A Marine with with Fox Company of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment carries a metal detector at the front of his patrol in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan near Garmsir. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption

A U.N. vehicle is seen through the bullet-riddled guardhouse of the Bekhtar Guesthouse in Kabul, Afghanistan, after an attack Wednesday by Taliban suicide gunmen killed six expatriate U.N. staffers. The attack is a recent reminder of the dangers facing civilian workers in Afghanistan. Romeo Gacad/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Many meals at Les Cocottes are served in homey, oven-to-table casserole cookware. Clay McLachlan/Le Violon D'Ingres hide caption