Aparently, one of the fruitcakes made in Claxton, Ga. has become a popular item in Kabul. A U.S. commander in Afghanistan gave some to an Afghan general, and asked his wife, back in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to send more.
She and a civic group rounded up 6 cases (144 pounds) and sent them off. The commander said that the "delivery caused riots, fights" because everyone wanted some.
The civic group that provided the fruitcakes had been selling them for decades to raise money. Unfortunately, times have changed, said the civic group member that coordinated the shipment.
"People have become so weight-conscious here that they really don't eat cake like they used to. It takes a lot more effort to sell them. To hear that the Afghans were fighting over them was wonderful."
- condensed from an article in the Spartanburg Herald-Journal
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(Fruitcake! The gift that keeps on giving... If we can get the Afghans hooked on fruitcake, then maybe we can wean them off growing opium poppies, subvert the grip of the warlords, and remove the threat of the Taliban... Now, we know what to do with all that surplus fruitcake that keeps circulating.)
Posted by raacluse at March 4, 2004 04:58 PM