Food

This morning Larry asked in the comments section about the food here. We actually do not eat "local food," and we do not eat MREs. We have a Dining Facility (DFAC) on the FOB (Forward Operating Base) which is actually pretty good. It is buffet style, with a good variety. There are other options, like a short order counter (burgers, corn dogs, fries), as well as a stir fry cook. In fact, I had chicken and noodle stir fry tonight. I will say that the Army is doing a good job on the food front. It is contracted out (I think to KBR) and they do well. MREs are used primarily in a field environment- for example, as the Army pushed forward into Iraq during the beginning of the war, and before they could establish DFACs, etc.

We also have a number of local Iraqi vendors on the base. They are mostly based out of one large building, and they sell a variety of things such as movies, video games, Iraqi art, carpets/rugs, clothing, jewelry candy and so on. They don't really sell local cuisine, however. I enjoy shopping in the store (well, mainly window shopping) and interacting with the Iraqis.

I have found them to be very kind, honest people. However, there is one interesting trait that is common in this culture: the desire to NOT say no directly. So, if you ask for something they cannot provide, they will not say "no," but they might tell you to come back later, or suggest something else. For example, if I go to one of the vendors and ask for the movie "Christmas Vacation," they might say, "Did you see it on the shelves? Maybe it is there? Here is Talladega Nights...very funny movie. Try Talladega Nights." Or something to that effect. But they usually don't just say "no."