So, I hear there’s some sort of football game coming up soon? Kinda important?
(Please remember, I’m a bit detached from the rest of the world, to say the least.)
Well, the good folks at the Embassy dining hall are setting up a special Superbowl menu, which includes such favorites as…hot dogs and chili! Jalepeno poppers! French fries! All served up at 2am, yum!
And there are two special treats to go along with the game. AFN, Armed Forces Network, which broadcasts all the sports games and Fox News that the U.S. military could ever want, is going to be showing last year’s commercials!!
Wait, what? Last years? Yeah, something about how broadcasting rights and rules about paying for commercials…who knows. I guess it brings a bit of normalcy to the evening, and they’ll certainly be better than the AFN-produced “Don’t shake your baby” commercials.
Second surprise? We get two “special beverages!”
As a side note, I’ll mention that U.S. military personnel, and civilians working for them (including me), are under orders not to drink alcohol. On special occasions, this rule will be bent to allow the soldiers to kick back and relax for a day.
Signs were posted around the Embassy, reminding people to sign up for their “special beverages.” For whatever reason, maybe because I’m obsessed with food, or maybe because I’m loopy from being sick, I did not assume “special beverage” was a euphemism for cheap beer.
I considered signing up, thinking the cooks would be whipping up milkshakes, or something equally delicious, drinkable, and “special.”
To find out the truth was disappointing, to say the least. So disappointing, that I think I’d rather skip the nighttime Baghdad Superbowl fiesta and catch up on my sleep.