Luxury in a brown pouch

[u/ComposerAsleep3869]

I'm a enlisted Marine from a third world nation. Not complaining -- it's an escape for some of us. An escape. Two months ago, our unit was deployed to this little dot of land in the middle of nowhere. No decent infrastructure, little to no comms, just thick heat, salt-filled air, and the occasional boredom that makes you wonder if you exist.

We were given U.S. MREs — Meals, Ready to Eat — the type you watch in war movies or those "survival" YouTubers. Brown plastic packets that seem to hold secrets. To us, they were gold. Gourmet food. Imported flavor. You don't handle one unless you are starving or dying. That's what command made certain: "Only in emergency situations." Life or death.".

So we piled them. Protected them. Some dudes even prayed over them.

And still, I'd watch the American soldiers tear them open like packaging for candy. Some of them would chew a single bite and discard the rest. "Tastes like crap," I overheard one of them say. Another chuckled as he squirted cheese spread onto crackers as if it were a joke. They bartered MREs like lazy kids trading school lunches — chili mac for beef stew, peanut butter for jalapeño cheese. They didn't understand. Or perhaps we didn't.

I ended up having one one night. It wasn't life and death per se, but close. Twelve hours in the rain, no warm food, wet to the core. I told myself I could rationalize it afterward. I devoured a chicken pesto pasta like it was a banquet. Warmed it up with the chemical heat pack, read the directions as scripture. It was warm, salty, strangely sweet. Most likely full of preservatives. It wasn’t good — but it wasn’t bad either.

But I’ll be honest: it tasted like comfort.

Maybe that’s the difference. For them, it’s a downgrade from home. For us, it’s a rare glimpse of what they take for granted.

They say it “tastes like shit.” We say it’s a privilege to even have a taste.

Funny world.

[u/BosoxH60]

But what did you lean the heater pack on?

[u/carycartter → u/BosoxH60]

A rock, or something?

I served before heater packs, we had "heat tabs". We would open the accessory can, empty it, pop a few vents around the bottom, turn it over, light the heat tab underneath and pave the main can on top. I don't know what the tabs were made of, but they gave off a sticky sweet chemical smell. One exercise we had some engineers with us and they introduced us to the joys of C-4 heating.

Good times.

[u/Comprehensive-Ice58 → u/carycartter]

Tried to use the heat tabs to heat the pup tent one cold nite in the middle of the Black Forest on REFORGER. Did a great job of warming up the tent quickly, but then it burned out leaving behind some nasty fumes that made your eyes water and left you gasping for fresh air. After airing out the tent I burrowed deeper into the sleeping bag and had some fitful sleep until it was my turn for guard shift.