Care Package Ideas (San Antonio, Anton, Spur: home, buy, stores)

[bianca324]

I am putting together a welcome back care package for a friend who is in the navy. He has been on a ship since the beginning of the year and are now on the way back to the states from being deployed all that time. He is from San Antonio and is stationed in Virginia. He loves whataburger so I am sending some of the whataburger ketchup in the big bottles and the new fries and a few texas paraphanalia to remind him of home but I seem to just be drawing a blank as to what else would be a good idea to suprise him with. I am sending a few photo frames so he can frame some photos of his family since some guys do not buy things like that. Anybody that has sent care packages before, could you please submit a few ideas please? Thank you ( and since he is no longer deployed, I will not send any toiletries or items of that nature)

[Bo]

Texas-shaped tortilla chips from HEB? Salsa?

[catriona]

Rudy's BBQ sauce?
Mexican candies?
Spurs schedule and t-shirt?
And a big thank you for your service from SA, too.

[TexasRedneck]

Beef Jerky - I LOVED getting that from home! But the REAL stuff - chunks, not the strips!
Pickled okra - Ditto
chili petines (dried) - you can't make a decent pot of chili without 'em!
Cumino

If he's a Mexican food lover, think of the spices needed to make his favorites, and send them, along with some favorite home recipes. When I was in the Navy, the above was NOT to be found. Shipmates loved coming over for for BBQ's - I'd either cook brisket an' a big ol' batch of South Texas style pinto's (IOW, HOT!), or fajita's w/pinto's. I could get MOST of the seasoning, but not these. Maybe even toss in a big ol' bag of pinto's, just in case. Jerky is made according to regional customs, so the stuff my folks would send me was SO much better than what I could find locally - and when I asked for pickled okra, the garbage they had in the stores wasn't fit to eat, so my girlfriend would make 'em for me in quart jars and send 'em.

[bianca324]

Thank you all for the ideas, I know even if they have a commissary up in Virginia, they most likely do not have all the things we have down here. I will be sending some items from each of your suggestions.