Made Ready to Eat meal. If you have ever been in the military you know what they are. They were called C-rations in the old days and used to come with cigarettes. They are pre-packed meals which have a shelf life of several years. Here is a video of one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7guiCFQLD4

They have a similar one they hand out during disasters to civilans.

I have really been thinking about getting prepared for a disaster such as a hurricane or worst. While researching online I found that you can get the military issued MRE's on sites like Ebay and ones made for civilian use is also available. The case I ordered just came today and I just tried one. I was really impressed with how good it was. I tried the SW fajita with beans and rice. It also came with crackers, cookies, cheese spread, salsa, instant coffee, instant juice as well a matches, toilet paper, salt, pepper, sugar, a spoon and a water activated heater. I stored the other 11 in my pantry. I have some freeze dried meals coming to.

Call me crazy, but I feel better knowing I will not have to wait in line for hours to get food if something really bad happens.

A friend of mine who was in the army brought a back several MREs after his tour in Afghanistan. I sampled a few of them. They were okay.

I want to try one from the 80s or 90s. They will not make you sick so long as air didn't get inside, but it may not taste that good. This guy ate one from 1969.

http://www.blinkx.com/watch-video/raw-video-army-colonel-eats-40-year-old-cake/UX0dXw5biE3gdvsI_Q_mpw

Not the greatest but they are okay. I guess it depends on taste though. Definatly no comparison obviously to a home cooked meal but really good for the just in case. Have you ever had freeze dried ice cream or strawberries? There are alot of people who think its gross but I thought they were pretty good!

I had some, I don't know where they came from. A friend who was in nam gave them to me (but they weren't from nam at least I hope not! If they were, somebody shorted the cigarettes from packing!) I ate them and they were pretty good but I don't remember what was in them. Anyway it's not a bad idea to keep some around but I would replace them every 4-5 years or so.

As I recall the chicken with rice and vegetables wasn't bad. And the mixed fruit with pineapple (wet) was to be avoided at all cost.

I tried the cheese with some cracker that came with the one I opened. It gave me sulfuric burps. Not eating the cheese again! I took some vinegar, seemed to have done the trick.

If you want a quality M.R.E. try to get your hands on the military issue made by The Wornick Company out of Texas. The variety and quality is quite nice and the ones you can buy from those outdoor websites can't even compare.

I've had beef stew and chicken ala king that tasted like Chunky Soup you'd find in your supermarket. Beef patties, pasta, etc.., I haven't yet tasted one I disliked.