I've eaten I don't know how many cases of MREs, but enough to know which ones are more palatable than others - I avoid the omlette one at all cost, and most of the chicken ones you can't go wrong with. If you want a good laugh, just read the container labels, and then rip it open and see how they just went overboard for describing rice or something simple. And just an FYI, the whole gum laxitive thing is a myth. Anyone who's eaten multiple MREs for a while can attest to that.