I served in a private anti poaching unit protecting rhinos in South Africa for six months, and if I learned one thing, it's that hunger is the best seasoning.
🙃 Late Summer 1986, Divisional infantry maneuvers (Warsaw pact East Europe) After 5 days of "war conditions" with digging defenses, charging over rough terrain, minimal sleep and eating only old biscuits ... We finally got real food ! ! ! Rice cooked with salted Sheep fat. It was a hot Summer, a long way to reach us and half the rice was already "moving" ... Best meal ever ! 🍻
may i ask when you served? good friend of mine (a german with JB as his initials) also served as a anti poaching ranger in SA approx around 2020... maybe it rings a bell
My best friend was deployed to Ramadi in 2010 and they still had stocks of the Veggie Omelet MRE and his unit drew straws on who had to eat it, he unfortunately did, he ate everything else but the main course and tried to offer it to a starving dog that had approached. Even the dog rejected it.
In my 14 years in the US Army, I have only seen one MRE not handed out, and that was the Cheese and Veggie Omelet. To hear senior NCOs say "this MRE isn't fit for human consumption" is all you need to know Edit: I was infantry, so the mentality of "If you complain about the taste, you aren't that hungry" was dominant
My older sisters hs boyfriend, joined the army...came back to surprise me with the veggie omlette MRE.....then I realized he didn't like me.....or my sister 😂
I was in the french army, and during my service i had the chance to exchanges with USMC in Djibouti for couple months. We were delighted to exchanges our MRE, we loved theirs as they were more proteines and they loved ours as they were more tasty (according to them). Overral the french are not really satisfied with it, and ifelt the same with the USMC that were kinda fed up with theirs too. I think whatever the army youre in, at one point your fed up eating the same kind of MRE for months and months, and when you can get your hands on new ones , you just jump on it !
@@synergy8879 real fresh, a deer hit by a plow was our best guess. Sub zero tempuratures and the blood wasn't frozen yet. I wish I'd gone straight to trade school and saved myself a lot of money lol.
I was in Marine Combat Training late 2006. During a field op that included multiple days without sleep, I drew a Cheese and Veggie Omelette MRE. I was starving and didn't know better. I slathered the gelatinous slab in salt and Tabasco, and ate the whole thing. I spent the next 2 days puking, delirious from malnutrition and sleep deprivation, barely keeping up on forced marches. Damn. That. Omelette.
This is because French MREs are made of civilian food in military packaging (literally all items can be found in a sports shop or supermarket, the brands are the same) other countries MREs are specially developed with the primary objective of reducing costs and facilitating the supply of food. Ensuring a balanced and tasty diet while reducing the risk of adverse side effects from prolonged use by soldiers is secondary.
Something i thought of as well in the past. Maybe food that's just ok to eat, because you will only eat what you need at that point. If it is really really good then you might stuff yourself too much
@@harmleyten4 " If it is really really good then you might stuff yourself too much" is exactly the thought that goes behind D-ration, a chocolate bar with a written requirement of "Taste"a little better than a boiled potato (to keep soldiers from eating their emergency rations in non-emergency situations)"
We trained a lot of NATO troops at NTC, and once we had traded some MRE's to a group of German troops. Best for the best. You should have seen their faces light up with joy chowing down on chili mac /w cheese. It really is the best out there.
@@sr7129 I can't even remember honestly lol Must have been good huh? My mind always goes to a Canadian mre I had once. Seasoned smoked salmon w rice. That was amazing
my dad was an mp and he called them meals rejected by ethiopia due to famine in ethiopia but the mres were so grotesque the starving ethiopians would avoid them
Had a chance to eat the american MRE. Most of them are delicious. The cheese spread and the jalapeno chesse spread are god tier. The after effects are rather nasty tho. But the one thing i just couldn't eat was the beef in bbq sauce. Absolutelly disgusting.
The beef and bbq sauce wasn't terrible. Kinda reminded me of pulled pork you can get in a tub at the store. The creamy spinach one was the one I absolutely refused to eat.
US military MREs were quite popular among Korean marines. I got some by trading my military goods with the US marines during a joint exercise in 2010s. There were a variety of different flavorsn so it was hit or miss. Some of them were really good and fulfilling while some tasted like I could ever eat it again when I only have few hours before dying from starvation
Tried the South Korean MRE while I was stationed there. I remember it had rice, kimchi, some sort of meat, and I can't remember what else. It was good, but not very filling.
Wait.. Are you telling me the Veggie Omelet was only from 2005-2009?! I got saddled with that more than 3x pulling from the MRE box. Only PTSD I have from the military is that meal.
My grandfather on my mother’s side also fought in the Vietnam war. I personally never met him but I’ve heard a story that he was wounded in battle and was nursed to health in a Vietnamese village where they had him eat dog meat. He was forever traumatized ever since.
@@ethulwulf5351 no he was on the other side. But he, like I said, was forced to eat dog. I’m pretty sure he also wasn’t even supposed to be in Vietnam. He was originally stationed in west Germany until he did something stupid and was court martialed before being restationed in Vietnam as punishment
@@therealspeedwagon1451the Vietnamese villagers were very kind. Vietnam was protein-poor. The villagers sacrificed their few protein source for your grandfather
The Polish MREs are pretty good from what I've heard. I've had the chance to try two of them, and I was most surprised by one with bigos - a traditional Polish dish, usually made for Christmas, it's often translated as "hunter's stew", as it's basically lots of various kinds of meat, cabbage and wild mushrooms, properly made it's cooked for several days. I was really surprised when I tried the MRE, because it smelled like real bigos that my grandma would make, actually had lots of meat, and my only complaint was that the taste seemed muted, but then I always ate it fresh, and not expired (like the MRE was).
