This chef turns a military ration into Michelin-starred dishes
A day’s march in full kit, crawling into your sleeping bag with your weapon, in a tiny tent with your buddy: many men still have vivid memories of bivouacking during their military service – and delicious food is never part of those memories. That’s about to change, because a chef, a photographer and a filmmaker are transforming military rations into Michelin-star-worthy creations.
Dutch military personnel going on bivouac are given a stack of mysterious packets and cans to carry in their backpacks. They are aluminium-coloured pouches containing hot chicken (just heat the pouch in boiling water) or goulash, cans of lasagne, biscuits and little tubs containing something called ‘meat product’. Sounds awful, but hey, it’s edible. When you’re exhausted from marching in full kit, you really don’t worry about the gastronomic level of your meal at the end of the day.
https://vimeo.com/jimmypham/mremeals
Meals rejected by everyone
Unless… you’re a chef, or a photographer, or a filmmaker. This American team has turned MREs into dishes that could go straight onto the menu at a Michelin restaurant. MRE is the American abbreviation for Meals Ready to Eat, the rats, cough, and beans of the American army. Some American soldiers call them Meals Rejected by Everyone, meals no one really feels like eating.
South Korean war food
The three culinary artists have created beautiful dishes from meals supplied by the American army, as well as the food Chinese soldiers take on exercises, the canned food provided by the Russian army, the French ration and South Korean war food. For Russian soldiers, a beautiful creation featuring pork-brain quenelles with potatoes, beef and red sauce is therefore a realistic option; Chinese soldiers can eat pineapple, roasted sweetbreads and lemonade powder, while American soldiers could sit around the campfire working on a plate of taco pasta and crackers, garnished with a plastic bag. Dutch military personnel, it’s your turn: what can we make from the Dutch pouches and packets?
