Military rations from around the world

the_tyrant · 11-10-10, 05:51 PM

I don't know where this originally came from
but i found it here:http://www.giftedplayer.net/Edit/upl...1149179421.jpg

I assume its all combat rations

Australian D ration

British rations

Canadian rations(type 1)

Danish F1 rations

French rations

German type 2 rations

Italian C ration

Lithuanian type 9 rations

Polish combat rations

South Korean combat rations (i feel sorry for these guys, because all they get is pickled vegetables)

Spanish A5 rations

Swedish type 4 rations

Ukrainian officer rations

American type 2 rations

Ducimus · 11-10-10, 06:06 PM

Ahh, MRE's.
Meal Refused by Ethopians. Meal Refused by Everybody, and other cute names. What fun they are! They pack, what, 3000 calories each as i recall?

Omlete with ham slice is the worst. infact, any egg course was gross cause it was invariably green in color..... like slime. I acutally LIKED the corn beef hash as long as i had tobasco. And nothing beat that first MRE S**t on a deployment. Usually about 3 to 4 days after you arrived. It took that long before you could have a sit down, and It was like giving birth to a cinder block.

Of course, y (video dated 1996, which was around my "era" of service.) Do the troops now days even get them anymore? Or did the powers that be take away the fun?

(Edit: ( I guess so! Good times! Glad to see the "tradition" continues! edit: Although leave it to the marines to use a canteen instead of a water bottle )

krashkart · 11-10-10, 06:30 PM

MRE frankfurters on a chilly morning. Never again.

I actually kind of liked the ham omelet once I got over the taste of the preservatives (ad-hoc weed killer?).

Herr-Berbunch · 11-10-10, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ducimus

I acutally LIKED the corn beef hash as long as i had tobasco.

Even today the wife moans that I add a *hot* sauce to everything she cooks. I think my favourite was sausage and beans (Brit), after all - what chef could screw that up?

Obviously with tobasco!

UnderseaLcpl · 11-11-10, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Ahh, MRE's.
Meal Refused by Ethopians. Meal Refused by Everybody, and other cute names. What fun they are! They pack, what, 3000 calories each as i recall?

Anymore, that depends entirely upon how you define the word "calorie". Technically, modern US MREs contain about 2500 calories, which is enough to fuel a full day's worth of soldierly activites, according to the ridiculous and slightly insulting cartoon characters on the boxed items.

In practice, MREs contain enough calories to fuel roughly six hours' worth of anything, followed by twelve to seventy-two hours' worth of bowel discomfort.

Quote:

Omlete with ham slice is the worst. infact, any egg course was gross cause it was invariably green in color..... like slime.

Green eggs and ham are no longer on the menu, Sam I am. They have been replaced by preprocessed slime of varying colors.

Quote:

I acutally LIKED the corn beef hash as long as i had tobasco. And nothing beat that first MRE S**t on a deployment. Usually about 3 to 4 days after you arrived. It took that long before you could have a sit down, and It was like giving birth to a cinder block.

That sounds awful, though the lack of female genitalia in US Marines makes it difficult for me to understand your pain.

Quote:

Of course, y (video dated 1996, which was around my "era" of service.) Do the troops now days even get them anymore? Or did the powers that be take away the fun?

They're still here, and they still work for every imaginable purpose save heating food to an even temperature or making it palatable. Then again, we could very well be talking about the same MREs.

antikristuseke · 11-11-10, 02:28 AM

Estonian MRE's are 4000 calories and did not induce any bowel discomfort in me.

Penguin · 11-11-10, 06:04 AM

Back in my carnivore days I liked the canned meat and sausage from the german rations - it is actually the same product you could buy from any german farmer who makes his own meat.