There's some British MREs that I feel are conspicuously missing from the list - the Lancashire Hotpot is an absolute treat, and I would trade just about everything else in my ration pack to get it, if I knew someone in the unit had one. That one is amazing hot or cold, for me. I'm also partial to some of the curries in some of the older British MRE packs, they're not god tier, but they are bloody good. Saying that, I actually liked some of the rations others turned their noses up at, which often meant I could make out like a bandit during trades, and end up a slew of decent choices for the day. I have tried some of the prized American rations in this list too, and yes, again, I'd trade just about everything to get a chilli mac or buffalo chicken, definitely. Cackling at the US Marine noshing on crayons!
I was around the Brits in Operation Desert Storm. I love the chicken curry cans. And I think there was a bacon can? We traded a whole bunch with those guys.
@@greggrace967 Oh yeah, the chicken curry is the good stuff for sure, and yeah, there was a bacon can, and tbh, that one's pretty damned good too, in my opinion. Thanks for your service in Desert Storm - and I'm saying that as a former British NCO (attached to the Army Cadet Force), so I hope you won't be too offended by an often false platitude. I genuinely appreciate the struggles of troops on the ground during a conflict, regardless of their MOS.
Being an engineering student in a year long military experience in the french armies. I really savored the 24h rations we were given during the outdoor exercise we did during the first month of private training (followed by officer training)
Biscuits browns are famous even around British military students and cadets. I never had a stomach issue that came after it but I didn't mind the plain taste when I munch it with the packaged cheese we had.
My uncle was at Camp Pendleton as a marine in the 80's when I was a kid. He'd come visit us on the weekends in Riverside, and he'd bring C rations for me. My favorite was a brownie in a small can. I always thought he was so cool bringing me stuff like piss cutters, covers (hats), and MREs.
my grandfather told me a story of his uncle who served in World War 2, they got ahold of some Italian rations. Apparently the italian military was seriously skimping them out in food, and he described very vividly seeing a horses eye among other things in the Italian rations
Harvey Wiley was an early food health activist. If you want to know more about him, there's a documentary. He was one of those who had openly challenged canned meat and vegetable production facilities for obvious reasons... He even took Coca Cola to court. There more than likely wouldn't be a USDA or FDA without him. It's a shame, they still dont have his honest heart. But, otherwise, we'd pretty much be forced to eat genetically modifed food AND rotten food to this day without his undertakings.
He and Upton Sinclair were a blessing to America If you haven't read it, read "The Jungle" If we aren't careful, they'll remove regulations and add loopholes to get us right back to that point.
On one deployment in Mosul, the FOB had “ Mount Vomlet” after 15 month deployment there was a pile of nothing but Veg Omelette MRE’s as tall as the perimeter wall !
1988 dehydrated pork patty. Most disgusting disk ever to be created. However, in Kabul International Airport (2006) the French had the best DFAC. Felt like I was at a restaurant.
Yep I love Steve1989MREInfo unless it is completely unredeemable he typically finds a way within the ration pack to fusion or comes up with suggestions from already available ration packs to have better combos. The thing I love the most is when he gets one and has such expressed enjoyment that as a viewer you really want to just try it, in addition to the reindeer stew, I fondly remember his review of the french rier duck cassoulet and the american chicken burrito bowl.
Funny story- I have some boxes of mres in my basement i bought years ago. I saw the chilimac comment a couple weeks ago and opened up the top box of my mres to look for it. Lo and behold, right on top was the chilimac. I had to try it so me and my gf opened it up. Mine had a rum cake in it w the cheese/jalapeno spread, grape drink w berry skittles. For anyone wondering, it was good, but it wasnt $30+ good. Id almost rank it equal w most other mres iv had. It also gave me a migraine from the insane amount of preservatives in it. Id say the rum cake and cheese spread on the bland crackers was way better than the chilimac itself.
Back then, most Nations, even Europeans didn't have the useful technology to maintain the freshness of MRE for a long time. Thus, many soldiers had to go through some harsh moments. But as time went by, the USA mre became much better off. Because the US Army poured down lots of money to develop advanced MREs to diminish diverse complaints from soldiers. In some Asian nations, a few military hobbyists wanted to eat intentionally MRE made in the USA. To America Troopers, it's a sort of an old-time tale.
I liked the scene showing the culinary master piece chili and macoroni MRE is. The people behind Simple history did a very good job at recreating God Ramsey's face. Awesome video as always
Wow, the attention to details when it comes to the norwegian MREs is astonishing! Although truth be told the contents can be purchased in regular grocery stores.
