So, my brother is an infantry officer in the Army.  He's been in Qatar for about 2 months and really misses bacon.

He says they aren't allowed to have it over there since it is considered "unclean" in that region.

He also says they are very strict on the soldiers about respecting local customs, etc...

Sooooo, can I send him some dehydrated bacon in a care package?? Will he get in trouble?

I only ask because he says that porn, and other "banned" items are getting guys in trouble...

Just asking...Im hoping I can load him up with some pork products!!

Thanks

~WTS

You have to list the contents of the box on the customs declaration form.  If they see bacon, they'll refuse the package.  If you don't list it, well, that's breaking the law, right?  



My BIL has done three tours.  As much as he loves pork products, and as much as we'd have loved to send them, we followed the rules.

Can he leave base? In UAE and Bahrain most of the grocery stores have non-Muslim sections staffed by Filipinos. I can't imagine Qatar not having the same thing.

I had a lot of "beef jerky" sent over there.  PM me for details.
BTW, they used to serve bacon in the chow halls over there.  They replaced it with turkey bacon some time back (although I haven't been there in a few months so maybe that's changed).   They (the U.S) don't screw around with the porn though.  That'll get you in trouble.

Tell him in both the malls in Doha sell pork.  Whether or not he can get off site is up to his command (and how much his rank can pull).  That being said, on both bases the have places to eat that serve pork (one of them sells pork on a ration card for personal preparation and consumption).

Tell him to go to the PX and look in the frozen food section.

This is the best thread subject line I've ever seen on ARFCOM.

Mmmmmm.  Bacon.

I was in Qatar for a year. They HAD bacon in every chow hall at Al Udeid (AUAB) and Camp Asaliyah (CAS), so that must have changed in the last few years. I was in Riyadh (EVAB) as well, and am in Al Dhafra (ADAB) now. They have bacon here too. I had it for breakfast this morning.

If you want to send it - I'd just put some of the CMMG canned bacon into his APO box and label it beef jerky (on the customs form). Put address labels on the can over the word, "Bacon" so it's not obvious. It will get though, they don't even open 95% of my parcels. You can do it.

If he's having issues "coping" with the horrible conditions of a "deployment" to Qatar, he needs to find a new line of work....

Must be rough not having bacon.

Tell him to get over it.

We were at Camp Snoopy and they didn't have pork there for a long time. We would get Fakeon which was beef sliced to look like bacon but it wasn't cured. Friggen fatty as hell and tasted like shit. We went to the Mall once where they had the ice rink and meandered around in the grocery store there but never saw pork. Lots for fresh goats and lamb hanging. This was 2003 when but I went to CAS (ARCENT then became CENTCOM) they sold it in the shopette but you had to have a ration card. I remember drooling over the jimmy dean sausage in the freezer.

From what I know about mail was that packages were inspected by Army customs and Qatar customs. If something was deemed contraband it would be removed and a white flyer was placed in your package stating that contraband was found and removed and you faced being reported to higher command should it continue. It was listed in both Arabic and English. I think they  placed a notice in all inspected packages I can't remember. I do remember getting the paper though.