| Most of us know that we can survive for a few | | | | There are excellent MREs out there. They have a |
| days without food and not as long without water. | | | | much better taste than in the past, and consider the |
| We know that we could live a little longer if we had | | | | health needs of an individual. |
| minimal amount of survival emergency food. Although | | | | Who would you like to design your Emergency |
| this is true, put on your thinking cap. Even though | | | | Survival meals? Would you like it to be the military, |
| you may be alive, what will your condition be? What | | | | companies that make MREs for the government or, |
| will the condition of your family be? We know that | | | | meals designed for Firemen, by Firemen? Why is this |
| dehydration can start within a few hours on a hot | | | | important? I can tell you of a true story that I |
| day. | | | | observed personally. I was a Fireman at a |
| Ever since the Revolutionary War, our military has | | | | headquarters Fire Station. At our Fire Station |
| had some kind of meal ration for its troops. The | | | | everyone was assigned a turn at being the cook and |
| ration was food for one day. These rations consisted | | | | doing dishes. If a person was not an acceptable |
| of beef, peas, and rice. During the civil war, the | | | | cook, his life was made miserable. He could opt out |
| rations were canned goods. Toward the beginning of | | | | of cooking by trading with someone to cook for him |
| World War I, the military switched to dried foods. | | | | and he would do his dishes, or he could pay someone |
| They changed back to canned foods near the end of | | | | who is a good cook, to cook for him. One of our |
| the war. Canned food rations were used through the | | | | firefighter recruits, on one of his first turns at being |
| Vietnam War. The Department of Defense started | | | | the cook at our fire station, made frozen fish sticks |
| the development of the Meals Ready to Eat in 1963. | | | | for the evening meal. I have eaten frozen fish sticks |
| They soon gained such labels as MRE "Meals, Rarely | | | | when I was young. They were a standby, when my |
| Edible" or "Meals Rejected by Everyone". There was | | | | mother had a busy day, and did not have time to |
| a problem with getting the military personnel to eat | | | | make a major effort in the main meal at home. |
| their entire ration. This caused loss of alertness and | | | | Although this was not a favorite, it was perfectly |
| weight loss if used for any length of time. With this | | | | acceptable. At the fire station this was not so. It |
| kind of reputation, would I ever think of creating an | | | | took this Fireman several years to live down this |
| emergency food supply consisting of MREs? It would | | | | meal. When it comes to food, Firemen are fussy |
| be very low on my list, if I had not tried one of the | | | | when it comes to what they eat. It has to taste |
| better creations of these meals made for today. | | | | good, and be filling.. |
| The military version has improved over the years. | | | | There are Cheap, Military, and Quality MREs. |
| They made great progress toward removing past | | | | Thankfully, the Quality food ration has been |
| labels. They have different flavors, and come closer | | | | developed to the point that a good tasting meal is |
| to meeting the dietary needs than in the past. They | | | | available. These meals are not full of filler items. |
| still are not something that I would eat by choice. | | | | Everything has a nutritional purpose and tastes good. |
| The history of military meals is that the expense | | | | The choice is yours. The planning is yours. Do you |
| usually leads to a product that is not as good as it | | | | want to sit down choking down your meal when a |
| could be. | | | | good part of your world has come apart? Do you |
| The non-military MRE is not always the best choice. | | | | want a little pleasantness in the face of what may be |
| In fact, some cheaply made MREs do not taste as | | | | happening in the near future? |
| good as their military counterparts. All is not lost. | | | | |