M.R.E

[johnboy]

Do we get to eat M.R.E'S at Encampment?

[DC]

Why would you want to?

[Nathan]

Generally, no, at least not at any encampment I've attended. MRE's can be kind of expensive ($6 per meal at my local military store).

In addition, they are designed to be meals you eat when you don't have anything else available, not to be a regular meal. Hence, they're designed to be stored for long periods of time, and have a lot more calories than taste.

If you wanted to try an MRE, you can probably pick some up at any military or camping store. But I doubt an encampment would shell out for them. If you go to NESA (National Emergency Service Academy), you will most likely have the chance to try a few.

[capchiro]

On the other hand, there have been MRE's at almost every encampment in Georgia since I can remember..  The cadets do love them..

[CadetProgramGuy]

The two biggest ticket items at encampments are usually food and billeting.

Last encampment I was in the planning process for, we tried to keep food to $2.00 per cadet per meal per day

Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't

If you are looking at 100 cadets, thats $900 per day times 6 days, $5400

[Major Lord]

You can buy MRE's at the Government rate from an Air Force Dining Facility if you have an itemized MSA ( Name and SS number for all attendees) . They will need a little prior notice. It has always amazed me that Cadets love MRE's so much, personally, I throw them away and eat the pound cake, peanut butter, cookie, etc. Of course, the heater packs have evil applications. After Hurricane Katrina, I will be happy if I never see or smell an MRE as long as I live.....

Major Lord

[MSgt Van]

I've never understood the fascination with MREs. Maybe it's because I had to consume the first generation of the darned things. Dehydrated catsup? How about a nice dehydrated pork patty (eat it dry, tastes kinda like pork jerky). The alleged chocolate cookie was like eating chocolate flavored paraffin. Nummy.

[Major Lord]

The first Gen M.R.E's were described as "three lies for the price of one" . They are a step up from C-rats, both of which are way before my time, but I have had the pleasure of dining on both.

Major Lord

[MSgt Van]

... both of which are way before my time,

Ouch man, ouch.

[capchiro]

Believe it or not, we usually get local units to donate MRE's to us to help with encampments, or we buy them on base.  More than one dining in has been over MRE's.  And the cadets prefer them over pizza..

[tsrup]

I can see the thought. 

When I was a cadet, eating an MRE was a novelty.  It was kind of "cool".

Now they are meals of necessity.  I would more than happily take chow hall "mystery meat mk.II" over an MRE.

MRE's are valuable because I can leave them in my 24/72 hr gear without worry and that way my gear is ready to go straight away.  But if you have the facilities for chow to be cooked and served, then MRE should stay away.  And I mean far away.

[davidsinn]

And the cadets prefer them over pizza..

You might want to trade your cadets in. They are broken.

[SarDragon]

I can see the thought. 

When I was a cadet, eating an MRE was a novelty.  It was kind of "cool".

Now they are meals of necessity.  I would more than happily take chow hall "mystery meat mk.II" over an MRE.

MRE's are valuable because I can leave them in my 24/72 hr gear without worry and that way my gear is ready to go straight away.  But if you have the facilities for chow to be cooked and served, then MRE should stay away.  And I mean far away.

Oh, no, the dreaded mystery meat! With white gravy, brown gravy, or red gravy. UGH!

[Major Lord]

Kangaroo: The other, other, white meat.....

Major Lord

[SarDragon]

Oh, don't get me started.

PI, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand - all with local "cuisine". As long as it was fully cooked, and tasted good, I didn't ask. That's "real" mystery meat!

[JC004]

Kangaroo: The other, other, white meat.....

Major Lord

err...red...and pretty delicious. 

[ol'fido]

Cobra Gold '89... Phitsanoluk, Thailand....T-Rat Corned Beef Hash for breakfast 35..count them! 35 days in a row!!

[Al Sayre]

We didn't call them Meals Rejected by Ethiopians for nothing...

[Major Lord]

I have been trying to find a list of the menu items in the MRE line-up, it looks like there are lots of civilian "counterfeit" MRE's out there, so someone must like them. Someone suggested to me that MRE's increase in awfulness depending on the numbers of syllables in their name, ie. "Beef Stew" good, "Chicken Tertrizzini" not so good. The vegetarian meals are the worst overall in my opinion ( I don't believe in the murder of innocent vegetables.....)