“I don’t like food, I love it! If I don’t love it, I won’t swallow! I’ll return tomorrow night with high expectations, pray you don’t disappoint me.” Anton Ego
There are three things I absolutely love in life, good food, military history and potty humor. I was watching this video while doing my folding and almost on my chair laughing so hard when I saw the cartoon at the end. I rarely have laughed so hard in my life! My back and sides still hurt just thinking about it. 😂
For the Noobs: Worst C Rats: Ham and Eggs. Almost edible: Beef with spices. "Make up meals" for the former: Canned peaches and John Wayne bars. Bon Appetit? 😎
As someone, who's been eating it for an year during conscription service in russian army during 2021, i'll say that it's indeed good, although it's still might be not very pleasant, while coming out of you, but that's universal for all MREs around the world
@@primarchvulkan4013 мы на треши на полигоне берём их часто, да и в походы. Отзывы у меня о нём положительные, ну разве что у одного товарища запор был, а так отличный ИРП.
Didn't live it but french vet told me that during deplyement in yougoslvia, they could exchange a single french MRE for 10 pack of american cigarette .
"they are our soldiers, defending us... the best we can do is giving them food which will make them sick and weaker, thus easier to kill!" "OUTSTANDING, GIVE THIS MAN A RISE!"
Always carried extra Drytech MRE's on international deployments / training to trade with others. The Norwegian Powdered Coffee has a reputation with brits/nl/us and other NATO members as the best MRE coffee. Made it a valuable item to trade, could get a American BBQ Beef plus a packet of OJ or something for the coffee alone.
That fermented milk the Mongolians drink reminds me of Kefir. It also has it's healthy benefits like cleaning the fat out of your liver and helping you sleep.
I think they're pretty much the exact same thing except it's cow milk instead of horse and use kefir for fermentation? Airag definitely seems much harder to drink due to its sourness and alcohol content though.
I'm a Korean soldier stationed at a USAF base in South Korea. Sometimes we would trade our MREs for each other's and every time I can't help but think we get the worse deal lmao
I'd say, on average, this is true. Had a Korean ones from my days in. It was some sort of rice with meatballs which was ok. I traded a tuna taco one which was awesome. So I got the raw end of the deal there
There’s something comforting about this video. I don’t understand why, But I can always come back to this. Maybe hearing about disgusting food fed to militaries is just entertaining to me.
i owned an french launch box still intact from my grandpa i was shocked to see alcohol, vine and cheese (well the package). and even nowadays we're still using these on our army Franch are really proud of thier cuisine
Chili mac and Beef stew were gold!!! I'm amazed you didn't put the 5 fingers of death on the worst list!!! The hot dogs were used as weapons of mass destruction!!!
There is a RUclipsr who eats ancient rations. I believe he sampled one from the Spanish-American War amongst others. It was hard to watch as most of the cans were corroded.
I tried the Maple Pork Patty, and it's actually really good. The blue berries and cereal packet is good, and the hashbrown packet can actually be eaten cold and it's still good. The titular maple patty is actually tasty when warm. Highly recommend!
5:38 there is not a myth. That is real hard to find but very real. The coffee mill Sharpe rifle. There were only so many Sharpe rifles made. But the falling block version is the one that has a coffee mill. Most likely the coffee Mills were probably private purchases. I have seen one in person. I do US civil war reenactment. I am part of the 150 regiment of the bucktail brigade/ First Pennsylvania volunteer rifles. My group I portray used Sharpe rifles/carbine My office once brought one with the coffee Mills. (The replies here are some of the sites I found if you would like to look into it.) To fact check. I don't like to be the person to correct others, but I just don't want people to miss out on good history. Keep up the good work simple history.
I wonder why other countries just get served better food. It's like America doesn't have enough money for higher quality meals if their army is just too big.
@@InternettrolloftheyearYeah but they're still have trouble recruiting volunteers. America has the world's largest military budget with a small professional volunteer force, maybe they can spare some of that funding to feed their soldiers and entice new recruits.
Other countries out civilian produce into their meals. US tried to only use USA sources ingredients in case a conflict cuts off trade US military also has this tendency to go with the lowest bidder, from their weapons to their tanks. Food ain't no exception They don't use cans because MRE's are designed to be heated with water so you don't have to create an open flame. That can be difficult because of weather and fire gives away your position. Logistics also plays a factor. I ain't smart enough to explain the depth of it though
I’ve only ever eaten American MREs and they were all delicious, with only the ‘brownie’ tasting like dirt. I’m not sure if it’s still made and the last time I tried one was around 2015 I think.
Airag (fermented horse milk) is still a popular drink during the summer in Mongolia. To me it tastes like dirt with a hint of yogurt, but they love it. I understand horse milk is too rich in lactose to be properly digested by many humans; brewing airag converts the lactose to the more digestible ethanol.
7:16 this isn’t the first time the Russian military was served dog food. Around 1993 the Russian military funding dropped off to nothing. A regulation was passed for them to start serving canned dog food to Russian troops. Not sure how long this regulation lasted though.
Fun fact: The Civil War carbines with built in coffee grinders did actually exists! However, they were most likely NOT for grinding coffee, but for grinding down the components for black gunpowder. However, that probably didn't stop a few soldiers from making an attempt to grind their own coffee grounds! History is fascinating and most myths and legends have *some* root in real events!
While it was technically an LRP, and I got it in a trade with a friend from the US, the Chili and Macaroni thing was slappin' ! :) And that jalapeno cheese spread, YUM! Wish I could've gotten more.
My dad said his unit called them meals rejected by Ethiopians, this was when black hawk down and the Ethiopian famine was happening so it was a rather harsh criticism
I'm glad that I was navy all my life. The chow was overall excellent. I do feel pity for the rest of my military brothers/sisters. I never tried MRE's, but I sure some of them had to be good? Shalom
I served in a private anti poaching unit protecting rhinos in South Africa for six months, and if I learned one thing, it's that hunger is the best seasoning.
