December 17th 2010 - Missing Food

As the days continue to grind through the Holiday’s it is business as usual here in Afghanistan.  Except for some Christmas decorations, it does not feel like Christmas.  I read an article today on CNN that really summed everything up perfect:

"As we decorate trees, wrap presents and celebrate the holidays, let us not forget the thousands of troops deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and other overseas locations who are left only to quietly remember the food and fellowship this holiday season brings."

I really could not say it better myself, so I’m not even going to try.

It seems that the one thing that a lot of us really miss besides family and friends is the food back home.  Whether its home cooked meals, fast food, pizza, or a nice restaurant, good food is really lost on us here.

The spring of this year, they pulled all the food places out of the country.  So that meant that we lost Burger Kings, Dairy Queens, KFC, etc.  From what I’m told my FOB had once upon a time a KFC, a Subway, and a Burger King.  

Last year, I probably ate at those BK or KFC three times, but I would definitely eat there now if I had a choice.  The DFAC (Dining Facility) here just doesn’t cut it.   It is nearly a daily ritual to go to the chow hall for meals just to see how bad the food is on that day.  Running out of food notwithstanding the food is just blah and unhealthy.   

Most of the food is probably 90% ready when they take it out of the freezer but they manage to make it worse.  It is probably a combination of preparing the food too far in advance which makes items that should be crispy turn soggy and simply not taking enough time or care to make it right.

Almost every day we talk about the food that we miss, from fat juicy medium rare steaks to simple things like fresh bread.  

To add insult to injury we eat every meal on paper trays and use plastic silverware.  I will not shed a tear if I never use a plastic fork again.  

I think the only people here that love the food are the Afghans that eat in the chow hall.  They eat a huge meal and then take to-go containers of food with them.  It’s probably the main thing keeping me grounded in my grumblings about the food.  The average diet in Afghanistan is much more limited than the average Americans.  They get something like 70% of their caloric intake from wheat (breads) and the fact that we serve multiple proteins every meal is unheralded.  

Ultimately, this is probably a product of my own doing though… My wife and I eat good back home.  We go out to eat too much, we cook delicious food, and I enjoy every minute of it.  Here I am at the mercy of an 8,000-mile supply chain and a DFAC that is serving thousands of meals a day, but still I want some good food.  

As of right now, here are the top ten places that I want to eat at when I get home:

1.       St. Elmo’s – A big fat juicy medium rare filet and two orders of cocktail shrimp please.
2.       Papa John’s -  A large pepperoni pizza, an order of breadsticks, and an order of cheese sticks on the couch while I watch a movie.
3.       Scotty’s Brewhouse – Fried dill chips, 7 Tidal Dip, and a blue cheese burger
4.       BW3’s – A dozen boneless wings (hot and mango habanero) an order of buffalo chips with cheese and a few cold beers to wash it all down.
5.       Hacienda – A large wet burrito and a pitcher of margaritas.
6.       Jimmy John’s – A Beach Club, extra sprouts, no mayo, no tomato, jalapeno chips, and a pickle.
7.       Mo’s Irish Pup – A bowl of chicken dumpling soup, fish and chips, and a beer.
8.       Any decent sushi joint
9.       The Melting Pot – Any fondue along with a couple martinis.
10.   Fogo de Chao -  Ahhh meat