Inside Afghanistan's MEAT Paradise! (Unreal Afghan Food)
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Date: 2026-09-04
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Comments and reviews: 20
RohamBroccoli
Dear Mark,
I do not expect you to travel around the world and document every political issue or human rights violation in the countries you visit. However, when you repeatedly say that the media gives a false picture of Afghanistan and that this is the real Afghanistan, you are doing a great injustice to the millions of Afghan women and men who are denied basic freedoms.
Women and girls are denied access to education and many basic rights. People face restrictions on how they dress, what they say, how they practice their religion, and how they live their lives.
The same applies to your content from Iran. As an Iranian who fled the country, I know that what foreign visitors are allowed to see does not necessarily reflect the reality of life for ordinary people. When you present your experience as the real Iran or the real Afghanistan, you risk giving your audience a very incomplete picture.
I am not asking you to turn your food content into political activism. But please do not present only the surface of these countries as the full reality.
I also find it difficult to believe that you have complete freedom to decide what you see, who you speak to, and which subjects you can discuss. People accompanying foreign visitors may have a role in guiding what visitors are allowed to see and who they are allowed to meet.
So enjoy the food and share your experiences, but please do not present your limited experience as the complete picture.
I am saying this as an Iranian who fled the country. There is a reality that visitors may never be allowed to see
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Dear Mark,
I do not expect you to travel around the world and document every political issue or human rights violation in the countries you visit. However, when you repeatedly say that the media gives a false picture of Afghanistan and that this is the real Afghanistan, you are doing a great injustice to the millions of Afghan women and men who are denied basic freedoms.
Women and girls are denied access to education and many basic rights. People face restrictions on how they dress, what they say, how they practice their religion, and how they live their lives.
The same applies to your content from Iran. As an Iranian who fled the country, I know that what foreign visitors are allowed to see does not necessarily reflect the reality of life for ordinary people. When you present your experience as the real Iran or the real Afghanistan, you risk giving your audience a very incomplete picture.
I am not asking you to turn your food content into political activism. But please do not present only the surface of these countries as the full reality.
I also find it difficult to believe that you have complete freedom to decide what you see, who you speak to, and which subjects you can discuss. People accompanying foreign visitors may have a role in guiding what visitors are allowed to see and who they are allowed to meet.
So enjoy the food and share your experiences, but please do not present your limited experience as the complete picture.
I am saying this as an Iranian who fled the country. There is a reality that visitors may never be allowed to see
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davidsf101
Minute 16: That lake is called Qargha. When you drive from Kabul to Paghman, you'll pass a village on the right called Qalai Kashif. My father was born there, and this whole area is close to home for me. I was very young in the 1970s and remember these places before the war with the Soviet Union broke out. Those were magnificent times. Now, after 46 years of war, Afghanistan and its people are so tired of war. However, the Afghans have never lost their sense of kindness or their habit of treating guests like their own. This is a part of the Afghan culture. Paghman is a beautiful place, higher in elevation, where you could drive about 30 minutes and be in the mountains with cool, brisk air, good food, large homes with big yards, and have a family picnic. I miss those times and will never forget. Thank you, Mark, for visiting our beautiful and humble country. You are the best! Safe Travels!
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Minute 16: That lake is called Qargha. When you drive from Kabul to Paghman, you'll pass a village on the right called Qalai Kashif. My father was born there, and this whole area is close to home for me. I was very young in the 1970s and remember these places before the war with the Soviet Union broke out. Those were magnificent times. Now, after 46 years of war, Afghanistan and its people are so tired of war. However, the Afghans have never lost their sense of kindness or their habit of treating guests like their own. This is a part of the Afghan culture. Paghman is a beautiful place, higher in elevation, where you could drive about 30 minutes and be in the mountains with cool, brisk air, good food, large homes with big yards, and have a family picnic. I miss those times and will never forget. Thank you, Mark, for visiting our beautiful and humble country. You are the best! Safe Travels!
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southport65
What a beautiful soul Brother Bilal is. his love, warmth, positivity radiates from him. but at the same time, his eyes are those of a man who has incurred major hardship, whether big losses or who can say. I wish him nothing but peace, love, good health, and prosperity. In all of the years I've watched Mark, I must say, those last scenes in this episode, nestled atop the flowing rivers in the Paghman Valley with a new friend for life, enjoying pure, clean, delicacies. this is the closest we have to heaven on earth.
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What a beautiful soul Brother Bilal is. his love, warmth, positivity radiates from him. but at the same time, his eyes are those of a man who has incurred major hardship, whether big losses or who can say. I wish him nothing but peace, love, good health, and prosperity. In all of the years I've watched Mark, I must say, those last scenes in this episode, nestled atop the flowing rivers in the Paghman Valley with a new friend for life, enjoying pure, clean, delicacies. this is the closest we have to heaven on earth.
