Time changes all things, however, and the truth of the old saw is becoming more apparent daily.
The Russian army was embarrassed recently by a report in the business daily Kommersant which revealed that some Russian soldiers are being fed canned dog food in lieu of their regular rations. Furthermore, the army has been purchasing perishable foods which are past their expiration date. The Cosmonauts aboard Mir are getting testy. Their replacements are going to be delayed, and the supply ship which regularly re-provisions the spacemen is going to be late. Rather nasty, when your very existence depends on that ship's arrival.