🙃
Late Summer 1986, Divisional infantry maneuvers (Warsaw pact East Europe)
After 5 days of "war conditions" with digging defenses, charging over rough terrain, minimal sleep and eating only old biscuits ...
We finally got real food ! ! !
Rice cooked with salted Sheep fat.
It was a hot Summer, a long way to reach us and half the rice was already "moving" ...
Best meal ever !
🍻
So, you ate the rhinos?
Now that's a unit i would proud to serve !! In the name of Humanity, thank you SO MUCH for your service, sir !
may i ask when you served? good friend of mine (a german with JB as his initials) also served as a anti poaching ranger in SA approx around 2020... maybe it rings a bell
@@patjoethebaker 🤣
My best friend was deployed to Ramadi in 2010 and they still had stocks of the Veggie Omelet MRE and his unit drew straws on who had to eat it, he unfortunately did, he ate everything else but the main course and tried to offer it to a starving dog that had approached. Even the dog rejected it.
were these meals designed by actual people who eat actual food? or did they have some early AI auto generate the "meal"
I was in during the change from c rats to MREs...in the C rats was "Pork Slices with Juices"...I gave them to our cat...he buried them.
@@mitchellsmith4690The meal, or his standards?
@@azizcalva-navarro6170lol
@@azizcalva-navarro6170 the meal definitely
In my 14 years in the US Army, I have only seen one MRE not handed out, and that was the Cheese and Veggie Omelet. To hear senior NCOs say "this MRE isn't fit for human consumption" is all you need to know
Edit: I was infantry, so the mentality of "If you complain about the taste, you aren't that hungry" was dominant
hmmmmm
i’m not human
From Worst to Best MREs
Jesus! XD
My older sisters hs boyfriend, joined the army...came back to surprise me with the veggie omlette MRE.....then I realized he didn't like me.....or my sister 😂
Isn't this the reason the Tabasco sauce was introduced to MREs? I guess there is a slight silver lining.
I was in the french army, and during my service i had the chance to exchanges with USMC in Djibouti for couple months. We were delighted to exchanges our MRE, we loved theirs as they were more proteines and they loved ours as they were more tasty (according to them). Overral the french are not really satisfied with it, and ifelt the same with the USMC that were kinda fed up with theirs too. I think whatever the army youre in, at one point your fed up eating the same kind of MRE for months and months, and when you can get your hands on new ones , you just jump on it !
Merci pour votre service
C'est tout à fait ça !
I've been an American civillian for thirty one years and when I was in college I ate roadkill a couple of times lol.
@@scojo6377 i mean if it’s fresh, it should be fine?
@@synergy8879 real fresh, a deer hit by a plow was our best guess. Sub zero tempuratures and the blood wasn't frozen yet. I wish I'd gone straight to trade school and saved myself a lot of money lol.
11:13 "veteran military MREs suck overall, but chili mac is life, beware of smelly after effects" truer words have never been spoken
Yo it’s him!!
Heisenberg!!
I’m a subscriber!
Wanted to eat the MREs
I have a thoery about this account that this account maybe a bot or just owned by a bunc of people oe a bot or real human idk
Plus 2 bags of m&ms in the chili mac
12:24. My favourite part of the video. Holding hands when in pain. Never done it exactly like this, but felt the need on occasion
Was looking for this comment lmao
@@Redsunfour20same here as well heh
I was in Marine Combat Training late 2006. During a field op that included multiple days without sleep, I drew a Cheese and Veggie Omelette MRE. I was starving and didn't know better. I slathered the gelatinous slab in salt and Tabasco, and ate the whole thing. I spent the next 2 days puking, delirious from malnutrition and sleep deprivation, barely keeping up on forced marches. Damn. That. Omelette.
Feeding soldiers actual poison. I don't know how procurement works, but it seems counter-productive.
So hunger did away with the problems of taste and smell, but your digestive track still didn't recognize it as food and threw it out?
Did you write it down as "friendly fire"?
almost got “died by cheese and veggie omelette” on your tombstone
@@synergy8879
Make me think how many tombstones should have the phase "Nah, it will be fine." on them?
The French MRE slaps on another level its actually absurd.
This is because French MREs are made of civilian food in military packaging (literally all items can be found in a sports shop or supermarket, the brands are the same) other countries MREs are specially developed with the primary objective of reducing costs and facilitating the supply of food. Ensuring a balanced and tasty diet while reducing the risk of adverse side effects from prolonged use by soldiers is secondary.
@@nickolifax703it's because France knows how to make their own soldiers happy?
@@HeavyWeaponsGuyisHornyye i agree im french and our rations are a w and a french ration is real delicious
It "slaps"?! The MRE assaults people? You sure it doesn't punch on another level?
They know you guys like to surrender
It would be interesting to see which MREs would be considered the most effective in actual military operations.
If you can eat em, and keep em in, they're effective
@@starlightningduelist7273 If you can't eat them, see how effective they are when thrown.
