In Viet-Nam, the field rations coffee, MCI and LPR (lurps), was instant. That is, if you were lucky and also got the accessory pack "Lucky Bag". -- The Food Packet, Long Range Patrol or "LRP ration" (pronounced "Lurp") was a U.S. Army freeze-dried dehydrated field ration. It was developed in 1964 during the Vietnam War (1959-75) for use by Special Operations troops - small, heavily armed long-range reconnaissance teams that patrolled deep in enemy-held territory, where bulky canned MCI rations (formerly known as C rations) proved too heavy for extended missions on foot. -- The Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) was the name of canned wet combat rations issued by the United States Armed Forces from 1958 to 1980, when it was replaced by the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE). Years after my time, the cigarettes were eliminated, 1975.
