I’m not flying today so I will mention a few words about the eating establishments here since that does affect me on a daily basis. There are at least six chow halls that I know of on base and unfortunately the closest two to us are by far the worst. They serve pretty much the same thing every day and the big complaint is that they have very limited condiments. Since the food isn’t all that good they should at least stock up on the things that make it edible. They will have 10-15 bottles of A-1 or Heinz 57 on the counter and everyone will be empty. Their one saving grace is that they do have fried eggs in the morning. In the “downtown” area of base there is the Asian chow hall which I have only been to for lunch a couple of times but they have very good stir-fry and lots of different kinds of curry. The place has always been crowded with TCNs (third country nationals) and very few military. My favorite chow hall is down by the boardwalk next to the NATO headquarters area. It is called the Luxemburg and has a distinctive European flair. I have only been able to eat there a handful of times but they always have a good salad bar with fresh feta cheese and very interesting desserts with thick, rich ice-cream. This is where you see all the NATO people and headquarters staff. I have heard the breakfast is really good but I haven’t had the chance to check it out yet. Where I end up eating most of my meals is at the North Line which is out by the flight line and caters to all the flight crews. They only close 30 minutes before each meal time so you can always go in there and grab at least something to eat before your flight. The food is pretty good there – not up to the “downtown” chow halls but they at least put in some effort to make it nice, unlike the ones next to our quarters. Don’t get me wrong – it is a whole lot better than eating MREs or T-rations but the other places show how it can be done better. Overall I would definitely say the food was better in Iraq and I think it has more to do with the logistical difficulties here than anything else. I also haven’t seen the effort to decorate the chow halls like they did in Iraq which is probably another budget constraint.
With the schedule I am on now I basically get two meals a day. I have been going to bed around noon and getting up at 8 so all I get is midnight chow and breakfast. I could eat right before going to bed but the food isn’t good enough to justify the effort (if you were more of a cynic you could say I wasn’t hungry enough due to sitting most of my day – it’s either that or all the coffee I drink). That could change if my day keeps shifting to the right. That’s about all for now – I am off to breakfast.
OK, see if I can do this right this time. typed long comment earlier this week then forgot to post it-Sigh. Wow, six chow halls. Cant's get a grip on how big the base must be. I got out my world atlas & see there are some "honking" mts. between Karachi & Kandahar. Trucking during the winter must be the pits! No wonder its costing a billion a day. Enjoy your picts. Gives a good feeling for the country. That fwd. base did look lonely. Should be able to see the bad guys coming at least. I suppose, given our strategy of telling everyone our future plans, they are probably just mostly waiting until we leave. So, you do get back results of your efforts. That must be encouraging.Woke up yesterday to 2" snow on the car - gone by noon though. March is always fun. Pray for you daily. Love DAD
ReplyDeleteI need to get back to you on how many people are on this base - I imagine it is at least the size of Pendleton. From what I hear the trucking is a little hairy, that is when Pakistan lets them through. They are still restricting the amount of traffic they allow through as punishment for the shooting of the Pakistani soldiers a couple of months ago. You probably already know this but even before that we were getting 70% of our supplies from the north through Russia and the stans. The rest is flown in so the cost is substantially higher than Iraq.
DeleteYou are right that this is a waiting game and it is a lot easier to wait if you don't have anywhere else to go :) thanks for the prayers, they are always appreciated.
Is saying, re. "two meals a day" that "your day is moving to the right" the time equivalent of looking at a map and saying "up" for north and "down" for south? I identified with this and was impressed with your description..very vivid. Thanks for meal run-down. I am also much interested in this... having just come off a LOT of restaurant meals. Food matters. My Grandmom knew this and said food was both civilizing and comforting. Eating with others pleasantly she meant; not gnawing on a bone somewhere. (: Or gulping before a flight. Going to other places must require wheels. Not just a walk aound the block. Otherwise you would hang out with NATO guys. And yes, coffee does depress your appetite. (:
ReplyDeleteI never thought of "to the right" as being a military term but maybe it is (Wendi is often pointing out that what I think is common is not :). I think it comes from the depiction of a linear timeline - moving to the right is later. What we normally think of earlier and later becomes confusing when you operate 24 hours a day and you schedule is always shifting.
DeleteI agree with your Grandmom - food does matter and months of even good restaurant food gets old. Especially when compared to what I left behind :).
You are right about the wheels - I am collecting some photos to do a vehicle entry at a later date. Much more varied than Iraq and believe it or not most of them rentals.