ePlaya :: View topic - a note on packaged MRE's and other such food

Niacin

Even though you've bought the bigassed variety pack, bring something else to eat and snack on. Variety is important, and eating from a plastic bag gets really lame about Thurs.

Cheers,
Max
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lebenskunstler - noun, German - someone for whom life is an art form.

Juju · Joined: 02 Sep 2003 Posts: 65 Location: Seattle, WA

I'm a major foodie, and the concept of not eating well whilst working my ass off putting up a camp just doesn't sit right with me.

As head Disco Chef, I put together a rockin meal plan that the entire camp agreed upon, divvy'd up the grocery list, and we all ate 2-3 hot meals a day.

We all pooped pretty solid, too.

A few ideas that are easy and good:
remember to take your veggies out of the plastic bags so the air can circulate. They won't go bad if they can breathe!

fresh squash & potatoes
fresh tomatoes - stick in the cooler for 15 min before munching, such a refreshing snack
cucumbers feel cool

I made a giant batch of gazpacho and froze it before I left. I let some thaw in the cooler, dumped it into a pitcher, voila - lunch. Add some vodka and it's even tastier.

eggs can be broken & whisked up in a ziploc bag, then frozen for transport. Just thaw & dump the raw eggs into a frying pan for mess-less breakfast.

I hosted a potluck dinner party at our camp on Thursday night. People brouht wine & cheese, risotto, gnocchi with fresh sauce, a campmate made chili, our neighbors made raita salad, and I busted out my infamous crabcakes and mango salsa.

Oh yes, and fresh mangoes & pineapple rock on the playa, too.

damn I'm making myself hungry all over again. Smile

spaceboy · Joined: 11 Nov 2003 Posts: 45 Location: North Carolina

Those MRE's taste like shit and are full of MSG.
See also this thread:
http://eplaya.burningman.com/viewtopic.php?t=2339

JuJu:
Let's cook together sometime on the playa!
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Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die!

BlueBirdPoof · Joined: 23 Sep 2003 Posts: 682 Location: SF Bay Area

They don't even have to be BM MRE stories.

Last week my sweetie bought the MRE variety pack of 12 as earthquake/disaster/emergency food. Then we had to eat one each to see if I (a notoriously fussy eater for my entire life) would and just for me to get an idea of what's in there and how to "process" it. I will say--that's nasty stuff. I didn't even open my jalapeno cheesy food tube, couldn't bear the idea.
But he waxed all nostalgic about his army days and the matches and the chiclets and how his group used to recreationally throw the cracker packets around. I don't want the experience, but I loved the pure stupidity of the stories.
So, does anyone have more?

Chai Guy · Joined: 03 Sep 2003 Posts: 1865 Location: Los Angeles

I too had my share of MRE's in the army. Once in a while they were ok, but when you had to eat them for 3-4 straight meals they got pretty bad. They would back you up something fierce! Anyway, there are all kinds of MRE receipes out there if you're interested. (Personally I would never eat another one again).

http://www.millennium-ark.net/News_Files/Food/MRE_Recipes.html

http://www.cook4ever.com/maindish/mre.htm

http://www.campdoha.org/categories/soldiers/mrerecipes.htm

BlueBirdPoof · Joined: 23 Sep 2003 Posts: 682 Location: SF Bay Area

I;m in the never again camp too. Once was enough. It just amazed me that these nasty things evoked such memories. That was interesting

terdbird · Joined: 17 Jan 2004 Posts: 16

arent mre's kind of expensive? the one time i had them, about 10 years ago at boy scout camp, they werent that bad... plus you have all the stuff that comes in the pack... what a deal! Smile

Chai Guy · Joined: 03 Sep 2003 Posts: 1865 Location: Los Angeles

calsur · Joined: 22 Jan 2004 Posts: 322 Location: Eureka, CA

Having also gotten my PHD in Camping & Nasty Stuff from the Army I will never eat another MRE again, forever. Once I had to eat them for a month straight and I was ready to chew the bark off a tree for someting else.

A couple of tips to those who want to eat them.

1. DO NOT cut the bag across the top. After eating about half the bag, you end up with more food on your hand than in your mouth. Cut the bag long way, much easier.

2. You can boil some rice and then dump the main course in with it. Makes them much better and is easy to do.

3. HOT SAUCE, lots and lots of hot sauce.

Enjoy

diane o'thirst · Joined: 09 Sep 2003 Posts: 2086 Location: Eugene, OR

Badger · Joined: 04 Sep 2003 Posts: 3436 Location: San Francisco

I believe - although I can't prove - that MRE's have a biologicla basis in Post Traumatic Event Syndrome experienced by so many vets.

It wasn't the war, it was the food.
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Desert dogs drink deep.

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Tancorix · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2004 11:54 pm Post subject:

For someone who couldn't cook worth a damn at the time, MRE's saved me last year from starving. When I first used them I wondered why every one had a bottle of hot sauce in there. That changed quickly.

BlueBirdPoof · Joined: 23 Sep 2003 Posts: 682 Location: SF Bay Area

BlueBirdPoof · Joined: 23 Sep 2003 Posts: 682 Location: SF Bay Area

BlueBirdPoof · Joined: 23 Sep 2003 Posts: 682 Location: SF Bay Area