Today's US military is an all-volunteer force, and they spend most of their time on military bases. These young, strong people eat a lot of food. To attract and retain them, base food is plentiful and pretty good. There are plenty of options (including fast food), and experts are always trying to improve both nutrition and quality.
The story is different for wartime. From the beginning in the Revolutionary War, the nation grappled with the difficulties of procuring, paying for, and delivering food to its troops in the field. There was no refrigeration, and preservation was hit-or-miss. Alcohol rations helped a little. But behind the scenes, there were those trying to solve the problem, because an army travels on its stomach. They developed C-rations, ration D, and ultimately MREs. All work under the idea that hunger makes everything taste better. Weird History Food takes us through the evolution of military rations in the United States.
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