Mongolian and Ice Cream

This week I thought I would talk with you all about the food here.  I am not sure if this has been on anyone's mind, but if you talk to the average Marine about a deployment to one place or another, the quality of the food is always a top priority.

The food here in Afghanistan is actually quite good.  It is run on a government contract by a company called Dyn-Corp (I think they are a subsidiary of Kellogg-Brown-and-Root, but I could be wrong).  There is a good bit of variety as well which is nice.  There are several Dining Facilities, or DFAC's, on Camp Leatherneck and each one is about the same.  The food is of course served cafeteria style and the main selection changes each day.  Once you have been here for a while though, you can start to see some repetition.

There is the ever-present Salisbury steak night with mashed potatoes, gravy, and peas.  There is also baked or fried chicken night, meatloaf, etc.  Now, those staples are served about once per week.  However, there are also some "special" nights.  Every Friday is Mongolian barbecue night.  You can pick your meat (pork, chicken, or beef) as well as all the vegetables, sauces and seasonings.  Take the pile over to the grill and they cook it up for you while you wait!  It is pretty good.  Even more popular with the TCN's (Third Country Nationals, mostly from India) is "curry night".  Every Monday they serve several different varieties of curry; I like the beef the best but they have chicken and lamb too.  The curry comes with some pretty good flatbread as well, sort of like the naan you might find in a middle-eastern restaurant.

To drink, they have several kinds of juices, milk, gatorade, and of course sodas.  However all of these, except the sodas, come in small boxes.  Like a juicebox you might find in your kids' lunch box.  They also have a "fry line" with hamburgers in case you don't care for what they are serving that day.  Additionally, there is a salad bar, a fruit bar, and a dessert bar.  They also have real ice cream every night!  It takes a lot of self discipline to stay on track with a healthy diet out here, believe me.  So far I am doing okay on that front, but it helps that my work schedule only allows me to get in there for two meals per day.  More on that next time.  For now, "Bon Appetitte" and I will see you later!