@@Your-Least-Favorite-Stranger maybe it'll end up poisoning the enemy, who knows
Something i thought of as well in the past. Maybe food that's just ok to eat, because you will only eat what you need at that point. If it is really really good then you might stuff yourself too much
@@harmleyten4 " If it is really really good then you might stuff yourself too much" is exactly the thought that goes behind D-ration, a chocolate bar with a written requirement of "Taste"a little better than a boiled potato (to keep soldiers from eating their emergency rations in non-emergency situations)"
We trained a lot of NATO troops at NTC, and once we had traded some MRE's to a group of German troops. Best for the best. You should have seen their faces light up with joy chowing down on chili mac /w cheese. It really is the best out there.
chili mac with cheese and crackers sprinkled in is great
Wow, thing must be magical if it lit German faces up. What and how good were theirs if I may ask?
@@sr7129 I can't even remember honestly lol Must have been good huh? My mind always goes to a Canadian mre I had once. Seasoned smoked salmon w rice. That was amazing
Ntc chicago? We had saudis, but that joint base in Norfolk had germans marching the streets every afternoon
Another meaning for MRE is meals refusing to exit.
my dad was an mp and he called them meals rejected by ethiopia due to famine in ethiopia but the mres were so grotesque the starving ethiopians would avoid them
Except for the ones that can't wait to leave. XD
Learned that the hard way when I had my first MRE.
🌒 o 🌘
😂😂😂
North Korean soliders: You guys are getting food?
North Koreans: You guys are getting food?
Their soldiers even have to grow crops for own meal
For such a starving country they sure have lasted a long time
@@TimothyMcVeigh-bd9hwreal
All the food in the country goes to the dictator
Had a chance to eat the american MRE. Most of them are delicious. The cheese spread and the jalapeno chesse spread are god tier. The after effects are rather nasty tho. But the one thing i just couldn't eat was the beef in bbq sauce. Absolutelly disgusting.
What that's one of my favorites
the beef in bbq sauce is way better than that cheese spread. you dont eat mres to have regular bowel movements
The beef and bbq sauce wasn't terrible. Kinda reminded me of pulled pork you can get in a tub at the store.
The creamy spinach one was the one I absolutely refused to eat.
@@demonjmh I'm with you there. That was abysmal.
US military MREs were quite popular among Korean marines. I got some by trading my military goods with the US marines during a joint exercise in 2010s. There were a variety of different flavorsn so it was hit or miss. Some of them were really good and fulfilling while some tasted like I could ever eat it again when I only have few hours before dying from starvation
Tried the South Korean MRE while I was stationed there. I remember it had rice, kimchi, some sort of meat, and I can't remember what else. It was good, but not very filling.
Sausages and some mini meat patties
I'm a Korean reserve soldier, and when I was serving, I really hated our MREs and envied the American ones.
A moment of silence for the animator having to draw 20 minutes of gastronomic distress
Wait.. Are you telling me the Veggie Omelet was only from 2005-2009?! I got saddled with that more than 3x pulling from the MRE box. Only PTSD I have from the military is that meal.
Manufactured but still available
Those fking shitstains are still available for purchase from private sellers and my buddy pulled at least 1 in 2015 from the MRE box
My dad served in Vietnam, and he said the Ham and Lima Bean cans were the most godawful thing he'd ever eaten.
My grandfather on my mother’s side also fought in the Vietnam war. I personally never met him but I’ve heard a story that he was wounded in battle and was nursed to health in a Vietnamese village where they had him eat dog meat. He was forever traumatized ever since.
@@therealspeedwagon1451That’s neat! So, was he like a Viet Cong commando?
@@ethulwulf5351 no he was on the other side. But he, like I said, was forced to eat dog. I’m pretty sure he also wasn’t even supposed to be in Vietnam. He was originally stationed in west Germany until he did something stupid and was court martialed before being restationed in Vietnam as punishment
@@therealspeedwagon1451the Vietnamese villagers were very kind. Vietnam was protein-poor. The villagers sacrificed their few protein source for your grandfather
Ask him if they ever added grape jelly and chocolate to em while they were cooking. Read that in the book Matterhorn, seemed weird. Jw how accurate.
“Mmm crayons!”
-U.S. Marines
Lol 😂
It got electrolytes
@@Snp2024What are electrolytes?! Do you even know?
@@jeff_theepic1011It's what plants crave?
Kor marines want just black chinese paste. You guys couldn't get it over with that crayons
The Polish MREs are pretty good from what I've heard. I've had the chance to try two of them, and I was most surprised by one with bigos - a traditional Polish dish, usually made for Christmas, it's often translated as "hunter's stew", as it's basically lots of various kinds of meat, cabbage and wild mushrooms, properly made it's cooked for several days. I was really surprised when I tried the MRE, because it smelled like real bigos that my grandma would make, actually had lots of meat, and my only complaint was that the taste seemed muted, but then I always ate it fresh, and not expired (like the MRE was).
There's some British MREs that I feel are conspicuously missing from the list - the Lancashire Hotpot is an absolute treat, and I would trade just about everything else in my ration pack to get it, if I knew someone in the unit had one. That one is amazing hot or cold, for me. I'm also partial to some of the curries in some of the older British MRE packs, they're not god tier, but they are bloody good. Saying that, I actually liked some of the rations others turned their noses up at, which often meant I could make out like a bandit during trades, and end up a slew of decent choices for the day. I have tried some of the prized American rations in this list too, and yes, again, I'd trade just about everything to get a chilli mac or buffalo chicken, definitely. Cackling at the US Marine noshing on crayons!
