oh man! I grew up on MRE's
okay, maybe not literally, but those were like a treat when I was a very young kid, lol.
Loooooooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng BEFORE LUNCHABLES
When dad was in the ARMY and we lived on base it was common for kids to have those (MRE's) in their lunches......
once he retired and we moved off base to civilian life the kids looked at you like you were some sorta
I tried one a few years ago from a military surplus store, it wasn't what I remember (but then again, isn't that how it is with almost everything nowadays?)