Noodles and Chicken
BEST USED BY APRIL 30, 2009

Recent newscasts and newspaper articles have spoken about the confusion with SELL BY and USE BY dates. Today I took the opportunity to perform my own test. Test subject: one. Trial: one.

This afternoon when neither a Brewer's baseball game nor a central division football game could hold my interest, I found myself looking through and rearranging the camping gear. I am not sure what my intentions were; other than "maybe someday... "

In the course of my moreorless aimless activity, I  came across two packages of freeze dried entrees. They are leftovers from canoe trips where they served as emergency rations should we have been unsuccessful in providing ourselves with a freshly caught fish supper.  I decided to make up the Noodles and Chicken to see if it was eatable. (I don't think that I will be needing emergency rations in the foreseeable future. If I should, there is a package of Mexican Style Rice and Chicken remaining with a best used by date of June 1, 2008.)

The dish simply made up according to the directions was quite good. It certainly didn't taste like it was four years too old. Then again, I have no idea what four-years-too-old should taste like. I suppose the next criterion as to whether the stuff was any good is whether or not I avoid an episode of gastric distress. That may serve as the subject for a future post or I may decide some things are best left "off the record."