Anybody here have an interest? I've recently became fascinated about rations from around the world. I didn't know if there was any others. I actually miss getting to eat MRE's!
I watch a guy on YouTube with the username of Steve1989. It's amazing the variation, and some of the quality items in rations in other parts of the world.
The chocolate covered Gorilla Cookie (that's what the Marines I worked with called them) were excellent.
I think the modern equivalent would be the chocolate covered oatmeal cookie and they were pretty good too. The fudge brownie is really good, it's like a really dense brownie with a nice powdering of preservatives!
Yep, I recall both and now that you mention it, the choc. oatmeal bar is what they called the Gorilla Cookie. Was VERY good. I would have been happy to eat MREs every day, three meals a day...precisely because I didn't have to, according to the Marines.
I intentionally hoarded every MRE I could get my hands on, that way I didn't have to eat the awful DFAC food I really enjoyed MRE's, and I'd still eat them if they weren't 12$ a piece.
Here's a link to a place where you can order full meals, or individual entrees, sides, desserts etc.... https://theepicenter.com/mre-meals-ready-to-eat.html
https://theepicenter.com/mre-oatmeal-cookie-12-pack.html#customer-reviews I guess that's it; not seeing the chocolate covered version. Brings back memories. I remember being advised to crumble it up into coffee but don't think I ever did.
I'd have to be pickier about it but yeah, I definitely would too. Maybe even in rotation, having to eat them for weeks got old but I can't imagine myself getting burned out on them.
Did you have a favorite? I was always a brisket entree kinda guy. Everyone hated it, so I never had to fight for it either
Mind you this was back no later than 1991 for me but I can recall guys HATING the omelet/scrambled eggs (can't recall which, omelet I think) and I always took it b/c they would throw it out. Made a heck of a sandwich. Also recall the big old ham slice...and I think some kind of beef stew. Dehydrated fruit. All I have left is several of those dark green matchbooks!
Beef stew is still on the menu, most don't even come with matches now, and the flameless heaters were garbage. I probably ate 1 or 2 warm MRE's the whole time I was in. But hey, brisket was a large congealed mass when cold, but awful when warm. It was like a gravy.
The omelet was dehydrated/rehydrated eggs of course, which is an acquired taste, but lucky for me I acquired that taste in boot camp. On board ship, we got 'em fried to order. But MREs were a novelty. I'm sitting here in N.C. and my wife tells me stories she was told about how bad Charlotte (well inland) got hit worse than the coast did in a storm about 10 years ago or so. Too late to order in case Irma comes here but I'm really eyeballing a 12 pack of MREs on that website...