Sammy's

There is a Turkish restaurant, called Sammy's, it is the only restaurant in Balad. As one Army Major told me, "We go there because it's different because it's not the chow hall." After several months on base, different buildings and different people are quite the luxury. Ironically Sammy's menu mainly features pizza, which is quite similar to the Pizza Hut at the food court. The thing about Sammy's is that it is a trailer with tables chairs, rugs on the wall and air-conditioning, where the food court offers picnic tables in the heat and meals that must be shared with many flies and birds. The Turkish restaurant is not like anything at home, but at least soldiers can lean back for a moment, waiting for the food to be served by a smiling face and pretend that they are somewhere else, anywhere but the desert.