Note: This was a review I wrote informally to a friend of mine via text message. It will be shorter and possibly less in-depth than future reviews. The pictures will also likely be less good. I am including it for completion’s sake and because it will be an interesting touchpoint to compare to in the future.
Mains:
Buckwheat porridge with beef
Beef meatballs.
Beef and vegetables.
Sides:
Two different pates
Canned applesauce
Canned stewed veggies
Lunch meat loaf
Note: I originally thought this was a loaf of lunch meat. I now believe it to be a can of “Salo” or salted pork fat.
Two packs of white and two of wheat crackers
Accessories:
Two teabags
One instant coffee
Three sugars
One creamer
Salt
Pepper
Matches
Foldable tablet stove with three fuel tabs
Spreadable cheese.
Three different flavored drink mixes.
10 pieces of chewing gum
Multivitamin
3 liters of water purification tablets
Tea is dark and strong. Apple jelly is more like a dark ripe apple butter.
White crackers are neutral for either sweet or savory toppings but have a good texture and a touch of seasoning.
The buckwheat w/ grits is very hearty but still palatable. Wouldn’t be horrible to eat cold. Will def keep you going better than the the cinnamon bun sandwich the US puts in its all day rations. That’s super processed chemical flour so it is shelf stable and sweet filling. This stuff has complex carbs, fat and protein.
The drink mixes have real sugar and a pretty good natural flavor. Way less fake coloring too. Makes it actually taste good when diluted whereas US ones have to be at the right concentration or strong to be good.
Liver pate is not super familiar to our pallets but is smooth to spread and mildly flavored in a pleasant way. Applesauce was standard and unsurprising.
Beef meatballs in gravy. Suuuper rich and savory sauce. Meatball texture is a bit processed like cafeteria food but the flavor and gravy are delicious.
Chocolate was dark but still sweet. Probably about 60% cacao. Good but not a super complex chocolate. Hard but broke apart easily. That’s understandable as they’re likely avoiding melting.
For dinner my main was beef and beans and vegetables.
While it heated I ate my last two sides and the rest of my spreadable cheese.
The cheese was still tasty. Like a more mild thicker cheez whiz sort of flavor.
The first side was mixed vegetables in sauce. I ate this cold as its apparently a sort of Russian coleslaw equivalent. Had a flavor sort of like the peppers you put on Italian sausage but more complex. Definitely peppers and some maybe shredded greens and root veggies. Delicious. The veggies were fine chopped enough that they were spreadable on the crackers which was a good choice.
The next side was an experience. It was labeled as meat sandwich loaf. I was expecting spam. The spread was VERY fatty and mostly spread as easily as a mayonnaise. The flavor was mild and the meat was oddly flaky and soft. It might just be a palette thing but this was the only bummer in the ration. Could not finish it. If I ate it again I might try heating this over the stove until it renders a bit.
The main was large chunks of beef that tasted like they were simultaneously seared well and also slow cooked to tenderness. The beans were dark beans that managed be firm and al dente. Solid main.
Overall the ration was an 8/10. If I had to eat rations everyday I’d take one of these over three MREs. The meat content and macros and lack of heavy processed grains definitely sat easier on my digestion than MREs do too.
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