Deep in the heart of a Massachusetts research facility, military scientists are hard at work solving one of the Armed Forces' last, great technological challenges: producing field rations that don't taste like dog food. MREs (aka Meals, Ready to Eat), the stuff that troops live on when they're away from the relative comfort and luxury of a base, first came into circulation in the '80s and started out every bit as gnarly as you would expect food to be when it's built to keep for three years in 80-degree heat. But the offerings have steadily improved, as researchers swap out things like "white albacore tuna" for Asian pepper steak or chicken and pesto pasta. But if you want to know where true innovation in troop-feeding lies, look no further than caffeinated beef jerky and something called "zapplesauce," which is spiked with a dose of quick-burning starch for rapid energy. Both will soon be included in field packs. Apparently, the technologists have also been studying the menus of T.G.I. Friday's and Applebee's for inspiration, but they have yet to crack the all-important puzzle of figuring out a decent MRE pizza. [The Washington Post]

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