Restaurant Row Iraqi Style

Iraq is really moving up in the world. Over the past couple of years the base has really expanded vendor wise and it is really almost like the real world now....ALMOST!  We have a mall which really just consists of a grocery store, office goods store, movie shop, barber shop, clothing, and a jewelry store.  Outside the mall there are a few little restaurants and a bowling alley.  I haven't been to the bowling alley yet but I think that's going to have to be a night outing with a few co-workers soon.  It would be a great way to unwind and just have a night out of the norm around here.  Now on the opposite side of base there is a little strip that has a hardware store, and what is essentially our restaurant row Iraqi style. HaHaHa  We have a juice bar where you can get protein shakes and things, the Turkish Coffee and Tea shop, Turkish Restaurant, Royal China Chinese Food, a bakery, and the Mediterranean/ Italian Food Restaurant.  My favorite is the Chinese food restaurant.  I love anything that's loaded with carbs be it noodles, bread, rice...whatever.  The other places are good but it seems that the food from the other places tastes sort of funny almost like the meat your eating really isn't what you think it is. SCARY!!!

Anyways the other day we headed out to lunch and I thought we were going to the DFAC but halfway there the course changed and we ended up getting Chinese.  I didn't complain the egg fried rice has got to be the best egg fried rice EVER!  I always get a #3 and a #8 which translates to beef and green peppers and egg fried rice.  Throw a little soy sauce in there and you have lunch for the next two days.  They fill the little boxes so full that half is enough so you always have half for dinner or half for lunch the next day.  It is very tasty and very filling.  The food is a little pricey but it is a nice change ever once in a while and worth it after months and months of DFAC food.  Royal China is a walk up to the window and order type of place and even though they have a little tent set up the a/c isn't the best so we brought our food back to the office to eat.  I took a few pictures of my boxes of deliciousness and the sack.  I remember the first time I ever went there I was so impressed that we got our food in the little take-out boxes and even got chopsticks.  Hey it's the small things that count right? LOL So anyways, our lunch was great and it was a nice change of pace.