Five NATO troops from Denmark, Estonia and the United Kingdom compare ration packs. Commonly referred to as ‘Meals Ready-to-Eat’ or MREs, each NATO Ally has its own unique approach to fuelling their soldiers when deployed. While the UK packs include tea and flapjack, Danish soldiers are given tightly sealed packs of mackerel fish.
Footage of soldiers sitting in a controlled environment eating hot and cold rations while discussing the merits and drawbacks of each other’s food. It was filmed at NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup in Tapa, Estonia (before the COVID-19 pandemic).
Transcript
TEXT ON SCREEN
NATO SOLDIERS
SWAP RATIONS
ESTONIA – UNITED KINGDOM
DENMARK – ESTONIA
UNITED KINGDOM – DENMARK
ALL SOUNBITES IN ENGLISH
Lance Corporal Saul, British Army
‘So this is our UK ration pack.’
Junior Sergeant Kesküla, Estonian Army
‘This is a 5,000-calorie
Estonian 24-hour military ration.’
Private Thorbjorn, Danish Army
‘You got 3,779 calories.’
Lance Corporal Robson, British Army
‘A box like this, 4,000 calories.’
Corporal Isabella, Danish Army
‘Should we open?’
Private Thorbjorn, Danish Army
‘What is that?’
Lance Corporal Saul, British Army
‘So this is flapjack.’
Private Thorbjorn, Danish Army
‘It’s really good. A little dry maybe?’
Lance Corporal Robson, British Army
‘Tabasco, the Tabasco, all the Brits like spicy food. Well, they claim to like spicy food. So you get some Tabasco and you’re not British if you haven’t got some tea.’
Junior Sergeant Palmsalu, Estonian Army
‘I like also English tea with milk.’
Junior Sergeant Kesküla, Estonian Army
‘Now this, this is another good thing. Halva. It’s a bunch of peanuts kind of like smashed together. Sweet tasting, and usually you can’t eat the entire pack because it’s just so sweet but also something you can just kind of break apart, eat a little bit and then, yeah. What do you think?’
Corporal Isabella, Danish Army
‘It’s good if you’re hungry and you just need some but it’s just really crumbly.’
Private Thorbjorn, Danish Army
‘Every ration we get has at least one tuna and one mackerel and they are very important to us because it’s high protein and high fat.’
Junior Sergeant Kesküla, Estonian Army
‘Mackerel in tomato sauce.’
Corporal Isabella, Danish Army
‘This I like too.’
Lance Corporal Saul, British Army
‘I’m not trying fish. No way, I’m not eating fish.’
Private Thorbjorn, Danish Army
‘Actually, the mackerel is really good.’
Lance Corporal Saul, British Army
‘It’s still fish!’
Junior Sergeant Palmsalu, Estonian Army
‘Estonian? This, stroganoff with potatoes. Made in Estonia and if you taste this, it’s like homemade.’
Lance Corporal Robson, British Army
‘Do you heat this up or can you just eat it cold?’
Junior Sergeant Palmsalu, Estonian Army
‘We heat it and you can eat it cold too.’
Lance Corporal Robson, British Army
‘I don’t think I could eat that cold personally. It’s nice though, at least you got meat. In this one, my favourite one would have to be steak and vegetables and dumplings.
A lot of British people eat dumplings. Maybe doesn’t taste the same as home but…’
Junior Sergeant Palmsalu, Estonian Army
‘It’s good even if it’s cold. I like this. Maybe it’s an Estonian thing, to eat cold.’
Corporal Isabella, Danish Army
‘It’s good.’
Junior Sergeant Kesküla , Estonian Army
‘I mean chocolate is always good.’
Corporal Isabella, Danish Army
‘It’s always good.’
Lance Corporal Robson, British Army
‘So what would you say is better, your mum’s or … ?’
Junior Sergeant Palmsalu, Estonian Army
‘My mum’s.’
Lance Corporal Robson, British Army
‘You’re saying that just because you’re on camera.’
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