MRE makeover: Army unveils a new menu for soldiers (AP/CNN)

[eppur_se_muova]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Don Egolf remembers what Army chow looked like when he served in Germany in World War II: A tin of scrambled eggs and bacon bits that he pried open with a tiny can opener.

On Wednesday at the Pentagon the 102nd Infantry Division vet pocketed one of those irksome little openers, the P-38, as a souvenir.

Then he dug into the latest in combat cuisine, a plate of blackened catfish, teriyaki chicken, little french toast squares and pumpkin cake -- no opener needed.

The Army offered up samples of the food as it rolled out its newest innovation -- special packets of easy-to-eat, high-nutrition, high-calorie foods designed for mobile forces.

The chow, mostly bagged finger-type foods that soldiers can just tear open and eat on the run, will be available in the field next month.
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more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/05/combat.cuisine.ap/index.html

One tiny little spot of good news for our men in uniform. Now will someone tell me this wasn't in any way to the Bu**sh** maladministration's credit? I'm sure they would have killed the budget for this to buy more bombs if they'd had more notice.

[NeedleCast]

1. Very Nice

I know in Afghanistan, during the first few months of the war there, when we were in the field we often didn't have time to stop and eat a heated up MRE. More often than not, we ate the quick, high carb foods out of it like crackers and candy and breads and tossed the rest unless they were of the handful of meal types that were palatable without being heated up (oh Ham Slice...how much I love thee).

I think this will be very good for soldiers in environments where there is little to no down time. I know in Afghanistan I was often eating 6000 calories (or there about) a day and still lost weight steadily. At higher altitudes when there are often days where you're active for 22 hours the body's calorie consumption is off the charts.

[demigoddess]

2. Down through history, wars have brought us many innovations in military

custom that would not have come in peace time.
As I was watching a fictional tv show with a marine, having lost a leg, saying that he might even be able to go back to combat; I had the sudden thought that maybe this war was brought about so that they could test out the idea of amputees being able to serve in combat. Of soldiers being recycled instead of retired. Doesn't seem like this war has been good for anything else except the defense industry collecting money and maybe testing new equipment and new ideas. One little step toward sci-fi or has bush just made me absolutely paranoid?

[Adsos Letter]

3. I still have one of those P-38's on my keychain...

hard on the thumbs, they were...and the c-ration pound cake was the best, especially if you dumped some "peaches, sliced, with juices" over the top of it...