Care Package for Marine Boyfriend / Contemplation of Meltiness
Hello Serious Eaters!
In need of some advice here. I'm putting together a care package for my boyfriend, who is stationed at 29 Palms, California en route to Iraq. I always send books, magazines, other sundry items, etc. and I round out the package with food. Now that he's in the desert (and no longer on the East Coast) I am very concerned with melting.
The factors in consideration:
1. He's in the Mojave Desert, and soon will be in Iraq, so it is hot hot hot. Both places are, well, very far away from the East Coast, and, depending on a variety of factors, he only has mail call on a sporadic basis. So even sending stuff packed with dry ice would be iffy at best.
2. No pork or alcohol, or products containing either. Or porn. Not sure of the Green Machine's opinion of *food* porn though : )
3. He gets plenty of "chow," which he seems to enjoy. So at the moment at least, he doesn't need meal replacement bars or that sort of thing at all. It's just for fun, something special for him (and sometimes his buddies, when he feels like sharing).
Basically, I'm just looking for special, unexpected things to brighten his very long days. I think he's getting somewhat bored of my standard beef jerky / Hershey's kiss allotment, and, frankly, I am too.
Any and all suggestions very appreciated, especially from folks who have dealt with these conditions and know what will hold up!
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18 Comments:
My husband just got there yesterday. He's actually in Kuwait until Monday, and then they move on. He said the chow is amazing. His first package will include peanut butter filled pretzel bites, jujubes, assorted licorice-type items, and some cookies (after I get a vacuum sealer)--probably peanutbutter or snickerdoodle-type cookies. Gummi bears, worms, and other pork-based gelatin items are prohibited, but the vegan ones are ok. Check Whole Foods for those. he's at, so it's not like it'll be ancient when it gets there. It takes 8 days for a package to get to the base Most areas have internet, so Hallmark E-cards work. Hubs says the internet access is slow, but it works. Best of luck to you and your BF.
beth1 at 11:31PM on 07/12/08
I'd send brownies (nuts are OK but no chocolate bits). They ship well and can be vac-sealed. Omitting the chocolate bits will eliminate melty-worries.
Send him a local newspaper - preferably a Sunday News. I did this for a friend who got transferred to Hong Kong and he loved it.
chiff0nade at 8:31AM on 07/13/08
Nuts/mixes....all types from plain roasted peanuts, to mixed nuts, to simple cans of smoked or flavored almonds. They arrive intact, store well & provide a great snack on the run.
2qrs at 9:52AM on 07/13/08
I'm wondering if nut brittles would melt. I've never had them in high heat. I'm sure they'd get sticky. Hard candy individually wrapped. You could air pop popcorn and use that instead of packing material. You could include some salt if you didn't want to salt the "packing". Tastykake (.com) makes pies that would keep and no icing to worry about. I'd be afraid to send homemade. Well-wrapped homemade cookies & brownies (they often crumble I've heard). Too bad you can't send fruit. It would probably spoil or mold. Cereal and rice milk? Just brainstorming. Feel free to ignore.
PerkyMac at 10:07AM on 07/13/08
My brother-in-law left for Kuwait a week ago. He's a Navy doc and will be stationed in the Middle East for six months. He's very sad, as my sister just gave birth two weeks ago to their baby girl.
I'd like to send him some stuff, so the ideas here are helpful. I also need to take care of my sister. She's solo in a tough situation right now, caring for a newborn and a three year old.
Susquehanna at 10:58AM on 07/13/08
Hey, I just wanted to say thanks to the men and women who serve and their families.
wookie at 11:10AM on 07/13/08
Here are a couple of websites that give great ideas of things they like to receive, and you can donate, or send care packages, or order items for your own package. We all need to love and support our troops. I have a brother in the Air Force. His wife is in the Reserves. They have 3 boys and could both be sent overseas at the same time.
@Susquehanna/ Lilly / beth 1
My heart goes out to you and all who have loved ones sacrificing for our country.
https://www.uso.org/donate/custom.aspx?id=851&
http://www.treatsfortroops.com/
PerkyMac at 11:20AM on 07/13/08
Beef jerkey and Jolly Ranchers....
