im in the army and ate MREs for 6 months straight, and honestly i enjoyed them. they're an easy meal, filling, and overall not bad. (unless you got a vegetarian one)
I'm a steak and potatoes guy ,but the best ones were actually the vegetarian ones. They had more flavor in my opinion My favorite snack on convoys was Ranger Pudding. Mixing the cocoa and creamer powder with just a little bit of water to make a paste. If your lucky to get a lemon bar or pound cake. Spread the pudding on top, take the matches place it in the cake. light em up. and BAM! u can celebrate your 19th birthday taking shots of grape drink in a up armored Humvee, While the AC blows hot air in "yo face" in the 119* degree weather. Good Times!!
I'm with you on the Ranger pudding, but I found the best MREs to be spaghetti w/meat sauce, chicken noodle, omelette w/ham and - a canceled one - chicken ala king
+MAR T I don't even get the whole vegetarian MRE thing. I mean shit, if you are on the battlefield takin a ten minute break before you go out to get shot at again, the least of your concerns should be "Is this vegetarian friendly?" Take the fucking food and eat it xD Although I can empathize with people who are lactose intolerant on the field, stomach cramps and diarrhea while trying to survive? *shudders*
I didn't watched the whole thing, I skipped by 5 minutes intervals. I was, and still am ABSOLUTELY APPALLED by his utter incompetence to eat an MRE at a normal person's speed. I'd guarantee that if a mouse and him started eating at the same time, the mouse would have finished first, after dividing it into 20 separate meals.
mz74smart He's making a video rating it so obviously he's going to talk through how all the heating elements work etc and discuss each item thoroughly.. It's called a review, it wouldn't be much of a review if he just opened the pack and wolfed it all down.
.. A review is voicing your opinion not shouting facts the fact is if every review was based on total fact everyone would feel the same way about it cause they all have the same info.
you gotta wonder, these MREs probably cost the U.S. government about $0.07 to make, with very sophisticated and advanced chemicals, preservatives, and heating technology. And then you buy a box of craft macaroni for $1.50. So overpriced.
You cannot eat mre's like a regular meal as a citizen or student... They are made to support the calorie and protein needs of a soldier in combat or soldier on duty
Jesus fucking christ. These comments. The mere fact you are watching this video means that you are interested in this stuff. This guy took the time to upload a long video about a civilian way of eating an MRE, and everyone complains? Yes it seems tedious, yes it seems like overkill, but If you don't like it, walk on by. I happen to love this kind of stuff, and I thank OP for posting an informative video!
I was in the military when C-rats were being phased out and and MRE's were being phased in. The C-rats were better, but the MRE's weren't that bad. And that was over 30 years ago, I'd imagine they've improved on them since then.
The fact that you can turn eating an MRE into a 49 minute video is awesome. That's why I love your channel man. It's one of a kind with no apologies and no need for them. Keep it up man.
Why isn't there a portable toilet. Ready to shit and urinate. You have something to eat but what goes in got to come out later. Eat and shit should come in one package.
Alman556 funny enough, it could be due to being able to live with legit nomads during the summer in my childhood (im from Kyrgyzstan). you haven't even SEEN unappetizing food untill you've seen their food!
Just from my experience, you don't necessarily have to move fast after putting water in the heater. In fact I've found that giving the bag a good shake so that the water saturates most of the heater from the get go is best for allowing the heater to get as wet as possible and thus heats up as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
The MRE, if i'm not mistaken, was meant to last a day. It includes a little breakfast, snacks, and a Entre. Altogether, just enough calories to replenish and statistically keep a person alive.
The best way to eat an MRE is to open it lengthwise. Just use your knife to slice it open. That's much easier than pulling at the notches. Every soldier carries a knife.
TheFreeViper Fair enough. Every US soldier. But EVERY soldier should carry at least a good knife if not a multi-tool also. It just makes sense. Knives are useful.
pjamese3 i agree, but the military works different here in finland i will explain: when you become 18 you have the choice of doing community service for 9 months or join the military and do military training, you have to pick either or you will be forced to or even worse prison. When you get to the military they do check ups and stuff on you after that you get to choose what you want your role to be in the miliary (marines,espionage etc.) After that you hopefully get what you wanted and do training for that for 9-15 months and then you can stay in the military if you want to advance your rank. But our military is divided into different companies as they are called and they all specialize in different things, i was for example a coastal pioneer which means i had ONE of the hardest trainings and can do a little bit of everything but our specialty are mines,building and some other explosives, we do ofcoarse go to the battlefield if needed but thats our main role. I dont know about real war situations but we didnt carry a multitool or a knife in the training
TheFreeViper You didn't carry a knife or multi-tool in training. What about after you where in a regular unit? Did you or others carry knives then? I'm not talking about a big combat knife...just a folding pocket knife. They come in handy for everything from opening shipping containers to cutting strings off your uniform to...eating an MRE. Multi-tools even more so. In the US Army, I couldn't imagine going without either. I actually use to drop my soldiers for push ups when they didn't have their knife on them. It was to train them. Knives were a convenience in garrison; they were a necessity during deployment.
how strong is the coffee? ive been drinking my moms coffee since middle school and that stuff can be compared to paint remover and probably used for it as well. so naturally I like my coffee VERY strong. I was just curious if it was strong or not.
