Action stations for great BBQ assault on Tarin Kowt
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday June 4, 2009
MILITARY chefs armed with bread, meat and barbecues are going to Afghanistan to quell complaints by Australian soldiers missing "Aussie food".The chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, yesterday defended the European cuisine served at the main Dutch-run base in southern Afghanistan, saying it was better than food on American bases. But he admitted Australia was starting a $2 million plan to build its own kitchen.There was nothing wrong with the European food, "it's just different from Aussie food," the defence chief told a Senate estimates committee.Some soldiers griped several years ago about the Dutch food at the base at Tarin Kowt but regular barbecues largely quelled their concerns. However, the arrival of a special forces taskforce with Australian cooks appears to have triggered new complaints.The mess hall provides generic mass-catered food, northern European-style rye and grain breads and crackers, rosti and occasional waffles."We are working with our Dutch colleagues," Air Vice Marshal Houston said. "There will be more barbecues [and] access to typical Aussie food.The Opposition defence spokesman, David Johnston, said soldiers claimed they had to eat reheated frozen meals flown in from the Netherlands.
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald