Small Wars Journal

A Look At How Armies Eat Around The World (Photos and Text)

Fri, 09/26/2014 - 7:08am

A Look At How Armies Eat Around The World (Photos and Text) - Huffington Post

Leave it to reddit to open our minds on the stark differences of our eating habits around the world.

Redditor user itsrattlesnake has created an interesting photo project that unbiasedly documents the ready-to-eat meals (MREs) armies are equipped with while on the field. Thanks to itsrattlesnake, we learned a couple of interesting things about the men and women who dedicate their lives to protecting their countries and its citizens. One, candy is a must. And two, a heating device is an invaluable part of an MRE (because really, we all deserve a warm meal).

From this glimpse into the window of the army's food world, we also get a look of how each country packs its culture with them on the go. The Italians start their day with a shot of alcohol (smart thinking), the British are supplied with tons of tea (naturally), and the French, well the French go fancy with duck confit, deer pate and a Dupont d'Isigny caramel. (And no, the Spanish are not supplied condoms in their MREs, despite what it may look like in the picture below -- so lets just get your mind out of the gutter already.)

Take a look at how these 11 countries feed their men and women in service. If you have any information on how other countries prepare their MREs, we'd love to hear about it in the comments section below…

Read on.