Wed, 12/28/2011 - 17:45 — Anonymous In The Atavist, Joshuah Bearman tells
the fascinating story of the Baghdad Country Club, the only bar in the
capital city's fortified "Green Zone." The bar was built and run by a
mysterious British ex-military type, a contractor identified only as James.
What intrigued me about the bar was the way in which it was both an escape
hatch from the war and, at the same time, a place that was inextricably
shaped by its surroundings. Here's a taste: In addition to tending bar
alongside several Iraqi Christians, Heide manned the wholesale bottle shop
that James and Ajax ran out of a guard shack on the property. The shelves
stocked the finest spirits the pair could find, which sometimes meant actual
quality, alongside gift-store items—T-shirts, mugs, and hats emblazoned
with the BCC logo and motto: "It Takes Real Balls to Play Here." …Danny
quietly managed the place: greeting patrons, dealing with staff, and running
the kitchen. James wanted the menu to be good, which wasn't easy. Whereas
much of the food in the Green Zone was processed, packaged, shipped, and
reconstituted, Ajax got fresh produce and meat for the kitchen. Danny got
along well with Iraqis, and he made sure to serve the national dish of
masgouf—fish with onion and pickles—alongside Western-style bruschetta,
salads, and steaks. He brought in a chef named Dino to come up with recipes
and marinades. Good fish was difficult to come by in Baghdad, but James knew
a guy who knew a guy who could sometimes get trout flown in on Delta Force
choppers. And Ahmed's regular shipments of spirits kept the bar stocked for
proper cocktails. "We never hoped to get a Michelin star," Danny says.
"But we managed to give people the one thing you don't have in Baghdad: a
choice." The full (long) story is available for purchase from The
Atavist—it comes in a variety of e-book formats. The Atlantic has a meaty
excerpt. It's a great read. World Hum
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