I thought the ham-n-eggs needed work, but at least they were edible. The spaghetti and meatballs, on the other hand, were best used as projectiles lobbed toward the enemy. Couldn’t stand the apricots. More a texture-thing than a taste-thing, though. Beans-n-weaners weren't too awful bad, and the canned ham was pretty good, especially if you drink the juice (need that salt), replace it with juice from the fruit cocktail, peaches, or pears, then heat it all up with either sterno, the C-rat carton, small camp fire, or with a couple 81mm mortar charge bags wrapped around it (heats up faster than any microwave I know). You end up with candied ham -- sorta.

I preferred LRPs (long-range patrol meals) more than anything else in the Army stores. They were freeze-dried and gave you something to munch on during those long foot marches. Came with a dried, crumbly fruit bar that was pretty decent, too.

I was there for the initial tests of the nifty, new MREs. They were okay, but pretty awkward stuff to handle. A plastic bag of hot/warm, wet food. You needed time to set them up, and sometimes the cleanup was messy.

Agreed. Good food is important, but where "Uncle Sam wants macaroni and cheese that will remain tasty and nutritious for three years after it is cooked," I think the local GI would prefer a meal that has the ability to be immediate, as well as edible (i.e., at least tasty), whether it is hot, cold, dry, or wet.

“It makes common sense since it is one of the most popular American foods,” Lisa White, vice president of Annie’s Homegrown, said. “Macaroni and cheese is viewed as a comfort food.”

Interesting.

Throw in some cottage cheese, veggies and salmon bits, otherwise it's just so much sticky pasta to me.

Dan