>>11591781
>The 27-year-old Lakeland, Florida resident was introduced to MREs as a child, when his uncle, a veteran, brought him a case of 1993 rations. Thomas ripped one open and ate it cold. It was love at first bite. “I was like, This is what heroes eat. This is hero food,” he said. “That's what really captivated me from the start. I used to call it ‘GI Joe food.’” (Thomas, who works in landscaping, hasn’t served in the military.)
>To Thomas, these meals represent “displaced history.” He read me the “coolest damn comment” he’d ever received, from an 83-year-old South Korean veteran who’d fought in the Korean War and recognized in a Steve1989 video the gum that an American soldier friend had shared with him. Another reason why Thomas is so eager to share his knowledge of MREs is to ensure they’re preserved. “I've seen things I would pay good money for get thrown out,” he said.