Markbb at 12:38PM on 07/13/08
This is a tough thread for me. My cousin was killed in Iraq 18 months ago. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him and all of the other families who have lost loved ones. I think about the families who currently have loved ones serving to protect our country and our freedom. Jeff's favorite "goodies" from home were: peppered jerky (no substitutions allowed!), peach pie tastykakes, necco wafers, corn nuts, twizzlers, mccormicks garlic salt and crest toothpaste.
((((((HUGS)))))) to all the men and women serving our country and to their families.
izatryt at 1:09PM on 07/13/08
and (((hugs)))) to you, izatryt, for your loss. Every soldier is a hero, and deserves our deepest gratitude for signing up for such a profoundly selfless and difficult work. May God bless his soul and your family.
I don't have any great suggestions for foodstuffs, Lilly, but you can add my prayers in your box for your bf.
moibec at 2:04PM on 07/13/08
Perhaps oatmeal cookies in a tin so they don't get smooshed. You could add stuff like dried fruit or coconut to the cookies. Good luck!
Sweetie at 4:35PM on 07/13/08
My husband was in the desert when the war broke out (he was actually in the air on the way when war was declared).....one tip I was given that worked well was to package cookies in Pringles cans to keep them from getting smoshed...it worked very well! I'm not a Pringles fan, I just took the chips to work & shared the chips, then brought back the empty cans.
Good luck to you!
mepolo at 9:23PM on 07/13/08
Thanks for the Pringles can tip. Seems they're good for more than just potato chips and ashes (inventor's ashes were recently buried in one :)
beth1 at 10:49PM on 07/13/08
When my brother served in Iraq and Afghanistan, He was a big fan of jerky. We couldn't send him anything in a glass container, and anything with chocolate usually arrived melted and gross.
If you have a vacuum sealer, things like muffins are always a treat. I would also send him magazines and those "break and shake" ice packs.
When your Marine gets situated, he should be able to contact you with a list of needs. See if he needs sheets for his bunk- they are normally only issued one set that they have to wash with dirty water.
Kerosena at 3:41PM on 07/14/08
I've heard that True Lemon, True Lime, and True Orange are popular. They're powdered real citrus that can be added to a bottle of water, making the wather citrusy and refreshing, even if the water wasn't so fresh tasting! I found some at Target and at my local Publix. Look on their website for coupons.
orangemiles at 12:41PM on 07/15/08
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I'm sure that he'll appreciate them!
@ beth1, susquehanna, PerkyMac, mepolo, and Kreosena: thank you for your suggestions and support. It really means a lot to me! For the family members and spouses, there are *tons* of resources out there for you. I was poking around looking for tips for the girlfriend contingent and I ran across so many things.
@izatryt: I cannot even begin to imagine the depth of your loss. Please accept my deepest sympathies. His sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Lilly at 8:43PM on 07/15/08
We send my brother beef jerkey, slim jims, lemonheads(his very favorite candy), gum, powdered gatorade(he asked for it so he could share it with his soldiers), trail mix...basically, as long as it wasn't chocolate or dangerous type items(glass bottles) it was good. Also, if he makes a special request, I go out of my way to get it or let it be known that he wants it, as some things are hard to get even in the commissary in Germany. Another thing we send frequently is the Crystal Light On The Go packets that you can put in bottled water or even in the camelback bags. They make a lot of good flavors and different types. He likes the Immunity(Cherry Pommegranite), the Energy(Wild Strawberry), the lemonade and the green tea. I'm going to send him the Hydration(Berry Splash) one to see how he likes it.
Schnauzer_Mama at 7:01PM on 07/17/08
my sister did a TDY in afghanistan during the summer. average temperature during the day was 120F. she requested cookies. i proceeded to bake, package, and ship 32lb of cookies for her. i used the chewy cookie recipe from alton brown (foodtv.com). any recipe can be morphed into a chewy recipe by using only butter (melts slower), bread flour (more gluten), extra egg yolk (egg whites dry out baked goods), and melting the butter before creaming with sugar. i changed about 10 different recipes to make them "desert & shipping friendly".
Cookies were packaged in zip top bags with 1/4 piece of white bread to help retain moisture. Then they were placed in a "throw away" plastic container. (rubbermaid, ziploc, glad). The plastic was packed in a large dish barrel weight box and shipped. she received the cookies 2 weeks after they were sent and they were gobbled by all.
p.s. if your sweetie will be sharing with other people, you might want to label the cookies that have nuts for those with allergies.
supersu75 at 8:35PM on 07/18/08