red hot & sizzling

I am excited to get out of Kabul. I wonder if it's partly because i'm living in relative luxury at the NPR compound - with an infinitely kindly staff who feed me well and only minor things to worry about like hot water, electricity and internet. There's also something skewed about Kabul, just because there are so many internationals here. The other night my driver Zalmay and I went out for lunch and he took me to a block with two Sufi restaurants across from each other. (Just because I realize you're probably picturing a normal city block with restaurants, let me explain that there's nothing else on this block except the two restaurants, and a blockful of rubble.) One restaurant had a security gate and an armed guard and a sign in English advertising Tasty Sufi Delights. "That one for foreigner. Very much expensive." He turned to point to the other one, which had a broken sign and stacks of what looked like chicken cages out front, and loud voices and cigarette smoke wafting out from inside. "That one cheap!"


But I admit i have partaken of a few of the foreigner joints, like mexican food the other night, and tonight, dinner with a couple of development contractors in a steak joint built outside the old soviet housing blocks - the restaurant is called 'Red Hot and Sizzling' and the manager also operates this catering service called 'Catering Without Borders' where he'll promise a full meal flown in to any airport in Afghanistan or surrounding. During our dinner one of the contractors was arranging for a catered breakfast at the Kandahar airport, complete with helicopter pickup, the guy was saying yes yes yes i half expected him to say 'and how many vegetarians?'

Tomorrow, Jalalabad and Batikot. I won't have my computer but will blog again in a few.