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I've recently opened my first MCI (Pork Slices w/ B2, Peanut Butter, Fruit Cocktail) and found most of it inedible, as expected. That got me wondering, was any of this food actually "good" tasting back when they were produced? I mean, even off the production line, I can't see canned Ham and Eggs or Turkey Loaf being enjoyable.

Back in 1982, I liked them!

I opened and ate an 1978 Spaghetti and meatballs MCI last month and ate everything of it, still alive.
And i must say that it doesnt taste worse than the spaghetti they produce today.

Spaghetti w/ meatballs, best ever!!

Spaghetti wasmy favorite, both MCIs and MREs.

The beans and franks was good too. Of course, wet pack peaches, apricots, and fruit cocktail were very welcome in the field.

MCI pound cake rocked!

I ate some in 'Nam in 1971. IMO, anything labeled "pork" was basically a lard hockey puck - a lot more fat than meat. If you had to eat them cold, they were a gag fest. Most of us preferred LRRPs if we could get them, but you had to rehydrate those and there sometimes weren't either hot water or time to let them sit. So you ate them "crunchy". The chili LRRP was the worst for that. It was like eating mud and rocks.

Funny that the memory of the awful ones is the strongest. There must have been good ones, but those have faded from my mind. Probably paid them less attention back then.