What do you call cheese that isn’t yours? Nacho Cheese!
This is Rick Leventhal’s favorite joke. I’ve heard him tell it many, many times. He will admit that’s because it is the only joke he knows. It keeps coming up a lot on this embed with Marines in Afghanistan because the jalapeno cheese spread is one of the most coveted items in an MRE (Meal-Ready-to-Eat).
I stopped begging Rick to give me his after I too a look at the nutritional label on one of the cheese packets: 17 grams of fat. The average MRE usually contains a main meal, bread, a fruit, cheese and dessert, adding up to around 1300 calories.
Marines I’ve spoken with will often eat two MREs for lunch. But they need that much energy. As one of the cardboard boxes containing the grub says: Food is a tactical weapon.
Warfighter Recommended, Warfighter Tested, Warfighter Approved.
Pretty much every servicemember you share an MRE meal with will impart to you a different tip they’ve learned about how to eat an MRE… how to prepare it, which cheese to mix with what main dish, or how to cut open the packets to best form a bowl (cut it across horizontally, instead of vertically).
I was all thumbs the first time I prepared an MRE for myself. Thankfully, it came with very clear instructions, and luckily there are plenty of rocks around.
