Afghan Forces Eat Up Return of Fast Food
FEBRUARY 22, 2011, 2:41 A.M. ET
Article Link
By MATTHEW ROSENBERG
KABUL—U.S. forces may be planning a drawdown from Afghanistan in coming months, but in at least one area they're busy expanding their girth: junk food.
Nearly a year after fast-food joints were tossed off U.S.-led coalition bases, Pizza Hut made a comeback last week, reopening at Camp Phoenix on the edge of Kabul. The restaurant—really just a takeout trailer—"fired up its ovens and opened its doors to anxious service members wanting a 'taste of home,' " declared a statement from U.S. Forces-Afghanistan. The press release included fuzzy snapshots of smiling soldiers digging into fresh pizza.
Another Pizza Hut will soon be opening at Bagram Air Field northeast of Kabul, alongside one of the other once-exiled fast-food franchises, a Burger King, U.S. Forces said.
The return of fast-food outlets is the latest sign of the changes made by U.S. Gen. David Petraeus, who took over command of U.S. and coalition forces in June 2010. Most have dealt with far weightier matters: relaxing rules of engagement for troops, increasing airstrikes and the tempo of secretive Special Operations missions to kill or capture insurgent commanders, and striking new alliances with controversial warlords.
But few of Gen. Petraeus's changes will likely prove as popular with the troops as the return of fast food. U.S. soldiers and Marines are a young bunch, many of them raised around the ever-present fast-food outlets of America. Nearly all are eager to complain about how quickly mess-hall fare, provided by defense contractors, gets old.
Back before Gen. Petraeus's predecessor, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, imposed the ban in March 2010, the lines for the Burger King and Subway franchises at the two biggest American bases—Bagram Air Field and Kandahar Air Field—were often 20 or 30 people deep.
That is despite the fact that fast-food outlets were routinely out of ingredients because of supply problems. More than a few times, Burger King at Kandahar Air Field was down to serving only french fries.
More on link