I’ve also eaten MRE’s - I’ll take the dehydrated stuff over the MRE’s.
Could be I got some old ones but they were pretty awful (the MRE’s). I bought them at a garage sale - the guy had some leftover from his military days and they were at least a couple years old. I can’t believe we feed our military that stuff.
Rather than get all this nasty stuff I’ve come to the conclusion the best rations for camping or self reliance are those packets of chicken flavored rice or noodles (you know they come in beef and fried rice, etc) and those new packages they now have of tuna or chicken in a pouch. They won’t last near as long but they are lightweight and much tastier. Also you can use them and replace to keep them fresh. Mix them together for a pretty decent meal.
Maybe a thread dealing with quick, tasty meals prepared from 'off the shelf' survival methods. Canned tuna, canned mushroom soup, canned peas, and dried noodles would make a meal most kids would eat - and it wouldn't cost much and would store for years...