For the US MRE's I can say that you should go with the vegetarian ones - I liked most of them. This is my not so secret tip for anywhere where mass food is produced (MRE's, cantinas, hospitals). The veggie choice is often the better one, as they are made in smaller amounts - I won't say cooked with love

This applies not to the "apple slices" in the MRE's - which tastes like a truck full of chemicals hit an apple tree.
Oh yes, and avoid anything with egg in a MRE!

TarJak · 11-11-10, 06:17 AM

This site give a good overview of some MRE and CR menus from a number of countries: http://www.mreinfo.com/international...9-specops.html

Some of it tasted OK but honestly not a lot of it was much good unless you hadn't had a feed in a while.

Kazuaki Shimazaki II · 11-11-10, 12:23 AM

Has there actually been a ration that actually tasted GOOD (I don't mean survivable, or OK if you flood your taste bud with tobasco, or if only the preservatives are gone, I mean really GOOD after normal heating)?

krashkart · 11-11-10, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Some soldiers have reported that the trading value of RCIRs when on exercise with MRE eating troops is 1 RCIR for 5 MREs on average. In Somalia, a crate of RCIRs would get you a US field cot.

Must have something to do with the squid, roast lamb, etc. on those RCIR menus. (Sauteed rabbit? My god, man!)

http://www.mreinfo.com/international...ench-rcir.html

Ducimus · 11-11-10, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krashkart

Must have something to do with the squid, roast lamb, etc. on those RCIR menus. (Sauteed rabbit? My god, man!)

http://www.mreinfo.com/international...ench-rcir.html

Man, those French know how to live. I have to admit, it sounds REALLY good as rations go. Better then Meatballs in BBQ sauce, thats for sure.

Gorduz · 11-11-10, 04:37 PM

The norwegian army uses dry tech rations that can also be bought in your regular sports store so I assume they are good. I served in the navy so we never go those, we god canned food instead (Lapskaus or beef stew) looked like the swedish stew on the picture and tastes great!

Oberon · 11-11-10, 06:36 PM

Love the tea bag in the British MRE, I know the Challenger II has a boiling vessel (bivvie) for boil in the bag MREs and brewing tea. Just seems such a stereotypically British thing and I love it.
Somewhat surprised not to see any tins of Spam or Bully beef about, or the old hard biscuit...but I dare say those at the sharp end probably aren't too disappointed.

Just rummaging around MREInfo.com and found pictures of the modern 'Tommy cooker' (which I always thought was just a nickname for the M4 Sherman):

Compared to:

Ironic...we have little paraffin burners like that at work for heating the chafing dishes and Bain-maries...

UnderseaLcpl · 11-11-10, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oberon

Love the tea bag in the British MRE, I know the Challenger II has a boiling vessel (bivvie) for boil in the bag MREs and brewing tea. Just seems such a stereotypically British thing and I love it.

I share the sentiment.

I've had the privilege of working and training alongside the British military on a few occassions, and I have to admit that there is something almost charming about their tendency to put the kettle on and sit down for a nice cup whenever an opportune moment arises.

Make no mistake, I'm proud of my nation and I'm proud of the US Marine Corps, but when one is sitting in a ditch, digging about in one's pocket for the remnants of a tasteless cracker left over from breakfast whilst sucking stale water from a back-mounted plastic bag through a tube, seeing a group of Bristish Marines having an amicable discussion over a cup of tea in the shade of their Warrior IFV (they have boilers built into the rear door) can make a person feel somewhat uncivilised.

11-10-10, 05:51 PM	#1
the_tyrant Admiral Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Canada Posts: 2,272 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	Military rations from around the world I don't know where this originally came from but i found it here:http://www.giftedplayer.net/Edit/upl...1149179421.jpg I assume its all combat rations Australian D ration British rations Canadian rations(type 1) Danish F1 rations French rations German type 2 rations Italian C ration Lithuanian type 9 rations Polish combat rations South Korean combat rations (i feel sorry for these guys, because all they get is pickled vegetables) Spanish A5 rations Swedish type 4 rations Ukrainian officer rations American type 2 rations

