Everything old is new again - from the days of the Big Bomb.

Everything old is new again....
"Survival chow" back in the day of the Big Bomb.









Note - this is a commercial offering.

(Source etsy, an auction site)

This is an amazing, absolutely unique, perfectly preserved Atom-age Nuclear Survival Kit from the 1960s. Made by Family Survival Service of San Francisco. Contains enough food and water to support one person for 10 days.

"Contents Protected Against Radioactive Fallout"

It's all here!
Comes with hot breakfasts (2 servings of Ralston, 3 servings of Farina),
Hot Dinners (Macaroni & Cream, Chili & Beans, Spanish Rice, Cheese & Rice Casserole, & Vegetable Stew),
twelve 12-oz cans of US Aqua drinking water,
10 servings of hot chocolate,
a First Aid kit, a tiny folding stove with a can of Sterno, 2 dozen paper towels, 2 plastic cups, matches, candles, a can opener, silverware, a bag, and a book called We Will: Do-it-yourself Survival In The Atom Age, which contains a lot of ranting about the commies and Russians but doesn't exactly address what you're supposed to do ten days after the bomb drops and the skies are on fire but you're out of Mac & Cream.

So, before there was Wise, before OFD, there was...this.

BTW - think about the similarities. Food comes in a bucket (OK, it's a can) even the menus are the same...

Without nearly enough water (most bucket food has no water) - not nearly enough calories (but then you'll need less in the way of 'sanitation supplies')

Forget the commercial kits - it is always better to pick/store you own

Bucket Chow is a hot topic for me - I hate to see folks get swindled out of their hard-earned ducats...

 

So, what can ya do?

Today's retort pouches offer all kinds of decent food:

For the cooking impaired, Tasty Bites (of India) offers many choices in retort pouches.

They offer a line of Thai food as well. (Ancient Grains Rice – Tasty Bite)

As a heat and serve product - it is pre-cooked food, but heated, the product will taste much better, as do most foods.

Well, OK, chocolate donuts are good at room temperature. Anytime, better with coffee.




Served alone (OKish) or over rice (more better) (also available in retort pouches) can make a main dish in no time at all. The posted items are one of my favorite hot dishes on a cold day in a big hurry gotta run back out the door meals....

Since these are wet-pack items no water is needed to cook, so heat in boiling water and then use the water for coffee, tea or just a hot washcloth bath.
Most pouches are 10 oz in weight.

 

A commercialized MRE and it probably tastes better too.

 

It seems even back then the "two is one" mentality was present...two can openers jumped out immediately...

Today's commercial offerings do provide variety, which is important for morale. Yes, sustenance is provided in the older packs, but to borrow an old phrase "man does not live on bread alone."

Home canned is better tasting, less expensive, and allows you to determine your menu (think medical conditions such as diabetes or lactose intolerance) better than any commercial products I've seen...but will it store for 15-30 years? In most cases, no. It's all a matter of what trade offs you are willing to make.

Great topic, BTW