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markwiens
Suddenly the food hosts are in Afghanistan. As men it is your privilege to be there in relative safety. For women it would not be. Women have no rights under Taliban rule and you just look silly making a huge deal about sheep head. looking like it’s the best thing you ever tasted. Nobody believes that’s good. Western countries have issues with texture, oh well. Feels tone deaf when they’re aloud to k! ll women in public for any reason, trade & sell 8 year old brides, and kidnap teen boys for prostitution.
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Suddenly the food hosts are in Afghanistan. As men it is your privilege to be there in relative safety. For women it would not be. Women have no rights under Taliban rule and you just look silly making a huge deal about sheep head. looking like it’s the best thing you ever tasted. Nobody believes that’s good. Western countries have issues with texture, oh well. Feels tone deaf when they’re aloud to k! ll women in public for any reason, trade & sell 8 year old brides, and kidnap teen boys for prostitution.
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RohamBroccoli
This Bilal guy seems to act as a middleman for the Taliban He appears to supervise foreign visitors who come to document the country, making sure that every word they say in the media, and how they portray Afghanistan, aligns with what the Taliban wants. Otherwise, they risk censorship or being expelled from the country.
I wish the lack of women’s rights under the Taliban received more attention, especially from foreign content creators who visit Afghanistan
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This Bilal guy seems to act as a middleman for the Taliban He appears to supervise foreign visitors who come to document the country, making sure that every word they say in the media, and how they portray Afghanistan, aligns with what the Taliban wants. Otherwise, they risk censorship or being expelled from the country.
I wish the lack of women’s rights under the Taliban received more attention, especially from foreign content creators who visit Afghanistan
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ArwinAbrar90
In all these videos they make you look like Pushtoon-Taliban, which come out of their specific traditional clothing from south of the country. While, you can try Hazaragi, Tajiks, and Uzbeks beautiful traditional outfits. The other thing that's worth mentioning is that eating food with hands is not generally practiced by everyone, people born or raised in cities prefer having their meals with spoons for health reasons related to hygiene and safety.
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In all these videos they make you look like Pushtoon-Taliban, which come out of their specific traditional clothing from south of the country. While, you can try Hazaragi, Tajiks, and Uzbeks beautiful traditional outfits. The other thing that's worth mentioning is that eating food with hands is not generally practiced by everyone, people born or raised in cities prefer having their meals with spoons for health reasons related to hygiene and safety.
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markwiens
A wonderful and beautiful country
Nature and people are wonderful with clear hearts and generosity as usual
as well as the respectful Mark and clear photo,
I rarely comment but in these episodes I don't like it to end,
Bilal is also a wonderful companion and a fit ambassador,
respect for him and Mark and the photographer and the people of Afghanistan. We love you and I look forward to visiting your country.
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A wonderful and beautiful country
Nature and people are wonderful with clear hearts and generosity as usual
as well as the respectful Mark and clear photo,
I rarely comment but in these episodes I don't like it to end,
Bilal is also a wonderful companion and a fit ambassador,
respect for him and Mark and the photographer and the people of Afghanistan. We love you and I look forward to visiting your country.
reply
sabaafarrukh759
I’m sorry, you can romanticise their food and culture as much as you want but I can’t help notice the non-existence of women in this country. As if all these men popped out of nowhere. As if their mothers, sisters and daughters don’t exist. Women are nobodies, insignificant and irrelevant. That’s the true representation of Afghanistan. Let’s call them out for what they are
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I’m sorry, you can romanticise their food and culture as much as you want but I can’t help notice the non-existence of women in this country. As if all these men popped out of nowhere. As if their mothers, sisters and daughters don’t exist. Women are nobodies, insignificant and irrelevant. That’s the true representation of Afghanistan. Let’s call them out for what they are
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MuzzamilSeelab
Welcome Mark to our beautiful Paradise land Afghanistan.
Thanks for all the love you have shown for Afghanistan, it's food, it's culture and everything. I hope a day will come when Afghanistan will be a central spot for tourists. Everyone coming to Afghanistan with good intentions as you, we will welcome it with love, joy and hospitality. Again thank you so much.
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Welcome Mark to our beautiful Paradise land Afghanistan.
Thanks for all the love you have shown for Afghanistan, it's food, it's culture and everything. I hope a day will come when Afghanistan will be a central spot for tourists. Everyone coming to Afghanistan with good intentions as you, we will welcome it with love, joy and hospitality. Again thank you so much.
