Japan proves that it’s the best mom by making sure its military are the cool kids at the lunch table. What did your country pack for you? Beef and beans? Veggie burger? A friggen’ cheese omelet? Sayonara losers — you’re in the wrong DFAC!

These are the commercial clones of the Japanese Self-Defense Force’s (SDF) Type II Battle Rations. Difficult to obtain outside of Japan, these MREs include a hearty 310g portion of rice and a retort pouch packed with one of five courses of compact cuisine. Fit for outdoor camping and hardcore anime binging alike, these meals are the result of a SDF Ministry of Defense survey. The SDF’s Type II MRE was first issued in 1990 and saw a transition from cans to boil-ready “pack-meshi” bags, greatly reducing cumbersome weight and cooking time, and better preserving the renown flavor of the rations.

AVAILABLE MEALS

Rafte-don Bowl (Braised Pork Belly over Rice)

The flavors are deep and distinct, blending nicely over surprisingly fluffy rice with just the right amount of moisture. The pork belly is tender and falls apart on the tongue. The sauce abounds with notes of sugar, garlic, and ginger. A delicious example of classic Japanese seasoning. —Chef Ivan

Ingredients: Sugar (soy sauce), sugar (sugar, syrup), flavor ingredients (onegi, garlic, ginger), starch, mirin, sake, yeast extract, (some of the raw materials including wheat and soy)

Expiration Date: 24 August 2020

Pork Curry

This curry seems too good to come from an MRE. It’s a bowl of savory sweet goodness whether it graces an army camp or your dining table. —Chef Ivan

Ingredients: Soy sauce, salad oil, milk, lard, chutney, apple puree, sugar, curry powder, beef extract, spices, salt, garlic, honey, ginger, Worcester sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, seasonings (amino acids etc), caramel pigment, (some of the raw materials include wheat, soybeans)

Expiration Date: 8 January 2021

Salt Luncheon Meat

If you’re looking for meat, this is the bowl for you. Salty, savory, and served with seasoned vegetables, you won’t go away hungry. —Chef Ivan

Ingredients: Sugar, pork extract powder, yeast extract, casein na, phosphate Na, K (Potato), vegetables (carrots, green peas, corn), swine fat, potato starch, salt, spices, protein hydrolyzate, sugar, antioxidants (vitamin C), seasoning (amino acid etc.), coloring agent (sodium nitrite), seasoning sauce (chicken soup, spices, salt, sugar, thickener processed starch, xanthan gum), condiment (Amino acids), (some of the raw materials include milk ingredients, pork, and chicken)

Expiration Date: 3 November 2020

Fire Yakitori-don

Note: The “fire” in this dish comes from it being cooked over direct fire — it is not spicy! Nevertheless, the meat has drawn smoky flavors from that charcoal heat, and they are well-paired with sugar and soy sauce. You can certainly taste the sweetness of the micin and malt extract. It’s a delicious blend of sweet and savory, featuring chicken, mushrooms, and onions. These are flavors you would expect from a Japanese street vendor who knows their craft well. —Chef Ivan

The “fire” in this dish comes from it being cooked over direct fire — it is spicy! Nevertheless, the meat has drawn smoky flavors from that charcoal heat, and they are well-paired with sugar and soy sauce. You can certainly taste the sweetness of the micin and malt extract. It’s a delicious blend of sweet and savory, featuring chicken, mushrooms, and onions. These are flavors you would expect from a Japanese street vendor who knows their craft well. —Chef Ivan Ingredients: Chicken meat, burdock, soy sauce, sugar, shimeji, fermented seasoning, protein hydrolyzate, salt, mirin, mixed groundwort, malt extract, yeast extract, seafood extract, kelp extract, thickener (processed starch), caramel pigment, food seasoning (amino acid etc.), red ko pigment, acidulant, (some of the raw materials include wheat, mackerel, soybean, and chicken meat)

Expiration Date: 2 November 2020

Jumbo Sausage Curry

Sweet and savory with chunks of meat, this is more than an appetizing meal — it’s a filling one too! A nice ensemble of salt and garlic dances with ginger and honey on your taste buds. The sauce includes finely-tuned notes of apple and oyster sauce, like an elegant nectar over the rice. —Chef Ivan

Ingredients: Soy sauce, salad oil, milk, lard, chutney, apple puree, sugar, curry powder, beef extract, spices, salt, garlic, honey, ginger, Worcester sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, seasonings (amino acids etc), caramel pigment, (some of the raw materials include wheat, soybeans)

Expiration Date: 13 March 2021

CONTENTS

Exterior plastic camo bag

310g pack of delectable white rice

Eco-friendly bamboo spoon (surprisingly durable)

Mylar retort pouch with entrée contents

INSTRUCTIONS

Use the tear notch in the top corner to open the exterior plastic bag Remove the rice pack, retort pouch, and bamboo spoon Boil the rice pack for 25–30 minutes in clean water (Caution : water droplets may adhere to the inside of the film) Boil the retort pouch in clean water for three to six minutes Carefully open rice pack (there is a pull-tab, but it has ridiculously strong adhesion, so we recommend using a knife if needed) Use the tear notches in the top corners to open the retort pouch Carefully pour the contents of the retort pouch over the rice Let your meal cool and enjoy

You can also cook the rice pack for five minutes in a 600W microwave, but we strongly recommend boiling it instead.