International Flavor

One of the benefits of living on the ISAF compound for "foodies" like me, is the plethora of native cuisine from NATO-represented countries. For breakfast, for example, along with bacon and eggs, there is an excellent selection of breads, cheeses and meets, as well as museli, reminding me of trips to Amsterdam and Germany. Even more exciting, is that many of the nations have their own little shops. My personal favorite is the Italian store (Chiano, pictured here), which has great specialty foods I've seen only in Rome; but there are also shops from Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands.

This is the first time soldiers from so many nations have served on a mission like this, and never before have they lived together and integrated on a base like ISAF. It feels like a great experiment, and for me, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Here are some photos of some of ISAF's more popular establishments! In addition to Chiano, there is the Danish PX, and the Nordic Palace. It seems like Scandinavia has quite a presence here in Afghanistan!