whats in the other 4 MRE’s? I had to find out

After opening up the grilled chicken MRE, I had to know what was in the other 4. It stands to reason that there wouldn’t be the same food stuffs in every single MRE right? So I held one off to hold forever in my box of stuff. (I collected various things thruout the year and create a sort of time capsule every year. driver’s license, car registration, receipts from the grocery store, issues of various magazine, various bills and my son’s school stuff among other things) I opened the other 3.

MRE #1: Spaghetti and meatballs

First of all this one came with Tabasco and it really is a tiny bottle of Tabasco. I’ve seen tiny packets of Tabasco, but never a tiny bottle. It is. SO. Cute. I’m definitely going to save these, put in my box of stuff. Also inside the package of condiments was a tiny packet of taster’s choice coffee and instead of M&M’s there were “assorted charms” (think lifesavers). Also there was toasted crackers and peanut butter, as well as the wheat snack bread and this time, instead of apple jelly, there was cheese spread. The peanut butter crackers were straight off the shelf and aside from being a bit crumbly they were ok. The bread was excellent as before. I think I can honestly say that the thing I liked most out of the MRE was the bread. The cheese spread was your standard processed cheese spread. and it tasted about as good. Ruined an otherwise excellent piece of bread.

The Spaghetti and meatballs were essentially chef boy-ardee. And they tasted on par with the chef as well (meant as a compliment) I can say that overall, this MRE was far better then the grilled chicken. The main meal item was excellent (taking into account what it is we’re talking about) and I enjoyed the snack and side items far more. PLUS IT HAD TABASCO!

NEXT: Pasta Alfredo and veggies

This MRE also came with a mini bottle of tabasco and the sides were all different. There was pineapple in a vacupouch, along with vegetable crackers and peanut butter, as well as a fruit bar and a granola bar. The veggie cracker (hakkkkkK!) was (akkkkk…. water!) just a tad (water! please!) dry. The peanut butter was excellent though and I wish I hadn’t spread so much on the cracker as I could’ve used it on some good crackers later tonight. I’m not a huge pineapple fan so i asked my wife to test them. The pineapple looked nasty. It smelled worse. My wife refused to take one for the team, so I ate one piece. How did it taste? Ummm… surprisingly not like a rank p[ile of shit which is what it looked and smelled like. Let’s just say I’m till here, but I’m staying near the bathroom. As for the alfredo pasta…. the less said the better. Seriously.

Also I did not eat the fruit bar or the granola bar. Didn’t see a point. i know quaker valley bars are good. Crunchy, brittle, dry, but good. and fruit bars? Meh.

LAST UP: Ravioli

This MRE again came w/a little bottle of tabasco. (I LOVE THESE THINGS!) It came w/crackers but these were not the same as the vegetable crackers from the last one. This was closer to a saltine and was quite tasty. Dry but not in a bad way. I could easily have put this w/pepperoni and cheese and enjoyed it. it came w/cheese spread which I’ve already discussed. Bleh. This MRE also came w/the fudge brownie which was just as dry as the last one and just as nasty. Also included was a toaster pastry. This was surprisingly good although it didn’t have enough fruit filling and so it was more aware of the fact that it was slightly dry. But otherwise it was quite edible and I’d gladly eat another. As for the Ravioli… it was a step below chef boyardee for me. Edible, but not something I’d want to eat unless I had to. the meat sauce was bland and gloppy.

After sampling all four three of the four MRE’s, here’s my assessment: for compactness and price, they’ll get you thru the day if you have nothing else to eat. Anything else you buy will either be very simplistic (i.e. beef jerky, trail mix) or require either water or heat or both. You simply can’t beat the convenience that an MRE provides. I imagine that the MRE”s would’ve tasted better had I consumed them in something less then a 5 year span. That said, however, If I were to restock my car (which I am likely to do) I’ll probably check out the camping store and go with somethign from there. Pick and match allows me to get what I want and not be obligated to whatever the manufacturer thought should go into this particular MRE. I might pay more or I might pay less. As long as I have a source of fire I can always throw water bottles and cup o soups in the trunk if that’s what i wanted to do. I’d probably enjoy them more then these MRE’s.

Pictures of all the contents can be found here on Flickr