www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A52647-2001Oct12
As bombs and missiles were aimed at terrorist targets, other pilots tried to get the food to hungry civilians, who have been battered to the point of imminent starvation by civil strife and three years of drought. Thus, they contain no animal products in deference to various dietary restrictions around the world. The entrees, if we may call them that, taste basically like Rice-A-Roni. The "Rice with Beans" has a little kick to it, from chili, cayenne and jalapeno powder, while the "Bean Salad" is sweeter. Be it "Rice with Vegetables" or "Lentil Stew," they all taste rather similar, and not bad at all, with a comforting, bland denseness, like baby food in jars. Plus, they are augmented with extra vitamins and, of course, all-American preservatives like erythorbic acid. To a people more accustomed to lard rendered from fat-tailed sheep than to peanut butter, this fare may be strange. Army style, is not quitea kufta-kabab (ground beef and onions roasted on skewers) oreven kala-pacheh pilau (rice served with the feet and head -- including eyeballs -- of a sheep). At the very least these HDRs are nutritionally calibrated by the best minds the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Food Program, the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture can offer. Each meal is "not less than 2200 calories, broken down as 10-13% protein, 27-30% fat, and not less than 60% carbohydrates," according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. The "Fruit Pastry" looks and tastes like a Pop-Tart, which means it's hard to tell exactly which fruit has been processed between the two sweet layers. The "Shortbread" is quite good, with a faint flavor of almond (possibly), and the "Vegetable Biscuit" is downright tasty, a flatbread cracker that goes well with the peanut butter ("knead package before opening") but not with the strawberry jam. The food comes in packages that you rip open, and a plastic spoon is provided so it can be eaten directly from the bag if you don't want to heat it in boiling water or dump it into a pot. But if you're stranded on a mountain with no water or charcoal and nary a pot nor pan, you can squeeze it right out of the pack like toothpaste. Afghanistan is facing the cumulative effects of years of drought, diminishing assets and interrupted markets. The livestock has been sold off because there's nothing for the animals to eat; A recent Save the Children study in a remote area of northern Afghanistan found an outbreak of scurvy, due to the lack of fruit and vegetables. Children were dying of diseases they would normally beat, like measles and diarrhea, because their immune systems are weakened and there is little access to medicine. These conditions also make you wonder whether someone weakened by hunger might have trouble tearing through the packages, which are made to withstand a 30,000-foot drop. The HDRs have no propaganda purposes, Des Roches says, and are intended solely for short-term humanitarian aid. The only reason they have an American flag on them is to let people know where the food is from, a sort of Good Housekeeping seal. But in any case, the DOD has thoughtfully provided a napkin, a book of matches (without advertising), pepper, salt and sugar. But the sweetest touch, the most American thing of all, is the Moist Towelette.
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