Author Katheryn Wolfe is an American Red Cross worker in Iraq with our Service to the Armed Forces program.
If you think about America’s traditions, barbeques are pretty high on the list. And the beauty of a barbeque is they can be as simple or as extravagant as you wish. Even here, with a small shoppette, where sometimes there is no shampoo to be found, you can always find a bbq. Oh the simple pleasures which bring a little taste of America.
Barbeques don’t always need an occasion, but in this case, we were having a going away for our volunteer Vasquez and some of our other Red Cross regulars. They fired up the grill and we had chicken marinated in a bbq sauce, hot dogs, and shrimp seasoned with butter and some good old Tony C’s (thank you to my Louisiana family members!) We scrounged potatoes from the DFAC, had chips and queso and assortment of other finger foods; it was a feast! There is something wonderful about cooking a sharing meal together.
After everyone had had their fill, we broke out the Phase 10. I don’t have a winning history under my belt with this game, and my friends Jenn and Isaac Younkin can testify to this. And I’m sorry to say that my losing streak continued. My colleagues Neelum and Jocelyn had never played, but have since in my mind become addicted to the game! They played at least two more times during the course of the next day.
It was one of those evenings that seemed so normal we nearly forgot where we were. Needless to say we will be looking for many more reasons to fire up the grill!