February 27, 2009 I have not had a bad meal since I arrived in Kabul. Ali, the 23-year old Afghan cook at the Guest House is a whiz at preparing anything. Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding. Fried Chicken. Chili. Mu Shu Pork. Tiramisu. Cannoli. Even a King Cake for Mardi Gras. And everywhere I go in Kabul, food is in sight, whether it's the freshly slaughtered lamb haunches hanging from a rack on Butcher Street, the street vendor carts that offer a deep fried turnover called bowlane (phonetically: baloney) filled with leeks and potatoes, or a shop steaming with the fragrance of newly fried jelAbe, a waffle like sweet made of sugar, honey, and flour. On the Khair Khana Road leading into Kabul is an open air market that stretches for at least a mile, its produce stands featuring artfully arranged cauliflower, radishes, leeks, onions, oranges, lemons, and potatoes. There you can also find fish nailed to boards, ready to sell, as well as cooking oil, Nan, and Snickers bars. And everywhere food is found, there are children eager to have their photos taken. 
Vendor preparing jelabe. My friend and driver, Sayed Mohammed, took me to this shop in the Khair Khana neighborhood.
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Open air market on Khair Khana Road.
Afghan child selling chicken pieces at the open air market.
Fish on a stick!
This little piggy went to market!
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