MREs

    If I’m going to insist on writing entries on the Iraq war, perhaps it would be more appropriate to confine things in the narrow scope of this site: namely, what our soldiers are eating. Evidently they are eating quite well. Meals Ready to Eat, or MREs, were derided as “Meals Rejected by Ethiopians” during the first Gulf war, but today’s MRE and the new improved MRE-Plus are healthier than ever, with a much better variety. Some meals can even be heated up through a water and magnesium combination. (An MRE FAQ can be found in Google’s newsgroup section.)
    The soldiers especially like the desserts, such as chocolate bars and Chiclets, which are tradable. “‘Beef stew’ is a favorite, because it includes jalapeño cheese spread, which soldiers prefer to fortified peanut butter,” according to one article. The meals also come with a small bottle of Tabasco. Says Specialist Kelly Rowland, “Tabasco saves everything.”
    What were once C-rations served in cans are now packaged in easily transportable pouches. These packets are even available online, so you can eat just like our soldiers do.
    Here are a few store links:
IMS Plus
Long Life Food Depot
Meyers Custom Supply
Brigade Quartermasters    This is just a small sampling of stores selling MREs found during a brief search. (Inclusion here should not be interpreted as an endorsement, since I have not ordered anything from the above sites.)