Got Girls?

Today I had lunch at Kabul's only Chinese restaurant that is not a brothel.

I'd thought it was a myth.

Unfortunately, I'm not in the minority. We were the only customers, and the ladies who run the Happiness Restaurant are on the brink of shutting it down. There just aren't enough customers (because everyone assumes it's a brothel) and most of the men who show up get upset when women aren't available.

The Chinese restaurant/brothel connection is weird (imagine, weirdness in Kabul). I heard that a gaggle of Chinese prostitutes had been imported into Kabul and restaurants set up as a front. There are so many Chinese restaurants that don't serve food, that diners have given up any hope of a Chinese dinner. Now there's a great restaurant in town that serves actual food, but no one believes it.

Too bad. The food is awesome.