Happy Thanksgiving

Jogged to the Boulevard Bar & Grille for lunch (my route is 4.5 miles there, about 4 miles back).
Great meal (I think the sweet potatoes were my favorite).


Nice conversation with Dee. Fed the video poker machine a little too much (but it was money won the night before at the M Resort Poker Tournament). Nice relaxing day (albeit a little wind chill). No mess, no leftovers (wait, that might be a bad thing).

Iraqi Culture

Never turn down a gift.

We have treated the son of a local Sheik. He insisted on bringing lunch. Roasted lamb, rice, flatbread, vegetables, and stuff I've never seen before.

Deep Thoughts

Every once in awhile I have to eat a PopTart just to remind myself why it's never worth the 200 calories each.

The Food Here is Great

Seriously.

Well, could be cooked better, but compared to years ago, we really cannot complain. The DFACs (Dining Facilities) don't really get many items from the US (I'll get a picture of our milk cartons and maybe someone can identify the language). The cooks are definately not American. But we always have a sandwich & salad bar if you don't like the hot entrees. At the main DFACs there are burgers, grilled cheese, and grilled chicken sandwiches. Always fresh fruit available. The hospital is just a Satellite DFAC but our contractors try to get us the best options on special nights.

Wed is "Surf & Turf" (as long as you can tolerate well done beef).

Day Off?

Turned out my day was busier than I expected. But I was pumped to be doing my job as a medical nutrition therapist and as the OIC (officer in charge) of Nutritional Medicine. I guess being in my PT (personal training) gear instead of the uniform counted as my "day off".

I did get to visit the contractor's dining facility with our Iraqi physicians and taste some different cuisine. Most of the meats are cooked in liquids. Right now they have cooks & contractors from many different countries. There was Turkish, Philapino and Indian foods offered. Our docs pointed me to these items as being prepared in a manner more consistent with Iraqi cooking. Stewed meats, vegetables and rice.

I didn't get a chance to photograph the best bread I have ever tasted. I'm going back another few times so I'll include it next visit.

New Year's Eve

We (Jill, Ray and me) went out for a lovely dinner at our favorite restaurant (if you visit us, we will take you there). Gaetanos. Fine Italian dining without the pretentious prices, and a great wine list. They had a special menu and we enjoyed sharing appetizers and entrees (and a bottle of Louis Roederer Brut).