British troops in the field are fed prepared rations that are heated on the spot and provide 4,300 calories a day at a cost of less than three dollars per man. Learning from decades of experience, the troops actually think of their field rations as the best in NATO. Considerable exposure to how other armies eat, while on peacekeeping missions over the last decade, has made it possible for British troops to compare their field chow with everyone else's. Long the butt of jokes about "British food," the troops now take pride in the better quality and variety of their chow compared to some of the canned and freeze dried stuff they see their allies eating. British troops admire the American MRE (freeze dried field ration), but mainly for it's light weight, not it's tastiness or variety. The British are in the process of shipping two million daily rations to the Persian Gulf.