Kabuli Chic

Dinner at the asylum is never dull. One of the main reasons I like working here (and yes, it does have its moments) is the motley crew of people I encounter. Tonight at the table, a man, tanned from his day off at the links, was recounting his day at the Kabul golf course.

One of the de-miners laughed, interrupting him. “You do realize that area is mined, don’t you? The local warlord stopped letting us use the area for de-mining practice so he could turn it into a golf course. Lunacy!”

The golfer’s skin turned paler and paler as the de-miners joked about sending the caddy in front, (“Hey, that’s what I’m paying you for!”) and told tales of UXOs (unexploded ordinance) and other things that go boom that they continue to find there.

This country is so littered with things that go boom that it’s little wonder I see shell casings used as building material.