Chow is gear. The specific meal reviewed is the artichoke and roasted pepper meal. Nutrition information below. Why? I'm always on the lookout for Chow that can be eaten cold. Tasting good is nice, but no cooking is a hard requirement when I go hunting in the wilds of the local food mart. This caught my eye - Chow made to eat room room temp. Cool enuf - got one for lunch. Shelf life of at least a year. Comes with a tiny spork...It woks well enough to avoid eating with your mitts. Just the same - You do keep a metal knife, fork and spoon in your auto - yes? Good. They will come in handy. This 'meal' (serving) has significant sodium - it's prepared/precooked food. Has about 30% of your daily FedGov approved sodium ration.... Can't get much past this for any prepared Chow Just the same - keep track of how much you do consume. Now then, quite tasty to me. Has garlic and peppers at just the right amount. It is a bit 'oily' owing to the artichoke/pepper 'sauce'. sunflower oil specifically. BTW - sunflower oil = good oil. I did not find this objectionable. But then, I'll eat canned sardines .. Compared to Uncle Sugar's Meals ready to Reject - quite good, but far less in both size and calorie content. This is important if planning multi-day Chow rations. (Pro-tip Avoid the MRE Chicken a la cat barf - that stuff is nasty...I still have nightmares of having to eat that sh!t for breakfast) Back on task - Decent portion size/210 cal. What can you do with this? - Eat it as is. I found it tasty and had a good 'mouth feel'. - Add some sunflower seeds (i did this 1/2 thru) adds yummy factor + crunch. WIn-WIin - Mix with tuna for a two folks mid-day meal. - Would work pretty well as a side dish with chicken. -- Crackers (like the Mr Cracker kind) or even a couple of Sailor Boy pilot bread biscuits would be a nice addition. I wound NOT store this in Das Auto. These should work as an in-house stored, door-load item. As in a picnic basket (with handles) that is grab and go out the door in case of fire, earthquake, zombies or those pesky aliens show back up again from the Zargon Galaxy.(Honest, they are the Cockroaches of this Galaxy) Would also work to suddenly decide that a nice sunny day would be good time for a picnic in the park. Price varies based on Vendor - figure $2.50 or so. Same price class as the pouched tune or chicken. Alternatives?: I've mentioned so-called microwave ready meals. While these, technically, can be eaten cold, they are a meal is best served up with a good stiff shot of spirits at the start of that cold meal... This Quick Meal would be the better choice, tho heating would enhance the meal experience in cold or very cold weather. Small enough to fit inside your parka next to the battery pack for your radio.... Final note - do not purchase mail order. Comments on Amazon indicate the packaging can be damaged in transit - leading to a mold factory arriving. This Chow is sold at COSTCO, so inspect B4 you buy. The packaging allows this. Product of Peru, like grapes and much of the Tuna sold now in the US. see kitchenandlove.com for their other products in the class.
Next up Farro with peppers and artichoke (Farro is (waves hands - Italian) basically archaic wheat berries) The label says HIGH FIBER- no joke. This is whole cracked wheat. This stuff will go thru you like (something about tin horns goes here) Flavor - super-duper. You can really taste the peppers. These is sunflower oil used to make the artichoke/pepper paste less ...pasty, so may look oily, but does NOT taste oily. As a well known connoisseur of all kinds of Chow - (MRE among that list) this is good food, right sized portion and real, honest flavor without a lot of 'flavor enhancers' (ie chemical you or I cannot pronounce). all too often seen in Processed food (ir Chow) I give this one 6 stars - a bonus star awarded for being a ready to eat food worth eating. YMMV - this is spicy. Mikey likes, so worth a try. Price - here in Alaska - is comparable to the tune pouch or "tuna goop in a can" with crackers. 'meals'. This stuff has enough horsepower, IMO, that adding a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of rice to the cracked wheat will still have plenty of flavor - and now would feed two. I'll keep working my way thru the line. PRO Tip - cheaper to buy locally - this stuff lists for $3.50 + shipping per container. For a fast lunch with some pop - looks to be a winner.
