Eating in Iraq

Eating in Iraq was one of the best things I got to do. The defacs always put out an abundance of good food.

The defac or dining facility is the main place for civilians and the military alike for eating in Iraq.

I have been told recently that many of the defacs are not allowing TCNs to eat in the defacs anymore. There was a lot of talk about this while I was in Iraq. I have gotten several emails from TCNs complaining about the changes since there companies have to feed them now.

Since this cuts into company profits, the TCNs are not getting the spreads they were when eating in the defacs. I remember that at Baqubah I was amazed that the companies were able to feed their people so little and get by with it.

At our base camp in Kabul, we use to have the local nationals eating with us in our defac. They were very dirty and made large messes, used their hands to pick up food--remember the Arabs use their left hand to wipe with after then go to the bathroom.

They were taking advantage of the good nature of our company but when things got our of control, they were no longer allowed to eat in our defac. Things got a lot nicer after that.

Not all bases have one yet. For those that do, meals are free.

For the bases that do not have a defac yet, MRE's and K-rations are served. K-rations are prepared meals that come in containers for fifty people. The food is heated in an oven.

The kitchen on base is a mobile unit that can be set up and taken down in minutes. The military does not have to pull KP duty. The company with the contract for cooking also cleans the kitchen. Bus boys clean off tables when you are through eating in Iraq.

The defac is generally a large tent-like building with a hard floor. The walls and roof are tent-style with mortar and rocket type absorbing covers.

Tables are set up for groups of eight. Chairs can be plastic and/or metal. Dishes are disposable because there is a shortage of water.

Defac hours vary from base to base but it is not open for business all day long.

Breakfast is usually served from about 5:30am to 8:30am. You can expect to find some great breakfast food, such as omelets with cheese, mushrooms, jalapenos, onions, ham, tomatoes. Scrambled and fried eggs served with bacon, ham, hashed beef, hashed browns, biscuits, white gravy, potatoes. Not to mention french toast, pancakes, pastries, oatmeal, grits, cheese grits, fruits, raisins, toast with jelly and plenty of ketchup and Tabasco sauce.

Lunch can be expected between 11:00am and 1:30pm. Lunchtime at the defac is a happy time for me. Of course, any mealtime is a happy time for me. The meals are usually good and there is a huge variety of food.

There is almost always an abundant supply of fruit and fresh vegetables. But be careful with the grapes and olives--they are not seedless.

Expect burgers, grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, corn dogs, sausage and meat dishes with beef, chicken, and pork. These are served with french fries, onion rings, vegetables, and whatever you want from the salad bar. There is also a dessert bar with Baskin Robbins ice cream. There is a large variety of soft drinks. They even have V8!

Dinner is served from approximately 5:00pm to 8:00pm. Dinner is much like lunch. Some of the bases try to have a special night each week to add to your dining pleasure with themes such as steak night, Mexican night, Italian night, lobster and shrimp night, and so on.

The best dinner theme night for me was when I was in Baqubah. Outback Steakhouse came to cook for us! Yes, Outback. They flew the steaks in the chopper with them and cooked them up. It was fabulous! Way to go Outback!

If you are an American who does not have a CAC card, you can still get in to eat by showing your passport.

If you are not an American and you do not have a CAC card, it is a bit more difficult for eating in Iraq. TCN's or third country nationals, who are working with civilian contracting companies have to show ID. After producing ID, they are searched with a metal detector. Then their ID card is scanned. I think it is more difficult for them to eat at the defac than to go through airport security!

Eating in Iraq in the defac is pretty tasty most of the time. It is not cooked by the military. The military has contracted with civilian American, British, and Kuwaiti companies to cook the food. Most of these companies employ people from India who do the actual food preparation and serving.

Generally, the defacs are kept clean. If you see something you do not like, tell the manager on duty. The managers are pretty good about fixing problems.

One time, I complained about the french fries being cold. The manager tasted one and agreed. A few minutes later, he brought me a fresh plate of fries right out of the fryer.

People from India cook the food at Al Asad and at Baqubah. They aim to please those who are eating in Iraq.

Go to Home Page from Eating in Iraq.