MRE Menu 16: Chicken Burrito Bowl

[Mortblanc]

It was the weight of those C-rats that kept us lean and mean.

The standard C-rat had 1200 calories but weighed a ton and the bulk was massive. On patrols we would strip the rats down to one per day rather than three per day just because we could not carry all that weight plus all our ammo and squad gear.

The use of cans made it necessary to stop movement and prep food then eat. You could not always do that and many times we went hungry while carrying food on our backs. You don't just say "I'm hungry lets have lunch", well not in the U.S forces anyway. Eating on patrol is optional and you are going to be on long and short patrols constantly. A company outpost would have a day patrol and a night patrol and only three under strength platoons so you were always on patrol, just back from patrol, or getting ready for patrol.

The modern MRE is made with that process in mind and they include more carb dense snacks and sides that can be eaten on the move with no heating needed and no long stops for meal prep.

On a patrol or in a "bug out" situation, you can have the best food around and not be able to eat it due to not being able to stop and heat or cook a meal.

It is the easy to eat sides and snacks that make a good ration and not so much the main courses, at least for the combat troops.