[...] Coming Anarchy has a picture of military rations from a number of different countries including the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, and China. It’s fascinating. I gather the Chinese are planning to live off the land. [...]

rations

Via Curzon at Coming Anarchy, a display of military and relief agency rations of the world. There have been some suggestions that Taiwan soldiers would either not fight or would side with mainland China in the event of a

Filling Those MREs

Mmm, Parmesan Chicken… Even civilians are familiar with the USA’s MREs, or Meals Ready to Eat. While there are reports that the French RCIR (Ration de Combat Individuelle Rechauffable) has superior trade value on the front lines in Afghanistan, MREs…

[...] rations. DID readers with a high fright threshold might wish to view a set of comparative photos of modern army rations from various militaries; even if you knew nothing about China, you could guess that their soldiers are draftees. Or, you [...]

[...] readers with a high fright threshold might wish to view a set of comparative photos of modern army rations from various militaries. All I can say is, even if you knew nothing about China, you could guess that their soldiers are [...]

Please don’t supersize me!

I wonder what the French army gets? Whatever it is, it probably includes a pack of Gauloises and a glass of muscatel to wash it all down.

Whoever created that montage has a careful eye for propaganda value. Note how that every single other ration item is either has a professional photographic backdrop or is carefully displayed in order to facilitate a pleasing image, except for the Chinese photo which displays what seems to be a field photo of a rehydrated MRE by itself (The Canadian and Dutch photos are apparently showing mess hall food). I have seen some of the individual photos in the montage before though, but never juxtaposed in this fashion. I’m not sure what is in that particular MRE, but it has to beat the hard biscuits that they were issued in the 80’s, by biscuits I mean ballistic plateing. Anyways, the standard issue Chinese field ration as of now I believe consists of dehydrated self-heating packages in sealed plastic pouches. Dehydrated rice, yum.

Dehydrated rice???

And what goes with that? Vitamin tablets so you can get daily dose of protein and antioxidants? For a supposedly rising power they really need to upgrade that – an army runs on its stomach after all. What China is dishing out is worth mutiny at its finest.

When marines in Viet Nam were restricted to C-rations for months, but the sentry dogs were getting frozen horse steaks… Barbeques were suddenly all the rage.

Horse meat’s not that bad.

What are you, insane? It’s incredible! :)

French officers and NCO mess food was better than most high quality restaurants I’ve eaten in on any continent. French field rations were equally well prepared and did include wine. While in France, each regiment selects its own wines, which are often bottled in a special edition with the unit insignia. Marcel Lettre (of Vermont) brought this custom back to the 82nd Airborne Division after a tour with the French airborne in the late 1980’s. I don’t know if it survived. The French Airborne School also had its own brand of Armagnac, bottled in 1941, and terming it “exquisite” would be an understatement. U.S. soldiers serving with combined forces often trade rations. One retired U.S. Army mess steward who took a job with Brown and Root managing five mess facilities in the former Yugoslavia told me that he always timed his visits to the mess to include either the French or British messes for dinner, as that was the only place in country where he could get a drink, and that field ration swaps between the Yanks and French were common. Aussies and Americans in the (Vietnam era) MIKE Force ate the same “PIR” field rations as the “indig”, supplemented with occasional C rations. PIRs were essentially a zip lock bag of dried rice that you poured water into, added a small packet of dried fish, shrimp, or mystery meat, and let set for half an hour. Aussie supplemental packs included pipe tobacco (“Dr. Green’s”, if memory serves) that made premium trading material with the pipe-smoking tribessmen and women. But back in base camp, the Aussies could really get picky and demanded Fosters or Tooth’s KB in the cooler. God help us on the days they got back to find only Budweiser, or worse, Schlitz. We occasionally had near riots. From the digger’s perspective: “Tucker’s tucker, Mate, but a bloke needs real beer to keep going.”

Forget China! I’m guessing they eat like that to force their army to eat off of the land.
Korean field rations must include kimchi and choco-pie though.

Here are a few links to actual Chinese field rations, unopened but with markings that are clearly identifiable.

http://static.flickr.com/31/53366143_bce795d5af.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/33/53366144_d63e725b21.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/24/53366145_ddb791d1e9.jpg

I think they are essentially the same as a US MRE, just add water and bam! The most common recipe? Beef Noodle.

US counterpart

!http://t1.baidu.com/it/u=2589341740,2491269772&gp=0.jpg!

!http://t0.baidu.com/it/u=317945833,1076481857&gp=2.jpg!

package 1 above, preparation steps

american version opened

PLA congee with lean meat

It’s by design sun bin. Peace Corps stores MREs at consolidation points in some countries. We were told they are designed to stop you up, and that’s quite a blessing in Central Asia. It’s all we ate waiting for evacuation.