Another KAF-tastic week under my belt; just six more days til I go on leave. My mood has begun fluctuating wildly between bemusement, disgust, elation, confusion and disgust. Not an uncommon occurrence for any long-in-the-tooth KAF-ite as the end of a roto nears. On the bright side, M has released a new improved version of the DFACOmatic but then there’s all that stuff on the other side. But first, how about some Zeppelin?
Good Times, Bad Times
The ridiculous line-ups at several of the DFACs continue to annoy but there’s been some decent food and a few other things that probably aren’t worth mentioning. Let me tell you about them… Continue reading
I wonder what kind of food this place has?
J and I had been hearing rave reviews for the Asian Style Food place on the board walk so, in the mood for something non-DFAC, that’s where we went to dinner a couple of nights ago. The first dilemma we had to deal with was how to get there. You may have picked up on the fact that J is kinda health conscious; he works out, watches what he eats and even reads diet and exercise books. You may have also surmised that I’m pretty much relying on genetics and a tape worm to maintain my skinny svelt, yet wiry, physique. Consequently, I take a lot of ribbing because I drive everywhere, including to dinner. I figure, if god had meant man to walk he wouldn’t have invented the internal combustion engine. Of course, everyone else tags along with me in the vehicle but it is, somehow, always my idea to drive. Continue reading
Open All 4 KAF Seasons: Dust, Wind, Heat and Rain
Friday night being the traditional night out in the real world, J, M and I went to Echos All Seasons Restaurant a couple of days ago. It’s run by the Dutch and located just north of the Boardwalk. This was about my fourth visit there since coming to KAF and it was one of the most successful.
As I supped on the Cambridge DFAC’s nicely spicy but typically starchy “Chilli Mac” (sic), decent fries and fresh tomatoes, I glanced over at my co-worker’s face as he sampled the fried sliced potatoes he had opted for. His grimace was telling but not quite so telling as his “holy fuck these are dry” comment. I realized that, although I had lucked out on my food choice tonight, I have often found myself envying the choices of my table mates.
I know…after 2 1/2 years in KAF I should know the DFAC menus inside out. I should be able to pick the winners and avoid the losers. But I live in hope and find myself ordering the grilled chicken breast thinking “oh, this time it won’t be like rubber” only to be disappointed yet again.
I realized that I needed to keep a written record of what’s good (eg. tacos at the Niagara) and what’s bad (eg. eggplant casserole anywhere) to remind myself of lessons learned. If I’m going to write it down, I thought I may as well share it with the other denizens of KAF so they too can learn from my mistakes. Hence this blog.
I’ll be concentrating primarily on the DFACS. I’ll make sure I eat at and comment on all of them but you’ll soon see a bias towards the best ones. I’m not going to sacrifice myself on the altar of balance; I’ve probably got 2 more years here.
Of course, no KAF food blog would be complete without at least a nod toward the commercial establishments on the boardwalk and around the base. Every once in a while I’ll feature one of these places as well. These should be fun. Who can forget the time Burger King had no burgers, Green Beans had no coffee and the ice cream place had no ice cream? Ahh…good times.
We’re in a war zone so I have to keep things in perspective. If I enter a DFAC hungry and exit it not hungry, I think “Good job, DFAC”. It’s pretty amazing the number of people they feed everyday and under KAF conditions they actually do a really good job. But there’s always room for improvement and some of the food is great fodder for smart ass commentary. I hope I can provide some laughs and good dining advice to my fellow KAF gourmands and, perhaps, some insight into the adventure that is KAF dining for those fortunate enough to have never been here.
KAFoodie
Just DFACS Ma'am 