I was around the Brits in Operation Desert Storm. I love the chicken curry cans. And I think there was a bacon can? We traded a whole bunch with those guys.
@@greggrace967 Oh yeah, the chicken curry is the good stuff for sure, and yeah, there was a bacon can, and tbh, that one's pretty damned good too, in my opinion. Thanks for your service in Desert Storm - and I'm saying that as a former British NCO (attached to the Army Cadet Force), so I hope you won't be too offended by an often false platitude. I genuinely appreciate the struggles of troops on the ground during a conflict, regardless of their MOS.
@@KidarWolf thank you for yours as well.
I have to know, did u ever eat the omelet veggie, and were you able to stomach it?
Being an engineering student in a year long military experience in the french armies. I really savored the 24h rations we were given during the outdoor exercise we did during the first month of private training (followed by officer training)
After watching Steve1987 on the Chinese MRE, I would prefer anyone else's MRE.
What is the ration?
@@quimartolas12 2018 Chinese PLA Type 13. Pork Chow Mein and Chicken Curry Fried Rice.
@@RobARugWasn’t that the one that got him hospitalized?
@@RobARugAnything with curry in it is questionable in terms of edibility.
@@RobARugDo you mean 'flied lice"?
Biscuits browns are famous even around British military students and cadets. I never had a stomach issue that came after it but I didn't mind the plain taste when I munch it with the packaged cheese we had.
My uncle was at Camp Pendleton as a marine in the 80's when I was a kid. He'd come visit us on the weekends in Riverside, and he'd bring C rations for me. My favorite was a brownie in a small can. I always thought he was so cool bringing me stuff like piss cutters, covers (hats), and MREs.
Piss cutter?
"p*ss cutter" 📸🤨
@@D3xterJettstera garrison cap
They were really good, pound cake and fruit cocktail was really the best
@@D3xterJettsterdress cover
my grandfather told me a story of his uncle who served in World War 2, they got ahold of some Italian rations. Apparently the italian military was seriously skimping them out in food, and he described very vividly seeing a horses eye among other things in the Italian rations
How’d he know it was a horses eye of all things?
@@coolbreeze3793the size is generally a dead giveaway
Harvey Wiley was an early food health activist. If you want to know more about him, there's a documentary. He was one of those who had openly challenged canned meat and vegetable production facilities for obvious reasons... He even took Coca Cola to court. There more than likely wouldn't be a USDA or FDA without him. It's a shame, they still dont have his honest heart. But, otherwise, we'd pretty much be forced to eat genetically modifed food AND rotten food to this day without his undertakings.
He and Upton Sinclair were a blessing to America
If you haven't read it, read "The Jungle"
If we aren't careful, they'll remove regulations and add loopholes to get us right back to that point.
5:20 The fact the tree died LMFAO-
I CANT 😂
2nd grade humor
@@untextured4240how 💀
"A smorgasbord of gastronomical wonders"
Please give your script writer a raise!
French MREs are pretty damn good
Your channel is one of the best military history channels out there
I agree and this peculiar video is VERY appetizing with the best MREs and hilarious with the worst MREs
On one deployment in Mosul, the FOB had “ Mount Vomlet” after 15 month deployment there was a pile of nothing but Veg Omelette MRE’s as tall as the perimeter wall !
1988 dehydrated pork patty. Most disgusting disk ever to be created. However, in Kabul International Airport (2006) the French had the best DFAC. Felt like I was at a restaurant.
I often hear stories from US military men exchanging meals with the French (Djibouti, etc)
I once had an mre that was chicken with cheese spread and tortillas, a raspberry energy bar, and grape energy drink mix. It was pretty good, no joke.
Yep I love Steve1989MREInfo unless it is completely unredeemable he typically finds a way within the ration pack to fusion or comes up with suggestions from already available ration packs to have better combos. The thing I love the most is when he gets one and has such expressed enjoyment that as a viewer you really want to just try it, in addition to the reindeer stew, I fondly remember his review of the french rier duck cassoulet and the american chicken burrito bowl.
and the best part about review of vomlet ration was that vomlet itself wasn't the worst part of this MRE
Wait a min was that Gordon Ramsay 13:21 😂
It is
The jambalaya MRE was freaking legit, but the “omelete “ mre?!? That was THE worst one!!!
Use that MRE for target practice with LMGs like the M249
ANY Omelet or Egg MRE is terrible beyond words! Heated up, they are horrible. But cold they are even worse!
Funny story- I have some boxes of mres in my basement i bought years ago. I saw the chilimac comment a couple weeks ago and opened up the top box of my mres to look for it. Lo and behold, right on top was the chilimac. I had to try it so me and my gf opened it up. Mine had a rum cake in it w the cheese/jalapeno spread, grape drink w berry skittles. For anyone wondering, it was good, but it wasnt $30+ good. Id almost rank it equal w most other mres iv had. It also gave me a migraine from the insane amount of preservatives in it. Id say the rum cake and cheese spread on the bland crackers was way better than the chilimac itself.
Back then, most Nations, even Europeans didn't have the useful technology to maintain the freshness of MRE for a long time. Thus, many soldiers had to go through some harsh moments. But as time went by, the USA mre became much better off. Because the US Army poured down lots of money to develop advanced MREs to diminish diverse complaints from soldiers. In some Asian nations, a few military hobbyists wanted to eat intentionally MRE made in the USA. To America Troopers, it's a sort of an old-time tale.
