A local news crew was there when a group of middle schoolers got their first taste of MREs at Caruso Middle school in the Chicago suburbs, and it turns out they don’t really like them either.
Also Read: The Best Military Meals Ready-To-Eat, Ranked
The event was put on by the school council last year as part of their “Empathy Meal” program where students eat meals like those consumed by people of different backgrounds.
The school went for the authentic experience, with students heating their meals using chemical pads and eating on the ground outside.
Students were assigned a meal, either cheese tortellini or pasta marinara.
It was a communal meal and students, like the service members they were emulating, exchanged components of the meals.
The popular items with the teens were, to the surprise of no one, the cookies and trail mix.
Check out the full video.
And also, via Buzzfeed, it turns out adult civilians don’t like them much either: