Home > Georgians@War > Archives > 2007 > March > 05 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USFood glorious food
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tal Afar, Iraq — Sunday night at Forward Operating Base Sykes means steak and seafood at the chow hall, known to the soldiers as DFAC (dining facility).
1st Sgt. John Gunning of Ball Ground helped himself to both. Oh, he had a bowl of rice and cantaloupe, too, to offset the red meat cardiac arrest.
All the dining facilities on the U.S. military bases are similar, though some have gained reputations by word of mouth. Some soldiers are quite the chow hall connoisseurs and could possibly get jobs as restaurant reviewers upon return home.
At the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, the highlight for me was an avocado and onion salad tinged with fresh lime — the first time I had eaten avocado in my six trips to Iraq. And we had poolside seating under a brilliant blue sky. California dreamin’ on such a winter’s day. (Is there a war going on here?)
At Camp Victory, there’s an Indian food bar, though it’s certainly not my mother’s chicken curry. At Camp Liberty last year, the Bengali cooks came closest to the curry of my childhood but that food was slipped out to me from the kitchen. The staff there prepared separate meals for the non-American workers who kept the base running.
At Tallil Air Base, pies were tempting because, conveniently, there was a microwave set up next to the pastry case. Grab a cherry pie, warm it up and then head to the ice cream bar for a dollop of vanilla and voila, pie a la mode.
Taji’s dining hall was so big that I got lost in there a couple of times. And I am convinced the food tasted better at Anaconda because of the real plates and silverware instead of the standard plastic and Styrofoam.
The bigger bases have allowed fast food chains to invade the premises. There’s Pizza Hut, Burger King, Subway and KFC.
At Scania, an enterprising Iraqi opened a small restaurant within the confines of the military fueling station. Kasim offered yellow lentils, hummus and freshly baked flat bread. The tables were filled every day.
At more austere camps, the food is made by Army cooks — the contracted caterers are nowhere to be found. Or there are MREs, meals ready to eat, that come in brown plastic bags and with their own heater packs — a long way from the rations of previous wars. The MREs are not bad, I say, especially the vegetarian meals. The spicy penne pasta is quite tasty and beats a lot of the fattening fried stuff.
In fact, photographer Louie Favorite enjoys MREs as much as he likes Willies burritos. On his last trip out of Iraq, Louie spent time in Kuwait’s fancy dancy JW Marriott hotel. It was the month of Ramadan and very few eating establishments were open during the day. So Louie sat on his big fluffy bed and ate MREs to his heart’s content. Bet no one has ever stayed at that hotel and eaten cheese tortellini out of a bag.
My friends think I don’t eat well in Iraq. That’s another myth about Iraq, or should I say, about the U.S. military in Iraq. Most Iraqis, of course, don’t eat half as well. It makes my heart ache to see how much food is wasted in the chow halls when there are so many people in this country who are malnourished. I met a family in Sadr City once who told me they survived on bread and tea every day.
Here’s the other thing that strikes me every time I go to eat: I never thought I would see so much pork flowing in a Muslim nation: hot dogs, pork chops, whole hams and cold cuts.
The massive, overflowing chow halls also means that there are, unfortunately, many overweight soldiers in the U.S. Army. Several in the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Infantry Brigade gained weight during their one-year tour here.
If the United States loses this war, it won’t be for want of nutrition for the soldiers.
Luckily at Sykes, a gym that rivals mine in Atlanta, sits directly across from the entrance to the dining hall. You can eat all you want and then get on a treadmill for a day or two.
It must be working. Haven’t seen too much girth around these parts.
Well, it’s nearing 7 p.m. Time for dinner.
Permalink | | Categories: Moni Basu