11-10-10, 06:06 PM	#2
Ducimus Rear Admiral Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 12,987 Downloads: 67 Uploads: 2	Ahh, MRE's. Meal Refused by Ethopians. Meal Refused by Everybody, and other cute names. What fun they are! They pack, what, 3000 calories each as i recall? Omlete with ham slice is the worst. infact, any egg course was gross cause it was invariably green in color..... like slime. I acutally LIKED the corn beef hash as long as i had tobasco. And nothing beat that first MRE S*t on a deployment. Usually about 3 to 4 days after you arrived. It took that long before you could have a sit down, and It was like giving birth to a cinder block. Of course, y (video dated 1996, which was around my "era" of service.) Do the troops now days even get them anymore? Or did the powers that be take away the fun? (Edit: ( I guess so! Good times! Glad to see the "tradition" continues! edit: Although leave it to the marines to use a canteen instead of a water bottle ) Last edited by Ducimus; 11-10-10 at 06:16 PM.*

11-11-10, 04:37 PM	#12
Gorduz Engineer Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Norway Posts: 210 Downloads: 2 Uploads: 0	The norwegian army uses dry tech rations that can also be bought in your regular sports store so I assume they are good. I served in the navy so we never go those, we god canned food instead (Lapskaus or beef stew) looked like the swedish stew on the picture and tastes great! __________________ 21. MTB skv. Attacks without warning.

11-10-10, 06:30 PM	#3
krashkart Navy Seal Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 5,292 Downloads: 100 Uploads: 0	MRE frankfurters on a chilly morning. Never again. I actually kind of liked the ham omelet once I got over the taste of the preservatives (ad-hoc weed killer?).

11-11-10, 02:28 AM	#6
antikristuseke Silent Hunter Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Estland Posts: 4,330 Downloads: 3 Uploads: 0	Estonian MRE's are 4000 calories and did not induce any bowel discomfort in me.

11-11-10, 06:04 AM	#7
Penguin Ocean Warrior Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Rheinische Republik Posts: 3,322 Downloads: 92 Uploads: 0	Back in my carnivore days I liked the canned meat and sausage from the german rations - it is actually the same product you could buy from any german farmer who makes his own meat. For the US MRE's I can say that you should go with the vegetarian ones - I liked most of them. This is my not so secret tip for anywhere where mass food is produced (MRE's, cantinas, hospitals). The veggie choice is often the better one, as they are made in smaller amounts - I won't say cooked with love This applies not to the "apple slices" in the MRE's - which tastes like a truck full of chemicals hit an apple tree. Oh yes, and avoid anything with egg in a MRE!

11-11-10, 06:17 AM	#8
TarJak Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 17,052 Downloads: 150 Uploads: 8	This site give a good overview of some MRE and CR menus from a number of countries: http://www.mreinfo.com/international...9-specops.html Some of it tasted OK but honestly not a lot of it was much good unless you hadn't had a feed in a while.

11-11-10, 12:23 AM	#9
Kazuaki Shimazaki II Ace of the Deep Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 1,140 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Has there actually been a ration that actually tasted GOOD (I don't mean survivable, or OK if you flood your taste bud with tobasco, or if only the preservatives are gone, I mean really GOOD after normal heating)?

11-11-10, 06:36 PM	#13
Oberon Lucky Jack Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 25,976 Downloads: 61 Uploads: 20	Love the tea bag in the British MRE, I know the Challenger II has a boiling vessel (bivvie) for boil in the bag MREs and brewing tea. Just seems such a stereotypically British thing and I love it. Somewhat surprised not to see any tins of Spam or Bully beef about, or the old hard biscuit...but I dare say those at the sharp end probably aren't too disappointed. Just rummaging around MREInfo.com and found pictures of the modern 'Tommy cooker' (which I always thought was just a nickname for the M4 Sherman): Compared to: Ironic...we have little paraffin burners like that at work for heating the chafing dishes and Bain-maries...