Major Lord

[JC004]

I have been trying to find a list of the menu items in the MRE line-up, it looks like there are lots of civilian "counterfeit" MRE's out there, so someone must like them. Someone suggested to me that MRE's increase in awfulness depending on the numbers of syllables in their name, ie. "Beef Stew" good, "Chicken Tertrizzini" not so good. The vegetarian meals are the worst overall in my opinion ( I don't believe in the murder of innocent vegetables.....)

Major Lord

http://www.mreinfo.com/

[Major Lord]

Perfect, thanks!

Major Lord

[PA Guy]

Do we get to eat M.R.E'S at Encampment?

To ans. your question.  Some encampments have them most don't.

[jeders]

At the TXWG encampment in 02 we had MREs from sometime around/prior to the Atlanta Summer Olympics everyday for lunch. I usually traded away the main meal for the peanut butter and crackers. I don't know if TXWG still does MREs at encampments.

[JC004]

Perfect, thanks!

Major Lord

No problem.  I cheated cuz I already knew about that site.     Did you bring me kangaroo meat?  mmmm

[Raja1020]

Ate my first MRE today, Meatloaf with gravy...... actually, the meatloaf itself wasn't bad at all i put the BBQ sauce on it and took the two crackers and put Peanut butter and grape jelly on them.... BUT! The mashed potatoes,grape Gatorade like drink and iced tea mix were bad........But I wouldn't mind eating MRE's if I had to.

[raivo]

But I wouldn't mind eating MRE's if I had to.

Clearly, you've never had the Cheese Omelette.

[Raja1020]

lol from what I've heard, I don't intend to.

[Майор Хаткевич]

MREs aren't that bad now, especially the ones with a heater.

In the field, it's the perfect meal.

[capsar67]

MREs are ok as long as you get beef stew and a hooah bar.

[Nathan]

My favorite was the vegetable manicotti. There wasn't anything in them that made me sick, the manicotti tasted fine cold, a good portion of it was easy to save for later (wheat bread), and it didn't require any extra preparation (like the chemical heaters). I went to NESA and traded whatever I had for vegetable manicotti, and when I got home, I pretty much switched my entire ES load out with them.

[HGjunkie]

But I wouldn't mind eating MRE's if I had to.

Clearly, you've never had the Cheese Omelette.

I have, and I will never touch one of those again without plenty of tobasco and salt and pepper...

[Eclipse]

During the summer, the easiest way to heat an MRE is on the hood or dashboard of a vehicle:

[HGjunkie]

 :clap:

[Spaceman3750]

But I wouldn't mind eating MRE's if I had to.

Clearly, you've never had the Cheese Omelette.

At NESA we actually had a kid that loves those things. I'll never understand it. Personally, I stick with Chicken Fajitas, Ravioli (never had the pleasure but I hear it's very good) or cookies/pound cake/peanut butter plus the meals I carry with my field gear.

[JC004]

http://cgi.ebay.com/MRE-SUBDUED-Decal-army-navy-air-force-meal-ready-eat-/280493650908?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item414eb973dc

Now what about First Strike Rations?  Anyone try those for their gear?

[HGjunkie]

http://cgi.ebay.com/MRE-SUBDUED-Decal-army-navy-air-force-meal-ready-eat-/280493650908?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item414eb973dc

Now what about First Strike Rations?  Anyone try those for their gear?

http://www.natick.army.mil/soldier/media/fact/food/FSR.htm

[Star-Maker]

Clearly, you've never had the Cheese Omelette.

At NESA we actually had a kid that loves those things. I'll never understand it. Personally, I stick with Chicken Fajitas, Ravioli (never had the pleasure but I hear it's very good) or cookies/pound cake/peanut butter plus the meals I carry with my field gear.

Yeah, he went around trying to get people to trade him their cheese omelettes during field meal times.  I expect we're talking about the same guy (can there really be two who love those things?).  People were pretty happy to trade him.

[blkhwk]

 I guess one good side effect of the MRE's would be that you wouldn't have to wait for an empty stall to drop a deuce in. They have this tendency to slow the movement of food through the "system" to a crawl after eating them for a few days.

[SarDragon]

Interesting. They have the opposite effect on me, but not to an extreme extent.

[AlphaSigOU]

Commercial resale of U.S. Government-issued MREs are prohibited. This is why the major MRE manufacturers make MRE 'clones' you can purchase online or at your local camping supply or army-navy surplus store.

