Club_5

My expectations don’t even matter in the event of my favorite restaurant in my area. But I’ll support it as long as it is my only method of eating a daily meal. In Leatherneck, Afghanistan there aren’t many choices to choose from when it comes to eating. We have a small selection of Dining Facility (DFAC) 1-5. They all serve 4 meals a day; 0500 to 0830, 1130 to 1400, 1700 to 2030, and 2330 to 0100, outside of these times you can eat awesome cold foods like sandwiches and cereal. Each meal is always cram packed with people hundreds of people where you can enjoy close company and bubble popping activity. The best DFAC to go to is DFAC 5 aka Club 5. When you walk in you must clear your weapon and wash your hands, to prevent malaria, while being greeted by a local national that doesn’t understand half the words you are saying. Music plays at a perfect volume in the background just enough to cover up the sound of hundreds of people talking in low tones as to not be heard by anybody else. You must present an ID to get in because this place is so good! And not to mention sign your name to receive your tray. You get in one of the long lines giving you the perfect time to finish up your conversation with your buddy before you have to tell the server what your food selection will be. After you get to the serving counter you usually have selection of main meal consisting of a meat, starch, a couple choices of veggies, and some type of bread. The alternates rotate between taco bar, potato bar, wing bar, Mongolian bar, stir fry bar, seafood bar, Mexican bar, and my favorite Indian bar. They have the best curie one could ask for in the whole country of Afghanistan and the Dal is amzing! After selecting your food you have a grand total of 2 places you can eat with about 100 tables in each. You and your buddy usually can find a table to share with somebody else to start the “over the meal” conversation. Before sitting down you can get a drink with a wide selection of assorted soy milks, juices, caffeinated drinks, energy drinks, Gatorade, and afghan water. Just a reminder this is all FREE. After choosing your preferred drink you can indulge in the meal you have selected. You already know what it is going to taste like because this is probably the 26th week you have eaten it in a row. As the conversations pick up they usually end up in discussions about political campaigns or crisis events that are being displayed on the big screen to the left or the right. You may also discuss the sports game that may be on the big screens to the front and to the rear. After finishing your good size portioned meal that usually does just the job of filling you up you might take part in a Sunday tradition that my friends and I enjoy, Ice Cream night! Of all the places in the world, we have Baskin Robins Ice Cream to eat every day. Of course to minimize the fatness my friends and I only eat it on Sundays as I mentioned before. My favorite is Praline with caramel, crushed ice cream cone, and chocolate shell pieces. This is the perfect way to start another week in Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. In closing I want to stress to you how nice it is to have a DFAC of such quality as Club 5. It surpasses all other DFAC’s and the most popular all across base. I think its shear amount of numbers that it pulls in can attest to that. I would highly suggest it to anyone that will be dropping through Leatherneck anytime soon and would love to give a full tour. Here in Leatherneck it is all about Club 5.