Sick ANA soldiers
Today’s mission or tasking was driven by circumstance. Prior to departing for “ANA land” we received information that several hundred soldiers were sick and it might not be a good idea to visit today. We feared a possible epidemic and our level-headed team leader decided to get to the bottom of the “mystery illness” before making any hasty decisions and endangering our well being. Apparently the soldiers were suffering from a mild case of food poison and a few of them had acute botulism problems. As such, my mission was to examine the ANA DFAC and the bakery for possible sources of problems. Also our team is rather fortunate to have someone who is trained in the culinary field and this AF SSgt would accompany me.
When we arrived at ANA land we noticed groups of soldiers holding their hands against their stomachs, while others had pale white faces and were being supported on their “wingman’s” shoulders and escorted to trucks for transportation to the medical clinic. Outside the clinic area there was a long line of soldiers waiting to be seen. Fortunately my SGM was healthy but seemed very concerned for his soldiers’ health. He volunteered to drive us to visit the ANA bakery and DFAC in search of the root of the problem.
ANA bakery making Nan bread
Our first stop was the ANA bakery. Even before entering the facility I noticed the screens on the screen doors were obviously torn or absent. This was an open invitation for the aggressive flies that are ever present. Although I did witness a lot of flies, it was not swarming with them as previously rumored.
Fly trap inside the ANA bakery
Perhaps the adhesive flycatcher next to the dough-mixing station suppressed the amount of flies buzzing about. The bakery manager was present and gave us the grand tour of the facility. Facility might be too strong of a word because it reminded me of a small kitchen with numerous countertops and tables.
Mixing dough by hand
All of the Nan bread is made by hand and this 24-hour facility produces 10,000-11,000 flats of bread daily. We had the opportunity to watch the entire process from start to finish. A steel tub is used to mix the flour by hand. I’m certain the tub was metal, but it was heard to discern because dough was covering it. In the picture is a man pouring water into the mixture and then kneading the dough by hand. Previously they had a mechanical mixer. I was unable to ascertain what happened to it. Perhaps it is job security and it mysteriously disappeared. Or perhaps the manual method of mixing dough is better.
Nan dough is flattened and decorated
After the dough is mixed, it is placed on a wooden counter, covered and left to rise for an hour before being formed into smaller loaves. These loaves are then pounded by hand and flattened to a certain consistency. Another employee uses a metal dye stamp and places a circular design on the top for decoration.
Now the Nan dough is in its infancy stage and is ready to be fired in a large clay kiln fueled by firewood.
Nan stuck on inside of kiln
Seeing these kilns reminded me of a vacation that Liisa and I took in Arizona 2 summers ago. As a student of history, I have taken an interest in the controversial Anasazi Indian tribes that has roots dating back to 100 AD. This tribe was ingenious with using (I am presuming kilns) to create their pottery, cook food and lived in mud dwellings. After being here and visiting these villages, I have drawn similar parallels of comparison with the village mud dwellings, tools, and they way they exist in the rugged mountains without electricity or modern day devices. Is it possible there is a relationship here? This will be something I will have to ponder on.
Anyhow….Each doughy flat is placed on a leather type pillow and then applied by hand to the inside of the kiln walls. To better describe this process, imagine taking a flat piece of pizza dough and then slapping it on the inside of your oven.
Metal tongs used to peel Nan from inside kiln
After the Nan dough is attached and heated to a precise temperature and set amount of time has passed, a set of metal tongs is used to detach it from the kiln. The Nan is then braised over the flames one or two times and then tossed freely onto a piece of plywood or plastic placed on the floor. After the Nan cools for a few minutes, it is stacked like a deck of cards on a table and awaits transportation to the DFAC for consumption by the hungry ANA soldiers. Our team food expert jotted down a lot of notes and seemed eager to make suggestions and improvements. The manager gave us 3 flats of fresh hot Nan bread. It was scrumptious!!!
Nan removed from kiln and stored to cool
Note: Part Two about the ANA DFAC will be published tomorrow. I have to admit I miss cooking a lot and it was tempting to jump in the flour tub and start kneading dough. Hmmm…I might have to explore this idea.
Filed under: Food and living conditions | Tagged: Afghan National Army, Afghanistan, cooking, Deployment, ETT, Nan bread, photography, war
Hope all those under the weather are feeling much better today.
Some days I find myself reading( or listening) to past entries. To see the faces of the children so eager to learn in their makeshift classroom……..I would like to pass that photo along to educators in my town, with your permission.
Thank you for broadening my horizons, does that even make sense?
Nick’s Mom
Hope you find out what caused it. I too keep coming back for more. Almost better than PBS. Thanks you for sharing.
My dad was in the Army and he often told this cautionary tale: He said that his Army KP staff was very clean, and washed everything with a heavy load of soap/cleaning liquid. But one time, the staff did not RINSE the soap from the plates adequately, and everyone got sick. So he used to tell me that it’s NOT enough to WASH well – you have to RINSE well too. Maybe you could look into the RINSING practices of the kitchen staff? Maybe it was leftover soap residue that made everyone sick?
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the blog post From the Front: 07/14/2009 News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
Reading this and listening on radio – it could be just about anything and everything. Makes me appreciate so much. Rex, I’m so glad you’re doing this — it brings the war close enough to allow us to share some of this – though we can never really know what it is to be there.
Take care!
[...] Farmers in Nebraska and Afghanistan have long worked to cultivate “all varieties of seed-bearing plants, every sort of fruit-bearing tree.” Grain crops are so important to farmers in both places – Nebraska is in the heart of America’s “bread basket.” Bread called nan is a staple of Afghani life. The flatbread is baked on the walls of a clay oven. (to read a detailed description of making nan, and see pictures of nan baking in clay ovens, go here.) [...]
[...] Part 1 can be found here Nan Bread anyone? [...]