Tango01 | 08 Nov 2014 10:04 p.m. PST |
"There's an old war story about a G.I. who attended a USO show where one of the acts was a man who consumed unusual items. As the audience watched, the entertainer chewed glass, gobbled nails and even swallowed swords. Unperturbed by the spectacle, the soldier turned to a friend sitting next him and asked, "But can he digest C-rations?" Relished and reviled, C-rations fed millions of troops in the field. The iconic green cans were far from home cooking, but they did sustain a fighting man when he was far from home—or at least the mess hall—until 1981, when they were replaced by the Meal Ready to Eat, or MRE…" Full article here link Amicalement Armand |
Saber6 | 08 Nov 2014 10:23 p.m. PST |
Cs were actually pretty good. Of course Tabasco, Garlic Salt and Onion Salt help. And the fruit can made a good coffee cup |
Stosstruppen | 08 Nov 2014 11:26 p.m. PST |
I always traded the fruit. The fruitcake was nasty. I liked most of the rest. We were eating c rats in 84 still. |
Katzbalger | 09 Nov 2014 7:30 a.m. PST |
I preferred the C-rats (especially the spaghetti and meatballs) to the Meals Rejected Entirely (especially the freeze-dried stuff). Rob |
brass1 | 09 Nov 2014 11:50 a.m. PST |
The date pudding was so vile that when we threw our extra rations to the Vietnamese kids, they threw the date pudding back. The ones who could read a bit more English would throw back the ham and lima beans as well. It has been said (and I agree with this wholeheartedly) that the C-ration can opener (the P-38) is the only piece of military equipment ever made that can be depended upon to work the first time every time. LT |
tuscaloosa | 09 Nov 2014 7:54 p.m. PST |
The P38 is my second tool for the zombie apocalypse, after a weapon. And in a pinch, the P38 could be used as a weapon! |
spontoon | 10 Nov 2014 6:28 p.m. PST |
I love all the nicknames given to various armies' rations! The Italian tinned meat had "A.M."stamped on the tin so they referred to it as " arabo morto". My Dad served in the Royal Navy and regaled us with culinary delights such as " Herrings-in", "red-lead', but he passed away before revealing the identity of something known as " dead baby", I think it was some sort of dessert. Any body have any info on that? |
capncarp | 10 Nov 2014 6:56 p.m. PST |
I read of a WW2 British Tank unit that would puncture their Meat-and-Veg (beef stew) cans, add some curry powder, then set them on the exhaust manifolds to heat up. Of course dinner would be somewhat spoiled if an action happened before the cans could be removed. |
Legion 4 | 17 Nov 2014 3:53 p.m. PST |
I liked the old 'Nam LRRP Rats we got in the 101. They had to use up the stocks … |
Henry Martini | 18 Nov 2014 6:42 a.m. PST |
When used against German panzer units wasn't the P38 one of the most successful can openers of WW2? |
Barin1 | 19 Nov 2014 4:14 a.m. PST |
it's interesting that in Soviet army we loved canned food – at least it had lots of good beef or pork, and eatable porridge – unlike most of the stuff we were getting normally at our main location… |
tuscaloosa | 20 Nov 2014 8:09 p.m. PST |
Barin, was the Soviet food in garrison prepared and served by conscript soldiers, contract soldiers, or civilian employees? |
Archeopteryx | 22 Nov 2014 7:46 a.m. PST |
As ex-RN, I can confirm 'baby on the tramlines'… strawberry jam tart with a cross hatching of pastry, usually served with lumpy custard. The lemon variety was called Chinese baby on the tramlines. No longer acceptable nomenclature. |
spontoon | 22 Nov 2014 6:17 p.m. PST |
@ Archaeopteryx; Thanks! That sounds delicious. Now, got a recipe? |