30
10
Unless you’ve got one of them portable Coleman Roadtrip grills, camping meals will probably mean some thing like an MRE, or Meal, Ready-to-Eat. Originally created for the U.S. military, MREs are self-contained lightweight rations available in a wide range of flavors. They’re also produced by other nations for their militaries, with all the familiar flavors a local would expect!
For instance, MREs for South Korean troops feature such regional delicacies as kimchi, while Italians enjoy beef tortellini; Swedes and Norwegians get cod stew with sour cream and potato, and Poles make do with bogracz (beef goulash). And though soldiers in the field can’t use camping grills for obvious security reasons, thanks to the marvels of modern science MREs now provide hot meals flamelessly!
Today’s MREs contain a Flameless Ration Heater, or FRH, which will raise the temperature of an eight-ounce entree by a hundred degrees Fahrenheit in no more than twelve minutes. FRHs use a simple chemical reaction to supply heat sufficient to warm up the precooked contents of an MRE.
The idea is to use the natural oxidation of a metal to produce heat. MREs now reach boiling point within seconds, steaming and bubbling! In ten minutes or so, dinner is ready. As may be imagined, they aren’t anywhere near the power of your least expensive Coleman Roadtrip grills, but they ain’t any person spending the night outdoors.
No, combat cuisine does not compare to camping fare, but it’s not actually that bad, and, frankly, isn’t roughing it part of the overall experience, regardless of whether in the military or living out of doors?
Of course, you could just opt to go totally authentic and hunt game and roast it over a campfire spit! But an MRE is a nice compromise between that and a Coleman grill.
Sorry, but you are not allowed to comment.