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azaadi8
Mark--you should know your guide, Bilal, is superb! He has taken you to very unique places only locals know about. Most other guides take tourists to the typical high-end places that are in one particular neighborhood of Kabul--we all know which one! He has really shown you an inside look into the country like no one else has so far!
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Mark--you should know your guide, Bilal, is superb! He has taken you to very unique places only locals know about. Most other guides take tourists to the typical high-end places that are in one particular neighborhood of Kabul--we all know which one! He has really shown you an inside look into the country like no one else has so far!
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bocamax
Bilal Wardak has been an amazing partner on this trip. He's calm, educated on any food topic he is asked about, and looks comfortable in his own skin. I don't know how you found him but I'd recommend finding a Bilal in every country you visit. What a great partner for the Afghanistan adventure.
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Bilal Wardak has been an amazing partner on this trip. He's calm, educated on any food topic he is asked about, and looks comfortable in his own skin. I don't know how you found him but I'd recommend finding a Bilal in every country you visit. What a great partner for the Afghanistan adventure.
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Bawar-pro
I work long hours every day and don’t have much time for hobbies or relaxation. Whenever I watch your videos, I feel calm and relaxed.
Thank you, Mark, for your kindness, positivity, and professionalism. I truly appreciate what you do.
Lots of Respect From kabul
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I work long hours every day and don’t have much time for hobbies or relaxation. Whenever I watch your videos, I feel calm and relaxed.
Thank you, Mark, for your kindness, positivity, and professionalism. I truly appreciate what you do.
Lots of Respect From kabul
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OverTheSevenSeas
I think this might be a series I may need to skip. I usually appreciate Mark's videos for always being focused on the food culture, not any political situations, but as a woman this one is tough for me. I'll enjoy watching his work from other countries.
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I think this might be a series I may need to skip. I usually appreciate Mark's videos for always being focused on the food culture, not any political situations, but as a woman this one is tough for me. I'll enjoy watching his work from other countries.
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NomansKitchen2025
Welcome to Afghanistan, Mark Wiens!
Enjoy the beautiful scenery, breathtaking nature, and delicious Afghan food. Afghan people are ready to warmly welcome and host you.
We hope you have an amazing time in Afghanistan
#Nomanskitchen2025
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Welcome to Afghanistan, Mark Wiens!
Enjoy the beautiful scenery, breathtaking nature, and delicious Afghan food. Afghan people are ready to warmly welcome and host you.
We hope you have an amazing time in Afghanistan
#Nomanskitchen2025
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youtubevideo7086
You guys are doing wrong against Afghaanse nation who has to live in Afghanistan.
You don't show the real problems like women under cruelty and oppression.
They can't go to school. University. Have jobs because of the Taliban.
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You guys are doing wrong against Afghaanse nation who has to live in Afghanistan.
You don't show the real problems like women under cruelty and oppression.
They can't go to school. University. Have jobs because of the Taliban.
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frankfournier6394
Mark Wiens; The only human on earth who loook so happy to eat one of his favorite dessert: Cow creamy brain!
Another fantastic video, almost unreal how Muslim people in poor coutnry (money) are so genereous and benevolent.
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Mark Wiens; The only human on earth who loook so happy to eat one of his favorite dessert: Cow creamy brain!
Another fantastic video, almost unreal how Muslim people in poor coutnry (money) are so genereous and benevolent.
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AussieAngieS
The food and hospitality is so inviting. I was wondering though if you didn’t have a tour guide, would you be welcomed the same way I heard that they are very lovely but strict when foreigners come into Afghanistan
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The food and hospitality is so inviting. I was wondering though if you didn’t have a tour guide, would you be welcomed the same way I heard that they are very lovely but strict when foreigners come into Afghanistan
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VionaRG
Mark always shows the beauty and humanity of places many have negative views about. I dont know why I got so emotional watching this and I dont even eat meat. But Mark presents in such a way that you appreciate it anyway
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Mark always shows the beauty and humanity of places many have negative views about. I dont know why I got so emotional watching this and I dont even eat meat. But Mark presents in such a way that you appreciate it anyway
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sebastien18
It's peaceful coz those who oppose the Taliban don't want to get tortured or killed. And all the women are hiding at home since they have no freedom. Nice food though as expected from this region.
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It's peaceful coz those who oppose the Taliban don't want to get tortured or killed. And all the women are hiding at home since they have no freedom. Nice food though as expected from this region.
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ThunderNa-q7c
I have been watching it with my mom while translating for her. We both really enjoyed thanks for that. Welcome again Mark!
My advice try to visit Panjshir province as well it is the best
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I have been watching it with my mom while translating for her. We both really enjoyed thanks for that. Welcome again Mark!
My advice try to visit Panjshir province as well it is the best
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