I can scarcely believe that it has been more than a year since we've been here and we are at the start of our second holiday season here. Time is flying by very quickly for sure. We celebrated today with a traditional meal and enjoyed several guests. We had a Jamaican father and son, a Filipino from our church, a young soldier who is like part of our family and a young sailor who we have recently gotten to know more. The Jamaicans and the Filipino said that this was their first Thanksgiving meal ever. Since they got seconds and also piled plates full to take home, I think that I can safely say that they enjoyed it! It always makes me happy when someone enjoys the food that I prepare.
The highlight of my day was when we allowed the young sailor to use our phone to call home. His Mom asked if she could speak to me and extended her gratitude for taking care of her son. I am absolutely honored that we get to be a home away from home for a few of these young servicemen and women. They truly make a huge sacrifice when they sign up to serve our country.
Happy Thanksgiving from Guantanamo Bay! May we all remember that we have so much to be grateful for not only today, but each and every day!
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Where Should We Eat Tonight?
I am sheepishly poking my head back into the blog world. For those of you who are either considering coming down or who already have orders to come down and have been daily checking the blog for a new post, I apologize for not keeping up lately! I know when we were in the same position, we eagerly checked a blog every single day for a new post. It's not that I've run out of things to say! Quite the contrary. It's simply the fact that we are incredibly busy. As I've mentioned before, I homeschool my 6 children, and coupled with that fact is that they all play soccer, several are in Girl Scouts, some work, several play on the worship team, and they all have friends! Plus, I know this is hard to believe, but they want to eat three meals a day and tend to wear lots of clothing that then needs washed. So, there you have it. The busyness of life just got to me and hence I've neglected the blog. I promise to try and keep up better.
So.....now to the actual post. =)
I thought it would be fun to list all the restaurant here and next to each give a brief description and then tell what my favorite thing to order is.
The Galley - this is the chow hall and there are four separate galley locations around the base. Cost for breakfast is $2.50 and lunch and dinner are $4.60. I have several favorite foods there, but I especially love their homemade yeast rolls.
Bayview - this is our (almost) upscale dining experience. Tablecloths and cloth napkins grace the tables and the view is beautiful. It is only open for dinner except on Sundays when it is open for Brunch. My favorite food there is Mongolian Night which is every Thursday.
Jerk House - Jamaican jerk at it's finest. Take-out only, although there are picnic tables to sit at and enjoy your meal. I usually order the combination plate with Jerk chicken, ribs, beans and rice, coleslaw and a johnny cake. Since I absolutely LOVE the burn of jerk sauce, I request extra.
Caribbean Coffee and Cream - known around GTMO simply as "The Triple C", this place serves Starbucks coffee, smoothies, Breyers ice cream, and some baked goods. They usually only have between 4-6 flavors of ice cream, but thankfully they always seem to have Mint Chocolate Chip!
Subway - hardly needs an explanation. The only thing different here is that they make some really yummy pizza! They serve everything that a stateside Subway serves with the exception of spinach and cucumbers as a sandwich topping choice. There are three Subways on the base: one at the NEX, on at the Marine Hill Mini Mart and one at the airport on Leeward.
McDonald's - again, not much of an explanation is needed. This McDonald's doesn't have everything that a stateside McDonald's offers. I've mentioned before that I'm not much of a McDonald's fan, but I am really loving the new Chicken Wraps! Since it is the only restaurant with a drive-thru, I find myself there fairly often when a quick dinner is needed.
Pizza Hut Express - serves pizzas, breadsticks and wings. They don't have the full menu like you would find in the states. They do offer delivery though and I take advantage of that quite often as well.
The Windjammer - this reminds me of a typical chain restaurant that serves burgers, sandwiches, salads, and then some specialty items like steaks, fajitas, and pasta dishes. My favorite thing to eat here is their fried zucchini and the sweet potato fries.
Cuban Club - run by a Cuban who was born on the base to Cuban exile parents. The food is amazing! I have never eaten anything that I don't love there. One of my favorite dishes is the Pepper Steak. Since they make everything from scratch when you order, the waiting time can be long, but they do allow call ahead orders. Worth the wait!
Rasta Hill- ok, so I'm not even sure if it's officially called Rasta Hill, but it is an open-air style kitchen that is open on the weekends for dinner only. They serve traditional Jamaican food and their johnny cakes are to-die-for amazing!
O'Kelley's - this is actually a bar that is in the same building as The Windjammer and they serve food from that menu as well.
