1 French onion soup; 2 Hot chocolate; 3 Savoury biscuits; 4 Milk chocolate; 5 Tissues; 6 Cooked rice; 7 Boiled sweets; 8 Fruit biscuits; 9 Chewing gum; 10 Chicken pate; 11 Orange drink powder; 12 Curried lamb; 13 Fruit dumplings in custard; 14 Bacon and beans; 15 Condiments; 16 Hot pepper sauce
They're standard-issue to British squaddies in Iraq, but now half a million Army ration packs are being sent to victims in the hurricane disaster zone. What will they make of them? We sample the contents.
The food is a long way from the gumbo, crawfish and Cajun-inspired cuisine Louisiana is renowned for, but to those caught up in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina it could be a lifesaver.
The UK is flying half a million military ration packs to the disaster zone in the southern states of the United States.
The high-calorie packs are standard issue for the British Armed Forces on operations and, it's claimed, contain enough food to last one person 24 hours.
They include some typically British dishes, such as corned beef hash, Lancashire hotpot and fruit dumplings in custard, as well as some more adventurous options like vegetable tikka masala and spicy vegetable rigatoni.
A stove comes as standard issue
Each pack contains up to 4,000 calories - the recommended daily consumption is 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men - and is "designed to feed a young man aged 18 to 30 who has been involved in active operational duty," says Brian Sheehan of the Defence Logistics Organisation.
"You're looking at them getting a massive energy burst."
The calorific bulk of the packs could even tide someone over for a couple of days, he says.
With stories of desperation and hunger among the displaced victims of the catastrophe, the British ration packs will no doubt be warmly welcomed.
The airlift also marks the first large non-military distribution of the packs, according to the Ministry of Defence.
Taste test
And while sustenance is the highest priority in such desperate circumstances, the military's backroom boys are more than a little proud of what they're shipping stateside.
Army rations recently underwent their first major rethink since the 1960s, to reflect the more sophisticated eating habits of today's squaddie. Some of the old freeze-dried dishes have also been replaced with more palatably moist alternatives.
The crackers are akin to cardboard
Opening my sample pack, supplied to the media by the MoD, I was struck by the sheer amount of food that had been squeezed into the unassuming 20x11x19cm brown box.
Breakfast comes in the form of bacon and beans, sealed in a sterile foil pouch, while lunch is a slightly more delicate affair - a tin of chicken and herb pate and a sachet of cardboardy crackers.
There are snacks aplenty to keep the sugar levels up, and calorie intake high. These include dried-fruit biscuits, boiled sweets and oatmeal blocks. Drinks include a vegetable stock drink, hot chocolate and an orange drink - all powdered.
In devising the new packs, research had apparently found that branded items familiar at home were a significant morale boost to troops. Quite what the hurricane refugees will make of Yorkie bars - complete with "Not for civvies" slogan - remains to be seen, but the inclusion of that most American of confectionaries, chewing gum, will doubtless be appreciated.
Dinner time
Much of the pack is given over the main meal of the day - a three-course affair which, in this case, kicks off with a sachet of French onion Cuppa Soup, before moving on to boil in the bag curried lamb and cooked Basmati rice and, finally, fruit dumplings in custard.
I desist from emptying in the hot pepper sauce, illustrated with a skull and crossbones, and tuck in
A quick glance at the ingredients reveals the curry really is mutton dressed as lamb, but no worries, the other ingredients sound more than passable - natural yoghurt, coriander, ginger puree.
I tip it and the rice into a saucepan on top of my camping stove - packs sent out to the US include a mini-stove and water-proof matches - and within a few minutes the smell of a hearty meal is wafting my way. I desist from emptying in the sachet of hot pepper sauce, illustrated with a skull and crossbones, and tuck in.
While army cooks won't be quaking in their military-issue boots faced with these rations, the result is more than passable and would put some instant supermarket snacks to shame. The curry is moist and while it cannot shed its processed taste, the meat has a reassuring solid texture.
Even the military concede that these ration packs are a stopgap, and no substitute for a properly cooked hot meal. But to the many thousands of dispersed hurricane exiles, a British Army ration pack could be the most welcome sight in a good many days.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4221838.stm
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