Afghanistan My Last Tour

ANA dining facility during food prep

We departed the bakery and our next stop was the ANA Dining Facility (DFAC). Previously I had a cursory tour of the facility and was familiar with the surroundings. But today would be a much more in-depth visit. Similar to my last visit, the soldiers were outside using a small paring knife peeling potatoes and red onions. Next to their chairs was a mountain of onion peels. I joked to myself that they were peeling enough onions to feed an army, knowing this was exactly what they were doing. They used 2 flat pieces of scrap lumber in place of a cutting board. Next to the onion choppers another soldier diced potatoes into shapes that resembled French fries.

Chopping fresh cucumbers

Adjacent to the vegetable peeling was a stand- alone room. I don’t recall going inside there on my last tour, otherwise, I would have remembered it. This room contained large caldrons of rice. [Previously I reported one pot would feed about 1700 soldiers. This was incorrect; they prepare 11 large pots of rice per meal. I guess something got lost in the translation.] Although seeing this much rice was a bit astounding, my eyes were glued to the employees stirring the rice.

Stirring rice with shovels

They were using spade shovels to stir the oil into the rice! Could that be the same shovels I saw them earlier with outside digging in the dirt? According to my translator, this wasn’t the case and the shovel is an effective tool for stirring rice and removing the bad rice. By now the DFAC manager who is an ANA Captain heard about our impromptu visit and was inquiring about our purpose. Meanwhile, my food expert noticed the concrete ceiling or the surface covering the concrete was chipping and falling down. The ANA Captain also pointed out that the exhaust fans were broken and with all the burners heating the rice pots, it was extremely hot inside the room.

Lamb meat in ANA DFAC storage room

We left the “Rice Room” and entered the main facility. I noticed three large freezers and one of the doors were conspicuously opened. The ANA Captain explained this was their refrigerated storage for meats and fresh vegetables. As we entered the small space I noted the temperature wasn’t really cold. I suppose having the door opened had something to do with temperature control. But the ambient temperature was a secondary concern because in front of me was several racks of chopped up raw meat. So in typical fashion, I had to ask the question to resolve my curiosity. My translator explained the lamb meat was just washed and was drying on the metal racks. In another 5-6 hours they will wash it again and prepare the evening meal. While I took pictures the AF SSgt jotted down several notes. I’m sure we thought alike and wondered where the plastic wrap or covering was. Perhaps this was the root cause of the food poisoning? I couldn’t be sure and didn’t want to be hasty with my conclusions.
So the tour continued. We examined the main cooking facility. Along this long corridor there were pots on almost every burner. I counted about 12 burners in all. Each burner had a tall pot on it and something was cooking inside. But something was missing. Normally when you walk into a kitchen and someone is actively cooking, there is an aroma that fills the air. My nostrils could not detect anything. Perhaps I have inhaled too much dust and fine sand here and my sensory receptacles were out of commission.

Using a giant "scoop"

I watched as an employee used a giant ladle to scoop out some potatoes and beans. Just one scoop from this giant dipping spoon would be sufficient to feed a family of five. I also made a mental note that some of the employees were wearing hair coverings and masks over their beards. This was rather comforting, because I didn’t see those items on my first visit.
The next room we visited was the dining area. It was a rather large room with rows of metal tables covered by plastic table cloths and metal chairs were precisely positioned….military style. Each table contained a metal pitcher and a plastic rectangle container to put food stuffs in. It looked rather typical of a dining hall or a buffet restaurant. The employees were mopping the floors and wiping down the tables. Off in the distance I noticed an employee was using a mop to clean off the countertops and then proceeded to clean the floor and then another countertop. I couldn’t contain myself and interrupted the ANA Captain. I needed an explanation. I heard rumors this happened occasionally but never dreamed I would witness this act first-hand. The Captain explained this was permissible because they only set the dirty trays there. He admitted that in the past some of the employees would take shortcuts and used the mop to clean the tables, but that wouldn’t happen in present day.
Due to tired fingers tonight, Part Three will follow tomorrow.
Note: When nobody was looking I had to touch the oversized metal ladle. I’m an avid chef/cook at home and I wonder if they would let me work there for a day. I’m certain I could knead some dough at the bakery and slap the Nan on the inside of the kiln for a few hours. Stirring rice with a spade shovel would be a Kodak moment. I thought to myself – how often does an opportunity like this come along?

Filed under: Food and living conditions | Tagged: Afghan National Army, Afghanistan, Deployment, ETT, food poisoning, news, war, WUSF