Great video, those animations are pure gold. It is even featuring animated Gordon Ramsey 😀 but where is the lamb sauce?
The Russians literally feeding their soldiers dog food could not be more poetic
I liked the scene showing the culinary master piece chili and macoroni MRE is. The people behind Simple history did a very good job at recreating God Ramsey's face. Awesome video as always
Your watching Hells Kitchen
Where i can find the video?
"Oh God, finally some real f*cking food"
Steve1989 is the premier MRE reviewer. My favorite is the Spanish Breakfast of cookies and coffee with sweetened condensed milk.
Wow, the attention to details when it comes to the norwegian MREs is astonishing!
Although truth be told the contents can be purchased in regular grocery stores.
The only reason the uss can't is because no one would buy them
The bbq pork patty is also one of the absolutely elite MREs ever made as well.
Also, without Harvey Wiley, Theodore Roosevelt would not have enacted legislation to pass the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act.
Theodore Roosevelt once again proving himself to be one of history's Gigachads by solving the 'embalmed beef' fiasco by first trying it himself.
“I don’t like food, I love it! If I don’t love it, I won’t swallow! I’ll return tomorrow night with high expectations, pray you don’t disappoint me.” Anton Ego
Rats: We're going to do a pro-culinary move!
8:06 Kumiss is the national drink of Kazakhstan. Besides being very healthy, it is also alcoholic. In short, we call it Turkish alcohol.
1:36 youve just triggered 2 units there 😂
Also, what a flashback to the browns. They were gopping. The new mushroom omelette was rank too
There are three things I absolutely love in life, good food, military history and potty humor. I was watching this video while doing my folding and almost on my chair laughing so hard when I saw the cartoon at the end. I rarely have laughed so hard in my life! My back and sides still hurt just thinking about it. 😂
Polish MRE is nice, my personal favorite is Menu 6 with Bolognese Pasta
Many Eastern European MREs have some really good pastet and crackers.
12:23 ☠️Don’t tell me that in the US Army they used, communal toilets like they used in juvenile ancient Rome☠️
For the Noobs: Worst C Rats: Ham and Eggs. Almost edible: Beef with spices. "Make up meals" for the former: Canned peaches and John Wayne bars. Bon Appetit? 😎
12:25 , damn they started holding hand for that one, must have been a rough ride XD
“Embalmed beef” is a horrific combination of words
Should cover the US Army winter MREs. Definitely one of the only thing keeping guys motivated in the Arctic.
13:05 Gordon Ramsey? 😂😂
I like how you mentioned Steve Thomas that's really Nice!
I think Russian MRE should be on list of the best mres. One of the best mres I have ever tried.
As someone, who's been eating it for an year during conscription service in russian army during 2021, i'll say that it's indeed good, although it's still might be not very pleasant, while coming out of you, but that's universal for all MREs around the world
@@primarchvulkan4013 мы на треши на полигоне берём их часто, да и в походы. Отзывы у меня о нём положительные, ну разве что у одного товарища запор был, а так отличный ИРП.
11:34 I’ve eaten this one before is was amazing bravo to whoever made it
Didn't live it but french vet told me that during deplyement in yougoslvia, they could exchange a single french MRE for 10 pack of american cigarette .
"they are our soldiers, defending us... the best we can do is giving them food which will make them sick and weaker, thus easier to kill!"
"OUTSTANDING, GIVE THIS MAN A RISE!"
Chill mac is not only an mre but a canned soup by Cambell. A personal favorite btw. 😂
"Pork Sausage Patty, Maple Flavored" is an MRE I like quite a bit. It's actually quite pleasant.
If you ever been stuck with the vegetable omlette MRE I feel your pain
I feel you bro
15:49 we need to turn this into a meme
i’ve had an old panama mini cookies mre that expired in, like, 2030, and it was actually pretty good.
His sarcastic comment about the food makes the video 10x better lmao
Always carried extra Drytech MRE's on international deployments / training to trade with others.
The Norwegian Powdered Coffee has a reputation with brits/nl/us and other NATO members as the best MRE coffee. Made it a valuable item to trade, could get a American BBQ Beef plus a packet of OJ or something for the coffee alone.
That fermented milk the Mongolians drink reminds me of Kefir. It also has it's healthy benefits like cleaning the fat out of your liver and helping you sleep.
True
I doubt it cleans the fat out of your liver that sounds like absolute pseudo science.
Yeah, but kefir is good
I think they're pretty much the exact same thing except it's cow milk instead of horse and use kefir for fermentation? Airag definitely seems much harder to drink due to its sourness and alcohol content though.
Mix kefir milk with mango pulp and you have something incredible.
I'm a Korean soldier stationed at a USAF base in South Korea. Sometimes we would trade our MREs for each other's and every time I can't help but think we get the worse deal lmao
I'd say, on average, this is true. Had a Korean ones from my days in. It was some sort of rice with meatballs which was ok. I traded a tuna taco one which was awesome. So I got the raw end of the deal there
There’s something comforting about this video. I don’t understand why, But I can always come back to this.
Maybe hearing about disgusting food fed to militaries is just entertaining to me.
