Tim Horton's

Tuesday 22 September 2009

I’ve been a bit busy with some travels recently, so I haven’t been able to put my thoughts in writing. It’s frustrating to have all these mundane reflections flitting around my brain, powerless to vomit them up onto the computer screen or a piece of paper. At any rate, I had the opportunity to pass through Kandahar on a recent return trip. I’ve heard Beirut described as the Paris of the Middle East. Well, Kandahar Air Field is kind of like the Paris of wartorn Afghanistan. There are soldiers and airmen from an entire parade of nations- France, Belgium, Canada, and some nations I didn’t even know had a military. Honestly, I’m still not sure they do. Anyway, Kandahar is famous throughout the theatre for a Canadian donut shop called Tim Horton’s. I had never heard of the shop prior to this deployment, but one frequently hears tales of their baking exploits spoken in hushed, reverent tones. The Kandahar franchise is located in a pretty non-descript trailor in the middle of the base. If you ask for directions, passers-by will just tell you to look for the crowd. While I’m a pretty avowed Krispy Kreme fan after growing up in Tennessee, I have been converted to a lifelong devotee of Tim Horton’s. I should point out that I haven’t tasted anything freshly baked in over a month. Likewise, all vegetables and fruit are frozen, here, and many goods are pre-packaged or vacuum-packed. Not a complaint, as I know I have it far better than many in Afghanistan. I know of a FOB here that just converted from MRE’s 2 weeks ago. A friend of mine posted there celebrated by eating the first meal cooked in their “chuck-wagon kitchen.” After two days, he begged for an MRE to help stop up the….well, you know.

Back to the donut. Or the 7 I ate. They were the most delicious things I can ever recall tasting. My favorite was the custard-filled, maple dipped donut. The maple was rich and earthy, with the creamy custard just the right temperature and degree of sweetness. The Boston Cremes ran a close second. I guess the Canadians would know their maple. I hope I can remember to enjoy and savor the pleasure of things after I get home as much as I did those donuts. I think there’s a lesson hidden inside the custard.

My flight back to Bagram was actually pretty amazing. I hooked up with some Texas Air National Guard guys and they gave me a ride back to BAF in the cockpit of a C-130. I know this Texas homage thing is getting out of hand on this blog, but the flight was an absolute blast. Airplane takeoffs and landings in theatre are called “combat” takeoffs and landings, and they are fast, steep, and unpredictable (by design). I can tell you that they are a lot more fun in the cockpit than in the back with the grunts. The rate of at least one person vomiting in the back of the plane is nearly 100%, according to the loadmaster experts. I did have one close call. Sitting in the cockpit and watching the long line of grunts in body armor and rucks loading the plane, I couldn’t help but notice a blonde, female Belgian medic at the back of the line. The scene wasn’t lost on anyone else, either, because the pilot came over the headset and announced that my cockpit seat was actually taken. I told him that possession was 9/10 of the law, and besides, I’m armed. He responded that she was, too. The loadmasters in the back ended up begging for a bone, so the pilot let her sit in the back. The pilot, by the way, is a Southwest Airlines pilot in the real world. I am also, now, a lifelong devotee to SWA.