This short article reminded me of discussing the role of Coke as a comfort food/ symbolic food for soldiers during WWI. (From Weiner, Mark. 1996. “Consumer Culture and Participatory Democracy: The Story of Coca-Cola During World War II.” Food & Foodways, 6(2):109-129.)
Apparently, fast-food restaurants such as Burger King and Pizza Hut are due to be removed from military bases in Afghanistan- following the argument that the outlets take up too many valuable resource (water and energy)on the bases. Sounds reasonable enough... but I'm interested to know if these food joints hold as much sentimental value to soldiers now as Coke did during WWI?... Are these places really "unnecessary luxuries" or should soldiers be provided with a little extra- considering the sacrifices they make for us??
Check it out:
No fries with that: fast food axed at Afghan bases
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Interesting article! Honestly, it never even occurred to me that soldiers would have access to such luxuries, especially in light of our recent financial crisis. However, after reading the article about the role of Coke in WWII I think that it is important to provide some source of familiarity in place of these restaurants they are closing.
ReplyDeleteagreed. I can see both sides of the argument- keeping spending under control is a definitely a priority but the boys deserve a little something extra every now and then.
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