A Taste of Home in Foil Packets and Powder (Inspecting Foreign MREs)

New York Times ^ | September 4, 2010 | ASHLEY GILBERTSON

[Sarajevo]

I could even eat C-Rats with Tabasco although it didn't do much for the pound cake.

If you added approximately 1 canteen cap of water to it and heated it, the pound cake was actually good. The chocolate nut rolls were usually used as weapons ;)

[DemforBush]

There was a story going around (don’t know how true it is) that during the first Gulf War. Supposedly, French rations were so desirable, their troops would trade their rations with other forces at a 3:1 exchange - 3 of your rats for 1 of theirs.

[DemforBush]

Upper right looks like something my cat would hack up! :-)

BTW, officially the items are (clockwise from top right)

Meat pate (no idea what kind of meat)

Beef Tushonka (meat stewed/braised in its own juices and fat)

Pork and Rice

Ground beef and Barley (supposedly, this is actually quite tasty. It probably is, if only compared to the Tushonka!)

[ansel12]

Here is a story about the popularity of French rations.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htun/articles/20061109.aspx

I still have some “Food Packet, Long Range Patrol” and “Prototype Food Packet, Assault Menu” pouches that I have accumulated, and some old C-Ration meals, but I ate my old French rations from the 1980s.

[ArrogantBustard]

The pork and rice, and ground beef and barley, are probably not as hideous as they look. I assumed the white stuff was fat rather than grain.

The Beef Tushonka probably makes up for it by being far more revolting than it looks.

I read the comments/reviews at mreinfo.com ... apparently, that "tushonka" is half fat.

[nina0113]

Doesn’t ANYBODY give cigarettes any more? That’s cold.