Forum: Air Force Life

Okay, I was reading Readers Digest and it had an interesting article about how they come up with the MRE menus, and I'd like to get some of your ideas on what you think of them--what's your favorite, which ones you can't stand, how much better are they now compared to the Four Fingers of Death?

I'm gearing up to start writing my actual manuscript for the competition beginning November 1st, and I've been talking with my dad about going for a trip up to the Boundary Waters, and I think it'd save weight to eat MREs over the normal stuff he usually packs.

and how often do you have to eat MREs on deployment in the AF?

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I ate an MRE in basic training 18 years ago, I ate a few of them in survival school 12 years ago, and since then I have eaten maybe 4 or 5 of them during various survival refresher courses. Needless to say I don't eat them alot in my career field. They did issues cases of them to us right after 9/11 when we were sitting alert 24/7 for a few months, but that was only so that the "services" folks did not have to bring us lunch if we had to sit alert in the jet instead of the alert facility.

Since SERE, I've eaten MREs maybe twice. One was when we were broken at an "Undisclosed Location" and our Sup had the crew who delivered the MRT (that's "MX Recovery Team" to any of you Nonner types) also deliver 2 cases of MREs, because the pickings were definitely slim as far as chow goes.

I can't think of a single place in either AOR, where you'd be forced to eat MREs. Now, folks do take them out into the field, when they're away from the base, but on base, you can get chow from the D-Fac around the clock.

We don't have to eat them on the plane either. At the Deid, we stop at the Grab n Go before we step to the jet. They have sandwiches, salads, candy, drinks, and...oh yeah, MREs. Laughing

As for a favorite MRE, I like the Beef Stew. I seem to recall liking the Beef Stroganoff. The Tuna Fish isn't bad...then again, it's a sealed package of Star Kist...kinda hard to Eff that up.

However, my all time favorite, I haven't seen in a long time. It was the Chicken Chow Mein. Came with the Peanut Butter too. That's the most important part...the peanut butter and crackers! The rest of the meal could taste like dog$h!t, but the peanut butter and crackers makes it all worth it.

Do they have Duck Almondine or Peach Pousse?

OL

I can't speak for the AF, but in 8 years of being in the Army I had way too many of those things. Chicken cavatelli would have to be my favorite if I had to choose. Other than that I can't stand MREs. They have ruined my taste for Skittles! If you're going camping, I'd recommend REAL food instead of MREs. Yeah, the heating process is kinda cool, but MREs will clog your digestive track pretty quick. It's not worth it if you ask me.

Just got done eating MREs for about a year getting ready for a ORI since we were out in the field and it was to much a pain in the butt to get everyone over to the Dining Hall. Alot of the menu has changed, the chicken chow mein is gone, a new one is Chicken in Buffalo style sauce was pretty good. Alot now come with regular candy. Spagehetti in meat sauce, chicken in noodles are safe bets. There is also vegaterian meals, couple of the guys say the sloopy joe is good. Just heat them up it helps with the taste.

Twisted Evil

J.

discofishing wrote:

MREs will clog your digestive track pretty quick

I believe that's kind of the point of the whole operation. Laughing

Haven't eaten MREs in years. The ones I had were in a large dark brown waterproof package. I'm sure everything about them has changed now though.

Don't like them (ones in my time) but if I had to choose, I thought the spaghetti was decent and I think it was meatballs in spices that was good. I very much avoided the tuna casserole and another one I can't remember which one it was. If I saw it, I'd definately remember though (maybe even get PTSD).

One of the great things they include in MREs is the little tabasco sauce bottle. If you did get one of the gross ones and have no other choice, cover it up with tabasco sauce and the less you suffer.

177SFSF16 wrote:

Just heat them up it helps with the taste.

That's one of the beauties of MREs (at least the older ones). Once you heat them up, they taste no different than any of the food at the chow hall/dining facility.

Rolling Eyes

TC wrote:

We don't have to eat them on the plane either. At the Deid, we stop at the Grab n Go before we step to the jet. They have sandwiches, salads, candy, drinks, and...oh yeah, MREs. Laughing

Ah yes the grab and go at the Deid, nothing like having to eat tuna packets or chabatta bread sandwiches EVERY day.

Last time I eat one was at the Deid just like he said Grab and Go well we still had old camp Andy back then. Any thing with pasta is ok if it is a solid meat stay away.

once a buffalo always a buffalo

ow ya if you read about MRE's on the some websites it tells you how often to eat them due to the Crazy amount of Carbs in the Meal hope it helps.

I think the Grab and Go was awesome; between that, the alcohol, massages and the swimming pool, the war was rough! I ended up at Bagram a couple years later and it just couldn't compare.

BTW, the Barbecue pork was my favorite, but that has been gone for about 7 years or so.

Quote:

discofishing wrote:
MREs will clog your digestive track pretty quick

I believe that's kind of the point of the whole operation. Laughing

Well I guess if it goes in "chunked and formed" it must come out "chunked and formed" heh! I never saw constipation as a tactical advantage, cuz at some point you're going to have to go anyways and it might as well be quick and painless.

Elliboom wrote:

Ah yes the grab and go at the Deid, nothing like having to eat tuna packets or chabatta bread sandwiches EVERY day.

There came a point when merely looking at a pack of pasta salad would make me physically ill. Worst part about reaching that point, was that it was one of the best things at the Grab n Go.

TC had to make alternate dinner plans for a good month or so because of that. Laughing

The consensus in our group of friends seems to be that anything with beef tends to be pretty good and anything with tomato sauce or any type of pasta tends to be pretty bad. The pork rib is pretty good as well. I personally don't do spicy so when I get anything Jalapeno added (like some of the cheese spread) I'm kind of screwed. Also, for the longest time I didn't like the breakfast ones because the eggs tasted funny and bland and the hash browns were way too salty. Then it hit me Rolling Eyes

you mix them together and they taste alright.