Munchies or massacre?
595395
So, I love the taste. Not a problem at all with the flavors, which are yummy and fruity. However, the powdered bits of strawberry get all over your personal universe and it begins to look as though bloodshed has occurred in the vicinity. The slightest dibble of moisture enhances this effect, and it takes considerably more moisture and lots of elbow grease to dislodge the red goop. If you are prepared to battle this side effect, it's fantastic. I, on the other hand, won't be ordering it again. Too much trouble for a little snack.
1759788
The crackers are amazing. When there's peanut butter on them. Which, in my pack, was very rarely. If you're looking for a lottery style snack where you never know if your cracker will have peanut butter on it, I'd highly recommend the edgy mix of excitement and disappointment these crackers bring.
4025076
I am what you might call a "food junkie" in that I like to try anything new, repackaged or odd. In this case, this new set of Hamurger Helper flavors was sitting at the local grocery store, and I decided it warranted investigation (I must've been bored that day). I mean, how do you screw up Hamburger Helper??!

The answer, it would seem, is to throw in too many flavors and subdue the nacho cheese in favor or a bunch of freeze dried vegetable supplicants. While it might taste okay if you season it right, on its own it is pretty dire stuff. I've heard the other flavors are better, but I don't eat this kind of thing very often, so I guess I'll give these a pass. I will say they do have a little heat on them if that sounds enticing. In that case, feeding this to children might be rather amusing...
1346460
Best snack when you want a little something and know it needs to be more than a few crackers or a piece of fruit. Love my chewy bars. Great when I'm on the go, which is pretty often and are hunger or know you will be hunger soon.
2516294
Fast Food Genocide is a must read for people trying to improve their health. Chapter 4 is a historical account of the American diet and how something so simple can cause such a cascading effect on us all.
2530046
I've noticed some grouching about cost. Over a period of time i have eaten a number of emergency rations --and these are easier to prep, and taste much better than any of the others. I have lived the survival lifestyle in different ways for  long periods of time.
one was with shelter, 4 hrs into the wilderness, over 3 years that time. i'm good at what i do, know how to make things dead w/ only a .22 -bake bread in dutch oven, and so much more. so i know what it is like to eat on the run. so time and simplicity is of the essence. this item fills it all. and IN HARSH CONDITIONS ONE OF THE MOST DEPRESSING THINGS IN YOUR DAY CAN BE A DULL CRAPPY MEAL, this is not what you need to add to a situation where you need to be sharp. it is possible to fill in less tastier and cheaper meals w/ this item, if you want a better cost balance. the person who wrote and all of the people who replied to
  " huge bin for such a small amount of food, November 22, 2012
By Shinobi"
need to take heed to this---and if you have questions to what it is really like and what you may need/want please feel free to ask--even if i have no answer i will try my best to point you toward someone who does.
2565087
Save your money!  I cannot really define the taste.  A little banana taste, a crunch of coconut...bleh!  Was saving these for when I got the munchies.  Had to rinse my mouth out.
2690336
These are great and horrible.  Putting them in a regular bowl of jelly beans and waiting until someone unknowingly gets skunk or dog food is a lot of fun.  Got these for kids, but the adults ate most.  There was a lot of dares and name calling.  I was surprised how bad they can taste.  You can smell the skunk from across a room.
3814377
Man these are dangerous.... delicious and dangerous.  Had to stop myself from eating all of them in one sitting.
3604344
my friend picked up a pack and a tin of their pickle mints (also avail. on amazon) for me at Archie McPhee. First thought, the pickle guy on the package gives me the creeps. That alone would almost keep me from trying the candy. They do have a pickly flavor; dill-and tart. But mostly they're sickly sweet. If you're dead-set on pickle candy I'd go with the mints because they're just as strange but less gross.
1409615
Fruit Gems are the best. I wouldn't recommend eating more than twelve in one sitting, however. I want to regret my life choices, but they were so delicious...
2652219
I have eaten and stored both the Datrex and the Mainstay emergency food rations. As with any other foods, different people have different tastes. I slightly prefer Datrex, the spouse sort of prefers the Mainstay, the kids change their mind each time they try them, or say it'd go good with pickled herring (kids... *shrug*).

They seem to hold up well in the trunk of the car for several years (package still sealed). After having been stored in the garage since the mid 90's (it's 2011 as I write this), they appear to still taste the same, about a decade after the expiration date printed on the package. They are much cheaper by the case than individually. I'd recommend getting at least one individual package for a taste-test with all parties involved, and make sure what the preferences in your family/group are. If you are stocking up for possible longer-term problems, or in larger volume for larger groups, get a mix of brands/flavors to minimize apatite fatigue; try eating ANY one thing for days on end, and you'll get to hate it.  Not much vitamin A or C (and they don't seem to have a lot of fiber either...).

The 2400 calorie brick is about enough for one adult, doing normal activities, for one day, and weighs about a pound. Sitting in a life-boat or for children, 1200 is OK. If you are in an active or cold-weather survival situation (post earthquake, bug-out from a hurricane, zombie apocalypse, whatever) the 3600 cal blocks are more appropriate for a days food. A case of 2400 cal blocks give you 30 days of food, and weighs about 31 pounds; I was only able to fit 29 into a five-gallon bucket, but maybe a better Tetris-player could get more in - they are brick-shaped, and the bucket is round, so it has some room to spare for loose filler of some sort, and it'll float (which would normally be a good thing, since so many disasters involve water in some way). Remember - buy them BEFORE you need them, and rotate your stock (people look at me a little weird when I bring one in to work for lunch, working on rotating supplies, but then, typical day-to-day people often look at the well-prepared a little oddly, sort of like you are from another planet. Or, maybe it's just my haircut).
665235
I crave Kettle's "Backyard BBQ" chips even though I dislike BBQ flavor in general. Crunchy/sweet/satisfying. Less "fried aftertaste" than Fritos and Doritos. Too bad it contains MSG (linked to brain tumors)
4535343
It's Bond. Apply the usual trigger warnings about what was unacceptable then and isn't now. Yes, it's awful but trust me, people will read the popular books of our time and quiver in distaste.

However...

 I'm not being at all ironic or dismissive when I say I'm reading it for the food. Yes, there's sex and violence, but come on, the food! A  catalog of retro dishes described with all the lust and desire you'd expect from the days of post-war rationing. I really want some caviar now, and hot buttered toast.
2715461
I just finished watching Daniella prep and eat a mealworm pizza with cricket-fortified crust.  Her upbeat presentation reminded me of quite a different viewing experience as Bear Grylls on Man Vs. Wild pulls an enormous rhino beetle larva from a dead log and putrid liquid flies out his lips on first bite as he grimaces and writhes with disgust (it's actually laugh out loud funny--Man Vs Wild-Eating Giant Larvae on youtube; check it out).  I know, it's part drama but it's completely off-putting.  Bring on the crunchy toasted mealworms a la Martin but dear lord hold the living larvae.

Bottom line?  I'm ordering Chapul cricket bars for the entire office staff.  Is it wrong to agree to entomophagy as long as no identifiable insect parts are visible?  Bring them on dead and ground up 'cause I'm game to try it! Thanks for the cheerful intro Daniella!
3491011
I eat 4 packages before being unable to suppress my gag reflex. The texture is so off putting I could not do that 5th one, and now I have almost 20 that I cannot eat, sorry but if you make noodles please make them edible.
3529337
Nah I can miss that event . I hope I never have to find out if they actually are eatable
But just in case it's not just my paranoia and they really are out to get us !! Peace I'll cover you