If you have acquired some MRE's for emergency food and have not yet tried one, I'd recommend you try it!

I just finished the "chopped steak with mushroom gravy" and was surprised to find that I like it! (Quick tip - the 'crackers' are superb with the grape jelly spread on 'em.)

I got to the hotel late and after checking in didn't feel like going back out to find a restaurant. I had about decided to settle for a bowl of oatmeal (yes, I carry oatmeal packets in my suitcase) when I thought about the MRE's in the trunk.

I've never dealt with one before, so it was a bit of a learning experience figuring out how to make it work. The instructions were pretty decent and everything came off without a major hitch.

Here's a couple suggestions, based on this one experience:

1 - You can eat everything from the packets the food comes in. You will need to rinse or wipe the hot food packet since the gunk from the heat pack gets all over it. It feels a bit more civilized if you have a separate plate, such as your mess tin, to dump the food in and eat. And a sharp knife goes a long way towards making package opening less of an adventure.

2. Make sure you've got some water ready to put into the heat pack. It only takes an ounce or so, but if you've run yourself out you're going to have a cold meal.

3. (I'm going to do this next weekend - ) If your family hasn't eaten an MRE yet, make it a family dinner occasion so that everyone knows how to set up and use these things. It ain't rocket science but in an already stressful situation, the last thing you need is frustration trying to prepare a meal. If everyone knows the drill and knows what to expect, emergency mealtime can be something to look forward to.