The Dining Facility

27 June 2010

The Dining Facility (DFAC)

One of the key parts of our day and the yard stick by which we measure our battle rhythm is when we eat. The DFAC as we call it has certain hours for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and therefore becomes the great clock by which we measure time and break up the day. Breakfast from 6:30am to 8:30am. Lund from 11:00am to 1:30pm. Dinner from 5:30pm to 7:00pm. Midnight chow from 11:30pm to 00:30am.

Before we go to eat we often ask the other guys in the office if they want to go. We eat because it is time. We eat because it breaks up the day. We eat because it is a social event. We eat because it is there.

Our DFAC is a couple of trailers slapped together and some uneven floors...not too pretty but lots of choice and service. There are salads, fruits, nuts, cereals, breads meats, veggies, deserts and all kinds of drinks. Granted, sometimes it doesn't taste too good and the Mexican fare is really unfamiliar territory to the Middle Eastern and Indian cooks and workers but all it all there is always plenty of good food to eat. About a week and a half ago I noticed a guy in the corner cutting fruit so I checked it out. You just go up and ask for some fruit and whatever fresh fruit he has he cuts up...honey dew, cantaloupe, water melon, and pineapple usually. The watermelon and pineapple are always good. The other melons are not always ripe but good when they are. Pretty cool to have the ready service. I also just found out that there is another guy that operates a blender behind the dessert counter. He will blend whatever you give him or ice cream that he has behind the corner so you can make fruit smoothies, shakes, juices, etc. What a luxury!

The dessert counter looks great but I have not yet partaken of the baked goods. Typically there are several types of cookies, cobblers, cheese cakes, and regular cakes (carrot, chocolate, etc.). The guys tell me the cakes look much better than then taste and sometimes they are a bit dry.

Our base has a lot of internal folks on it. Not only we have lots of contractor personnel from around the Middle East and India, Nepal, etc. but the military folks we see at the DFAC every day are from England, Austria, Australia, Italy, and Netherlands. There are probably others but I cannot always identify where they are from. Folks of all nationalities tend to sit with their friends or the people they work with.

I have started to skip breakfast at the DFAC and have yogurt or oatmeal in my room just to cut back on the calories. It is hard to cut calories and have just a little bit of so many choices. Generally for lunch and dinner I have two types of salad, some fruit and some protein and water. I have splurged twice with banana smoothies, a few times with cheese tortellini, and once with lasagna. In general though I have tried to cut back the sweets, desserts, sugary juices, and breads.