Rick's Lounge - the officer's club, and again, not actually a restaurant, but it is in the same building as The Bayview and food can be ordered off of that menu and served in the lounge.
Taco Bell - located in the bowling alley and serving all the regular menu items. I could be wrong, but the tacos and burritos seem to be more generously filled here than at their stateside counterpart. My favorite thing about the Taco Bell is that they have Cherry Coke in their soda fountain.
House of Yum - fast food style Chinese. They are located next to Taco Bell at the bowling alley. I have only eaten there twice and their menu changes so I don't really have a favorite there yet.
As I review this list, I realize that we are quite fortunate to have as many choices available as we do. Of course, nothing could compare to the plethora of choices that the states have to offer, but as I've mentioned before, I tend to embrace the simplicity of GTMO. It sure makes it easier to choose where to eat on date night!
So.....now to the actual post. =)
I thought it would be fun to list all the restaurant here and next to each give a brief description and then tell what my favorite thing to order is.
The Galley - this is the chow hall and there are four separate galley locations around the base. Cost for breakfast is $2.50 and lunch and dinner are $4.60. I have several favorite foods there, but I especially love their homemade yeast rolls.
Bayview - this is our (almost) upscale dining experience. Tablecloths and cloth napkins grace the tables and the view is beautiful. It is only open for dinner except on Sundays when it is open for Brunch. My favorite food there is Mongolian Night which is every Thursday.
Jerk House - Jamaican jerk at it's finest. Take-out only, although there are picnic tables to sit at and enjoy your meal. I usually order the combination plate with Jerk chicken, ribs, beans and rice, coleslaw and a johnny cake. Since I absolutely LOVE the burn of jerk sauce, I request extra.
Caribbean Coffee and Cream - known around GTMO simply as "The Triple C", this place serves Starbucks coffee, smoothies, Breyers ice cream, and some baked goods. They usually only have between 4-6 flavors of ice cream, but thankfully they always seem to have Mint Chocolate Chip!
Subway - hardly needs an explanation. The only thing different here is that they make some really yummy pizza! They serve everything that a stateside Subway serves with the exception of spinach and cucumbers as a sandwich topping choice. There are three Subways on the base: one at the NEX, on at the Marine Hill Mini Mart and one at the airport on Leeward.
McDonald's - again, not much of an explanation is needed. This McDonald's doesn't have everything that a stateside McDonald's offers. I've mentioned before that I'm not much of a McDonald's fan, but I am really loving the new Chicken Wraps! Since it is the only restaurant with a drive-thru, I find myself there fairly often when a quick dinner is needed.
Pizza Hut Express - serves pizzas, breadsticks and wings. They don't have the full menu like you would find in the states. They do offer delivery though and I take advantage of that quite often as well.
The Windjammer - this reminds me of a typical chain restaurant that serves burgers, sandwiches, salads, and then some specialty items like steaks, fajitas, and pasta dishes. My favorite thing to eat here is their fried zucchini and the sweet potato fries.
Cuban Club - run by a Cuban who was born on the base to Cuban exile parents. The food is amazing! I have never eaten anything that I don't love there. One of my favorite dishes is the Pepper Steak. Since they make everything from scratch when you order, the waiting time can be long, but they do allow call ahead orders. Worth the wait!
Rasta Hill- ok, so I'm not even sure if it's officially called Rasta Hill, but it is an open-air style kitchen that is open on the weekends for dinner only. They serve traditional Jamaican food and their johnny cakes are to-die-for amazing!
O'Kelley's - this is actually a bar that is in the same building as The Windjammer and they serve food from that menu as well.
Rick's Lounge - the officer's club, and again, not actually a restaurant, but it is in the same building as The Bayview and food can be ordered off of that menu and served in the lounge.
Taco Bell - located in the bowling alley and serving all the regular menu items. I could be wrong, but the tacos and burritos seem to be more generously filled here than at their stateside counterpart. My favorite thing about the Taco Bell is that they have Cherry Coke in their soda fountain.
House of Yum - fast food style Chinese. They are located next to Taco Bell at the bowling alley. I have only eaten there twice and their menu changes so I don't really have a favorite there yet.
As I review this list, I realize that we are quite fortunate to have as many choices available as we do. Of course, nothing could compare to the plethora of choices that the states have to offer, but as I've mentioned before, I tend to embrace the simplicity of GTMO. It sure makes it easier to choose where to eat on date night!
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