minutes it developed a slightly acrid, chemical taste as the spearmint flavor slowly vanished......
