Military Rations

[Harold Jones]

I opened a few spoiled MREs over the years, thankfully they were quite obviously bad so no harm done. However I still have a very vivid memory of a shotgunning a box of UHT chocolate Milk that had gone very badly off.

[shep854]

Back in the early '70s, I ate part of an outdated LRRP ration. Since it was dried, it didn't spoil, but the metallic taste definitely indicated degradation. Another ration from the same batch was fine.

[Murph]

I opened a few spoiled MREs over the years, thankfully they were quite obviously bad so no harm done. However I still have a very vivid memory of a shotgunning a box of UHT chocolate Milk that had gone very badly off.

 

I had a similar experience with some uht milk out in the field at Graf once. It was horrible.....

[Rick]

Do remember a can of slightly green apricots in a C-RAT.

[DougRichards]

Exploding cans of tomato sauce and Vegemite (deliberately placed in a fire of course) were a source of both amusement and concern, as the ejected hot fluids could burn both flesh (minor problem really) and burn holes in hutchies (shelter halves clipped together as a form of tent). The burns to flesh would be accounted for on medical grounds, the holes in the shelter halves had to be accounted for to the Regimental Quartermaster.

[shep854]

C-rat peanut butter cans into their fire...

[Harold Jones]

The oil on top of c-rat peanut butter made a nice oil lamp. We used to toss cans of c-rat jelly into the fire to watch them blow up, but you had to stay well back because burning jelly sticks. I inherited a tank (m60a1) whose previous driver had decided to heat a can of c-rat beans and wieners in the heater duct. He left it too long and it blew up coating most of the duct with tomato sauce and bits of beans and hot dog. For the next year or so every time we fired up the heater we were treated to the ghost of c-rats past.

[shep854]

You might as well have used that peanut butter oil in a lamp; there was NO WAY you could stir it back in.

[shep854]

My favorite component of C-rats or MREs: Crackers and cheese spread

[Harold Jones]

The cheese was alright. I think the crackers and cheese in the MREs was much better. Part of that may have been that when we switched over they were a good decade newer. I understand the Jalapeno cheese in the recent MREs is as highly sought after as pound cake was in c-rats.

[shep854]

I dont care for jalapeños, so it would be a bargaining chip for me. Though a non-smoker, I was crushed when they took the cigarettes out of C-rats. They would have been bargaining GOLD!!

Edited April 26, 2019 by shep854

[Murph]

I love jalapenos, and they are a primary food item in my diet. I remember getting a single C-Rat while I was at Benning that had cigarettes, it was quite the novelty.

[Adam_S]

Aside from obvious ones like the Israeli army rations being kosher, do any armies make any effort to accommodate vegetarian/vegan/halal etc. preferences with their rations, or do you just get what you're given?

[shep854]

Aside from obvious ones like the Israeli army rations being kosher, do any armies make any effort to accommodate vegetarian/vegan/halal etc. preferences with their rations, or do you just get what you're given?

The US does produce vegetarian MREs as well as veggie/halal/kosher 'humanitarian' rations for disaster relief.

[rmgill]

So I guess the high bean content of the vegetarian MRE's required an re-engineering of the fart sacks?

[DougRichards]

Aside from obvious ones like the Israeli army rations being kosher, do any armies make any effort to accommodate vegetarian/vegan/halal etc. preferences with their rations, or do you just get what you're given?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4997032/Australian-Army-giving-Halal-certified-food-solider.html

 

Australian Army under fire for giving soldiers Halal-certified ration packs with Arabic branding - upsetting soldiers who fought in the Middle East

• The Australian Army criticised for feeding soldiers Halal-certified ration packs
• Food including Bega cheese, was given to soldiers with Arabic labels over it
• Former army major slammed the decision, saying it would divide army moral
• Of the 60,000 Australian Defence Force members, less than 200 are Muslim

 

The Australia Army has come under fire for giving soldiers ration packs with Arabic labels.

The food being fed to the Army is Halal-certified but is not sitting well with soldiers who fought in the Middle East.

In ration packs given to Australian soldiers this week, Arabic labelled products were found including Halal-certified Bega cheese, 7 News reported.

Four of the twelve battle meal menu options are Halal-certified which came into play in early 2016 as a move to meet more dietary requirements.

In February last year, Lieutenant General Angus J Campbell told Daily Mail Australia the rations were 'specifically manufactured' for 'religious considerations'.

'Combat ration packs are not about political correctness ... [they] are about our people,' he said.

Of 60,000 members of the ADF, there are reportedly less than 200 Muslim soldiers.

While many are disputing the decision to feed soldiers Arabic labelled products, some people have backed the idea saying it could potentially help break down any cultural barriers between countries.

Mr Campbell claimed last year the Halal-certified ration packs would mean Australian soldiers could share food with local communities.

Daily Mail Australia contacted the Australian Defence Force for comment.

[R011]

Unless they have made the labelling entirely bilingual instead of a small halal notation, I am surprised this is an issue.

[DougRichards]

There is no completely vegetarian pack, and nothing remotely vegan.

 

An interesting aside is that you cannot buy Bega canned cheese in Australia and every overseas stockist won't ship it to Australia.

 

a little strange

Edited May 5, 2019 by DougRichards

[bojan]

I noted that there were a beef (supposedly halal) version of the meals locally. Thing is, most local muslims did not care and ate pork, probably helped by the fact that pork version of practically everything tasted better.

Formally, if you were vegetarian army would have to accomodate to it, but I don't know of any vegetarian that went to an army service, probably helped by a fact they are a - rare (I know only two and both are females) and b - most of them would try to avoid army service, even when it was mandatory.

[Adam_S]

Well, from what I can gather of the infamous

, it sounds like the rest of the squad would be only too happy to share but if, say, a helicopter drops off a pallet of MREs at some forward operating base in Derkaderkastan somewhere, do they just get what they're given or is there some kind of effort made to make sure they've got a bit of variety?

[JWB]

There is no completely vegetarian pack, and nothing remotely vegan.

 

An interesting aside is that you cannot buy Bega canned cheese in Australia and every overseas stockist won't ship it to Australia.

 

a little strange

You can't buy Australian produced cheese in Australia?

[shep854]

For American rations, at least, meals are packed so that there is no more than two of the same ration in a case, and ideally unit leadership tries to ensure that distribution and/or selection of the meals is random. With C-rats, the cases were supposed to be opened from the bottom,so troops could not see which meal they were pulling out.

For variety, there are usually 12 different meals being produced at any given time. New menus are introduced and retired on a regular basis.

[rohala]

Aside from obvious ones like the Israeli army rations being kosher, do any armies make any effort to accommodate vegetarian/vegan/halal etc. preferences with their rations, or do you just get what you're given?

I am not aware of the Greek Army having such sensitivities.

[rmgill]

Well, from what I can gather of the infamous vomlet, it sounds like the rest of the squad would be only too happy to share but if, say, a helicopter drops off a pallet of MREs at some forward operating base in Derkaderkastan somewhere, do they just get what they're given or is there some kind of effort made to make sure they've got a bit of variety?

Probably depends on how shitty the folks are up the supply chain are.

[DougRichards]

 

There is no completely vegetarian pack, and nothing remotely vegan.

 

An interesting aside is that you cannot buy Bega canned cheese in Australia and every overseas stockist won't ship it to Australia.

 

a little strange

You can't buy Australian produced cheese in Australia?

 

Not that cheese

 

The closest thing, made by the same company, is the can that comes in a pack of cheesymac, which is a thick cheese sauce, about 50% cheese.

Edited May 5, 2019 by DougRichards