Hey, it's food. And it will keep you alive in a emergency situation, or a solder in the field. It doesn't mater what it tastes like. It's designed to be stored almost indefinitely. I wouldn't expect it to taste very good either...
I love those damn things. we ate them so much in the field that we didn't even wanna hear MRE lol. I always thought the maple sausage and the veggie burger were the best. Some good shit. Way better than hot A's.
You know there are 2 main types of jerky...One that is produced from minced meat(cheaper and probably thats what you ate) and the meat cut which is either brisquet or fillet mignion dried and smoked. I make my own with meat from my local butcher shop because the baught stuff is very expensive and has some not so great additives to help preserve it. btw if anyone wants the spice recipe just say so. Home jerky sealed in vacum lasts at least for a year depending on the humidity left in the meat.
My favorite MREs while in the army were: cheese tortellini, beef mac, southwest black bean and rice, beef ravioli was good too. Absolute worst: pork sausage gravy.
i actually find this very interesting, at least for me, im curious how soldiers go about on their daily lives and this video gives an insight. take it like you're travelling to a different country, observing how the locals eat, what they eat and so on.
'til it's done. Depends. Which entree? Is it warm outside? Cold? Freezing? How much water did you add to the eater? Did you put it back in the box like you're supposed to or fuck it up? Anywhere from a minute to hot or half an hour to get it lukewarm depending on the above.
Sterling Fobbs pvtghost117 No. I just got out of BCT for the army. I've eaten hundreds of the things. One, you're not even supposed to chew the gum in Basic. Or AIT. However, if you do, you'll find out that all the gum does is make you have extreme gas. Two, the MRE Cheese does this too. And it can have a very negative effect on your insides.
The gum definitely is not a laxative. I ate an MRE once, and chewed the gum afterwards. I still did not shit for five days afterwards. Not fun, trust me.
I spent 10 years in the ARMY, and have to tell you, the MRE's are not meant as a single sit down eat everything meal. the kippered beef, and the pop tart ( or the various things that take those slots) are usually kept back for energy snacks through out the day. I have eaten several hundred of these, ( most of them before the menu improvements) and never finished the whole bag in a single sitting.
I absolutely LOVE MREs! The Cheese and Vegetable Manicotti in Tomato Sauce TOTM was truly a privilege to savor. It's too bad they don't make it anymore!
MRE's are really good! I'm still a teen, but I'm also a cadet, so we eat MRE in expeditions and such.. And I must say, I loved watching this! Very informative, I liked!
Apparently you can buy them from Amazon and stuff. Surplus stores often sell real military ones (although the Amazon ones are virtually identical) but they are out of date a lot of times.
I remember when I was in cadets, we got to eat these, but it had different stuff. My favorite was the apple oatmeal. As a snack we got some like, whole wheat bread type thing, All of the cadets HATED the cheese spread. You had the luxury of cooking your food, we had the option of boiling, but usually the stove failed.
I've been thinking about making my own jerky as the store bought -like you said- is just too expensive. Although I haven't looked into the methods of making it yet. Do you use a dehydrator or what exactly? The best beef jerky I've ever had was from this vendor at a flea market that made his own, amazing stuff.
for those who think that this is crap food, well sometimes it actually is, but these are meant to get calories in your body which translates to energy to keep them going out in the field.
MREs are nice, at least in my opinion. The ones we get on cadet field training exes, while packed almost exactly the same, are packed in Canada without the electrochemical heater, and in a clear pouch instead of brown. They're also provided by Meal Kit Supply Canada, but for the rest are the exact same as you show here. Also, I personally like the Hashbrowns and Bacon "hot" meal, and I don't know of anyone who'd give away a mixed fruit for anything less than a soul or a hundred bucks.
a simple trick that no one ever does is to pour a few drops of water in the pouch when they open it.... those meals have had most of the moisture removed and taste much better with a little put back...
You could get it from any surplus store, im not sure if they have any in Norway because im from america but im sure you can find a normal store that sells military items
The "GINGER cake" of that brand, is the best cake (in a pack) that you can buy (for my personal taste ofc)... Love MRE especially the "Chili Beans" (dislike the chicken breast and some others very bad, still food anyway...). I like also the "compressed bread" (with beans, or jelly grapes; nice to have any time). The coffee is not exactly the best but do his work...
