It wasn't uncommon for the C-rats we were issued to be 8-10 years old. We knew we had some "fresh" C-rats if the accessory pack didn't include cigarettes. They quit putting in smokes right after the Vietnam War ended.

I pleased to note that I always managed to avoid/trade the ham and eggs. Cold eggs are gross. Cold eggs that have been in a can for many years were too bad to even think about.

Beans were popular in the winter because they helped keep people warm at night. Sleeping bags weren't called "fart sacks" for nothing. Like I said before, life in the field was pretty basic (and nasty). Most of the time, we weren't allowed to have any type of fire so we needed Tabasco to get a hot meal.

The turkey loaf was edible if you put on enough hot sauce. The ham was pretty good, too. I ate the spaghetti more times than I care to remember, usually when that was all that was left over in the ration case. It pays to be close at hand when the cases are broken open.

The old C-ration crackers were inedible most of the time. I figured they were best reserved for flinging at the enemy if you were running low on ammo. That might be against the Geneva Convention, though. Some weapons are just too cruel, even in wartime.

The peanut butter was okay, but you really have to go out of your way to mess up peanut butter. The canned cheese was nasty. Most of the fruit was good, although I never cared very much for the apricots, either. The peaches were prized and seldom traded for anything. Tropical chocolate bars were for the truly desperate. You couldn't melt one of those things with a blowtorch.