I didn't know Gordon Ramsay was feeding the Norwegian military with MREs
me too
12:22 This is brother's love right here
i owned an french launch box still intact from my grandpa
i was shocked to see alcohol, vine and cheese (well the package). and even nowadays we're still using these on our army
Franch are really proud of thier cuisine
7:12 it's Montenegro's emblem
Chili mac and Beef stew were gold!!!
I'm amazed you didn't put the 5 fingers of death on the worst list!!! The hot dogs were used as weapons of mass destruction!!!
There is a RUclipsr who eats ancient rations. I believe he sampled one from the Spanish-American War amongst others. It was hard to watch as most of the cans were corroded.
I tried the Maple Pork Patty, and it's actually really good. The blue berries and cereal packet is good, and the hashbrown packet can actually be eaten cold and it's still good. The titular maple patty is actually tasty when warm. Highly recommend!
What was the aftermath.
I'm a Korean reserve soldier, and when I was serving, I really hated our MREs and envied the American ones.
5:38 there is not a myth. That is real hard to find but very real. The coffee mill Sharpe rifle. There were only so many Sharpe rifles made. But the falling block version is the one that has a coffee mill. Most likely the coffee Mills were probably private purchases. I have seen one in person. I do US civil war reenactment. I am part of the 150 regiment of the bucktail brigade/ First Pennsylvania volunteer rifles. My group I portray used Sharpe rifles/carbine My office once brought one with the coffee Mills. (The replies here are some of the sites I found if you would like to look into it.) To fact check. I don't like to be the person to correct others, but I just don't want people to miss out on good history. Keep up the good work simple history.
Awesome RUclips video. I can't get the link. Search for the coffee mill Sharpe carbine. Made by the 11th Ohio volunteer Calvary.
U.S. mres have had Tabasco for decades. That wasn't included because of the vomelet. They started adding them to the packs from 1990.
I wonder why other countries just get served better food. It's like America doesn't have enough money for higher quality meals if their army is just too big.
Other countries needs small luxuries to enlist volunteers. USA doesn't need that. Poverty is a strong enough motivator.
@@InternettrolloftheyearYeah but they're still have trouble recruiting volunteers. America has the world's largest military budget with a small professional volunteer force, maybe they can spare some of that funding to feed their soldiers and entice new recruits.
Becaus the most costeffectiv way to make that is to buy french MRE. But, for some stupid politiciant, buy something french is a crime...
Other countries out civilian produce into their meals.
US tried to only use USA sources ingredients in case a conflict cuts off trade
US military also has this tendency to go with the lowest bidder, from their weapons to their tanks. Food ain't no exception
They don't use cans because MRE's are designed to be heated with water so you don't have to create an open flame. That can be difficult because of weather and fire gives away your position.
Logistics also plays a factor. I ain't smart enough to explain the depth of it though
The animation for the explosive diarrhea for the buffalo chicken one is straight out of South Park
I’ve only ever eaten American MREs and they were all delicious, with only the ‘brownie’ tasting like dirt. I’m not sure if it’s still made and the last time I tried one was around 2015 I think.
Airag (fermented horse milk) is still a popular drink during the summer in Mongolia. To me it tastes like dirt with a hint of yogurt, but they love it. I understand horse milk is too rich in lactose to be properly digested by many humans; brewing airag converts the lactose to the more digestible ethanol.
Chicken pesto pasta was also a dope MRE, especially when you heat it up and add cheese.
Where the Chicken Burrito Bowl gang at? That MRE was always my go-to in the field.
Any chicken mre is good lets be honest. But chicken pesto was my favorite hands down
@@nicolassnow5267 Must have been after my time, but it sounds dope.
mixing chicken with pasta 🤢🤢
@@BananaRama1312 Plenty of recepies have chicken mixed with pasta...?
Once again, Theodore Roosevelt proves himself to be my favorite human being in human history.
I love the chili macaroni.the French MRE and the buffalo chicken sound amazing!
7:16 this isn’t the first time the Russian military was served dog food. Around 1993 the Russian military funding dropped off to nothing. A regulation was passed for them to start serving canned dog food to Russian troops. Not sure how long this regulation lasted though.
poor tree 💀💀💀 5:08
Fun fact: The Civil War carbines with built in coffee grinders did actually exists! However, they were most likely NOT for grinding coffee, but for grinding down the components for black gunpowder. However, that probably didn't stop a few soldiers from making an attempt to grind their own coffee grounds! History is fascinating and most myths and legends have *some* root in real events!
thanks didnt know that
Russian rations -
the buckwheat is called Kasha where as the meat is toshonka.
a Kasha and beef meal is common for the Ukraine as well.
While it was technically an LRP, and I got it in a trade with a friend from the US, the Chili and Macaroni thing was slappin' ! :) And that jalapeno cheese spread, YUM! Wish I could've gotten more.
12:25 Battle buddies always need to stick together through crap😂😂😂
My dad said his unit called them meals rejected by Ethiopians, this was when black hawk down and the Ethiopian famine was happening so it was a rather harsh criticism
I'm glad that I was navy all my life. The chow was overall excellent. I do feel pity for the rest of my military brothers/sisters. I never tried MRE's, but I sure some of them had to be good? Shalom
I love how the narrator makes the best mre sounds sooo good.
The Marine eating crayons at 9:40 ROFL!
The coffee grinder in the stock is not a myth, it is called the Sharp's Carbine, and it looks like you even modeled your animation after them lol.