Back in the day there was no beverage bag. They told u to fill up half a canteen cup or a full canteen cup but since they mostly use bladder now,I'm guessing that's why they put those in
I found them on eBay (UK) for £10 with £3+ delivery from a UK seller for 1 with the choice of menu 20+ but in pictures it didn't show or say in the description about the beef jerky.
heres a tip. ive eaten like 400 of these things. cut the center of the pouch of all entrees and cut the top off. it turns the pouch into a little bowl in which you can salt/pepper the entire contents rather than get parts over salted and things. you learn things the more you eat these to try and make them feel more like home
+Matthew Zepess The MRE is designed very intelligently. notice he kept mentioning how filling everything is, that's to make sure the meal lasts a long time, and everything is individually wrapped, to ensure it CAN last a long time.
No kidding. MREs and similar versions other armed forces use are really great. When my platoon got ours during the last big exercise at boot camp we were so happy we finally got some decent food that the whole event ended up feeling more like a camping trip with barbecue. Of course, I was at a base where the guy in charge of making sure the recruits were fed prided himself on spending less money on it every year.
You'd eventually learn that heater time is limited, so you'd prep second and third "courses" to go in it ahead of time - and also warm two things at once when possible. Entree and side dish (when provided) and then coffee, and finally the pop tart. You did learn that mixing items like cheese and beef stick is the way to go - and that the cheese goes with EVERYTHING.
I think they have nutrients but nothing like a normal natural diet, the point of these is survival type of food that can be stowed away for hunting. patrols, storage, etc
i know im type one diabetic and it is a legacy and dream of mine to be a marine when i was 8 the doc said i had diabetes i cried all day i think its a sigh of pride and manlyness to be in the millitary
Most of the guys that wrote have NO idea,, I enjoyed your vid......its a good lesson for those that dont know about the military MRE.,, it showed every aspect of the meal......with one exception.....not all meals come with the chem heater.. you must watch what you buy.... again....good video,and dont let the egg neads get to you......
The gum has a laxative in it due to the fact that an MRE has so many calories and preservatives that it can bind you up especially when you are eating them everyday
They are actually packed with Calories, the reason for this is because the person eating it is expected to be physically active for the majority of the day and the Calories consumed is used to compensate for the Calories that you'll lose.
I think the reason that they stopped putting tabasco in them is because some of the guys downrange that had to go without sleep for a long time and maybe were doing a job that could get a bit dry like standing guard somewhere, would put the tabasco on their eyes like eye drops to stay awake
I don't know if its true but a couple good friends of mine from the military have told me that the MRE's for what ever reason will how do you say..."stop you up" poo wise and the gum that comes with every mre is a mild laxitive. Might me a nifty bit of info to look into :P
This is probably a stupid question, im only just getting into the outdoor survival and camping, hence why i want to buy some of these, with the heating process why cant you have the meal already in there and then pour the water in, one less step for you to do? then just put it in the box and on the 45degree angle, please by all means reply and correct me, i want to know. thanks in advance.
Heat up coffee and cheese sauce together, let warm up about six minutes. When they come out, put the "Toaster Pastry" and Cookie (unopened) in the heater pouch.
When I first saw the title, I thought this is pretty lame. But I watched it anyway. For someone who has never enjoyed an MRE it was very informative and well done. Thanks for posting and ignore the negative comments. Good job.
MREs a great for what they are. I always seek out several meals that are good enough to eat even in at home such as Buffalo Chicken. Man that's a good one.
MREs are honestly not that bad. There has been times where I have had to eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner for weeks at a time. Although we usually get two hot meals in a pack so you have slight more variety, if you don't like what you get then you simply trade it off to someone else for something you like better.
all mre's are different and some are the same but theres many types of mre but if you order online they dont tell you what you get they might but someone ppl selling dont tell you and its really expensive.
ive ate mre's for months straight when backpacking the Oregon coast and the appellation trail, they are pretty horrible lol... that being said I stayed fed. on a side note i burnt myself pretty good once playing with the heater packs and trying to come up with other uses...
i'm not going to watch this whole video, but when you're starving they taste okay when cooked. but if u have to eat them for a week strait they are nasty. They are also made to constipate and back you up. so i don't recommend eating them unless you have to lol. I believe the gum is a laxative as well
I only had MRE once when i was young when my uncle came to my house after his military off days . It taste great ! But normally they don't sell to public in 1-2 boxes right ? Or do they ? I doubt my country doesn't .
Also the reason there is so much calories, carbohydrates.. etc is because all day your running around burn alot of energy and you need to drink water and have a good meal in order work for long proofs at a time.