[Майор Хаткевич]

I guess one good side effect of the MRE's would be that you wouldn't have to wait for an empty stall to drop a deuce in. They have this tendency to slow the movement of food through the "system" to a crawl after eating them for a few days.

I can attest to that.

[HGjunkie]

Commercial resale of U.S. Government-issued MREs are prohibited. This is why the major MRE manufacturers make MRE 'clones' you can purchase online or at your local camping supply or army-navy surplus store.

I would like to see a law that prohibits resale. I see the notice on the side of the packages but no law code to go with it.

[RogueLeader]

Do we get to eat M.R.E'S at Encampment?

Go to CCOC next year at NC007, and you will eat only Meals Rejected by Everyone

[DakRadz]

Sounds yummy!

Heh, my best friend and his dad (who was a SFC Drill Sergeant at the time) thought I was crazy when I started eating an Egg Omelette MRE and said it wasn't half bad.



I stand by that statement. I don't see why those MREs are so despised 

[FlyTiger77]

I stand by that statement. I don't see why those MREs are so despised 

Perhaps some things can't be explained until one has spent an extended period of time in the field with no other delicacies to be had. Factor in the ambiance of a severe shortage of sleep, extended periods of ruck marching, and (rain/sleet/snow/high humidity/hot sun--feel free to insert any other meteorological absurdity that comes to mind) and the association of MREs with fine dining tends to fade rather quickly. And this is only from a training environment.

[Hawk200]

I stand by that statement. I don't see why those MREs are so despised 

Perhaps some things can't be explained until one has spent an extended period of time in the field with no other delicacies to be had. Factor in the ambiance of a severe shortage of sleep, extended periods of ruck marching, and (rain/sleet/snow/high humidity/hot sun--feel free to insert any other meteorological absurdity that comes to mind) and the association of MREs with fine dining tends to fade rather quickly. And this is only from a training environment.

You forgot to mention the inevitable "back up." Drink loads of water otherwise it's gonna "stick to your ribs" for a while.

[Lt Buzzbear]

Meals refused by Ethiopians
meals refused by everyone
meals refusing to exit...

why would you willing put something referred to by these terms in your body if for no other reason than to survive?!?!?!?

[SarDragon]

Some of them actually taste good?

[JC004]

Some of them actually taste good?

They taste better when you're hungry in the field and have nothing else, no?

I discovered that the Canadian rations had Pop-Tarts.  mmmmmm  I've also had British and German rations - both decent.  I opened the British rations to find "Whitener."  I had to ask someone what it was (dried tea/coffee creamer).  I thought it was like toothpaste or something in there.   

Italian rations contain alcohol.

British rations have Yorkie chocolate bars.  I was initially confused and worried about the no-women symbol on them:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MOD_Yorkie.JPG

[N Harmon]

I would like to see a law that prohibits resale. I see the notice on the side of the packages but no law code to go with it.

It's called the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, and it requires all commercially packaged foods to display nutritional information. Military MREs are not in compliance of this law and therefore can not be commercially sold.

However, most of the MRE manufacturers also produce identical meals which are appropriately labeled and can be sold. They are the same exact meals as the military gets. I highly recommend going with those instead of military surplus MREs where the amount of shelf-life remaining is unknown.

[HGjunkie]

I would like to see a law that prohibits resale. I see the notice on the side of the packages but no law code to go with it.

It's called the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, and it requires all commercially packaged foods to display nutritional information. Military MREs are not in compliance of this law and therefore can not be commercially sold.

However, most of the MRE manufacturers also produce identical meals which are appropriately labeled and can be sold. They are the same exact meals as the military gets. I highly recommend going with those instead of military surplus MREs where the amount of shelf-life remaining is unknown.

All the MREs I eat have the nutrition date not on the bag containing 8+ edible items, but on the actual food packaging themselves. So, the nutrition data is on the chipboard box, but not on the bag holding the box and others like it.

[raivo]

One of the MREs I ate at NGSAR in 2002 had a message on it about the 197X (can't remember the year) Olympics. True story.

[a2capt]

MRE's, the ones in the plastic bags were phased in starting in 1980, through 1983..

[HGjunkie]

It seems like you can buy genuine MREs, but you have to get them shipped via ground shipping. Linky