bringing gifts to relatives & friends -- strange requests?
May 26, 2004, 12:13 am
#46
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From SFO to points East and West: San Francisco Sourdough Bread and a chub of salami
From SFO to HNL: Anything from Trader Joe's!
From HNL to points East: Coconut syrup and any jam or jelly with lilikoi (passion fruit).
From SFO to HNL: Anything from Trader Joe's!
From HNL to points East: Coconut syrup and any jam or jelly with lilikoi (passion fruit).
May 26, 2004, 6:10 am
#47
Join Date: Apr 2004
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HKG - South Africa:
1 Trombone, 1 Sewing Machine, 2 Laptops
yes, all on the same flight ;-)
Germany - South Africa:
2 Boxes of 100 single servings of Nutella each for my niece and nephew. Customs had a good chuckle about that, but as it was christmas they let me go....
1 Trombone, 1 Sewing Machine, 2 Laptops
yes, all on the same flight ;-)
Germany - South Africa:
2 Boxes of 100 single servings of Nutella each for my niece and nephew. Customs had a good chuckle about that, but as it was christmas they let me go....
May 26, 2004, 8:28 pm
#48
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My wife has brought many of these things and more to the Philippines. I buy all my vitamins and household non-prescription medicine in the U.S. mainland, filling up a full military seabag. Costco personnel always ask if I have a store.
When in Columbia, SC, I buy barbeque sauce from Maurice's.
Returning from Hungary, I'm partial to gulyás paste and 6-putonos Tokai Aszu wine.
Travelling widely leads one to understand how far we have to go toward true free trade. There are plenty of arbitrage opportunities on this thread alone. @:-)
When in Columbia, SC, I buy barbeque sauce from Maurice's.
Returning from Hungary, I'm partial to gulyás paste and 6-putonos Tokai Aszu wine.
Travelling widely leads one to understand how far we have to go toward true free trade. There are plenty of arbitrage opportunities on this thread alone. @:-)
May 28, 2004, 9:41 pm
#49
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: DC; US Gold
Posts: 3,139
I went to happy hour with some friends tonight. These friends make fun of me for belonging to this "frequent flyer cult" with the "psychos" I met on the internet. When I waved my $58 ticket to Iceland in their faces, they weren't making fun of me. 
Well, one of my friends gave me instructions to bring him back a bottle of black death vodka.
Well, one of my friends gave me instructions to bring him back a bottle of black death vodka.
Last edited by Alysia; May 29, 2004 at 6:02 pm
May 29, 2004, 8:32 am
#50
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: hong kong
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OK, as a former expat who lived in Italy, I always asked my visitors (and there were MANY) to bring a supply of odd things that were unavailable. Among my requests:
Fat-Free Refried Beans
Skippy Extra Chunky Peanut Butter
Protein Bars (i.e., Zone Bars, Clif Bars)
Girl Scout Cookies
Ivory Soap
Dry Idea antiperspirant
Not sure what the common denominator is, but these things made me feel less homesick.
Fat-Free Refried Beans
Skippy Extra Chunky Peanut Butter
Protein Bars (i.e., Zone Bars, Clif Bars)
Girl Scout Cookies
Ivory Soap
Dry Idea antiperspirant
Not sure what the common denominator is, but these things made me feel less homesick.
May 31, 2004, 10:37 am
#51
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Originally Posted by Pat89339
From SFO to points East and West: San Francisco Sourdough Bread and a chub of salami
The rest of the family had a good laugh.
I once brought two pounds of espresso beans to Roswell, NM (in the old days, before espresso could be found outside of a few major US cities). This was for an Italian stranded in Roswell, not for one of the aliens from the x-files.
And the one that had me worried going through security- panties for an 8 year old girl, US to Italy (her parents asked for the cotton ones sold here at K-Mart, very cheap but good quality, they don't fall apart in the washer like the expensive ones sold in Italy). Perfectly innocent, but to some customs or TSA officials I could have looked very suspicious carrying those! (the sailor moon print pattern could have been my downfall!!!!!
Jun 1, 2004, 11:44 pm
#52
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My BF was an Aramco Brat in Saudi Arabia.
Whenever any of the kids returned from a visit home they would bring back a suitcase full of Bubblicious bubble gum.
It was a form of currency for them, like cigarettes in jail.
I just brought back a bunch of cheese from Montreal recently for me: stuff like unpasturized camembert, which you can't get here. We have a 100% tarrif on EU cheeses right now in the US, so it was about half off. I felt like Arlo Guthrie:
"Don't touch my bags if you please, Mister Customs Man"
Whenever any of the kids returned from a visit home they would bring back a suitcase full of Bubblicious bubble gum.
It was a form of currency for them, like cigarettes in jail.
I just brought back a bunch of cheese from Montreal recently for me: stuff like unpasturized camembert, which you can't get here. We have a 100% tarrif on EU cheeses right now in the US, so it was about half off. I felt like Arlo Guthrie:
"Don't touch my bags if you please, Mister Customs Man"
Jun 2, 2004, 2:17 pm
#54
Original Poster
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Originally Posted by typical pm loser
lala,
You have conveniently forgotten the cheese and celery sandwich from Marks and Sparks that you insisted I bring back from London...for YOU! That was about 1983. My meek confession to the agriculture police about the celery content was satifactory.
You never can be too careful in an Apple Maggot Quarantine area.
TPML
You have conveniently forgotten the cheese and celery sandwich from Marks and Sparks that you insisted I bring back from London...for YOU! That was about 1983. My meek confession to the agriculture police about the celery content was satifactory.
You never can be too careful in an Apple Maggot Quarantine area.
TPML
lala
Feb 16, 2006, 3:17 pm
#55
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My bag is now full of emergen-c and zip lock bags to London. I hope the customs agents don't think I'm smuggling vitamin c.
Feb 16, 2006, 4:51 pm
#57
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My son living in Japan requests his favorite toothpaste and Newmans Own Pineapple Salsa -- he usually eats the first jar as soon as I unpack it.
Feb 16, 2006, 4:54 pm
#58
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Florida
Posts: 2,872
My grandson in the UK has a standing request for candy corn. I've been known to lie and tell him it's only available around Hallowe'en. Bad grandma.
When we lived in Jamaica, I used to ask people coming down from the U.S. to bring me boxes of Wheaties. And they usually did, too.
When we lived in Jamaica, I used to ask people coming down from the U.S. to bring me boxes of Wheaties. And they usually did, too.
Feb 16, 2006, 5:14 pm
#60
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: YYZ/YKZ
Posts: 3,668
Originally Posted by lalala
I have to admit to travelling light and enjoying staying with my relatives. I often will call them and ask if they have any requests from Seattle or the US.
My mom always wants halibut, my aunt -- emergen-c (vitamin drink). No biggie and I'm happy to do it.
Now I am off for a trip to the homeland and my bags are full of:
ziplock bags (300)
lemon pepper (costco sized)
knorr chicken stock cubes
really bad lipsticks
small pill boxes and gift bags
centrum vitamins
vitamin c fizzy drinks
I have very little room for my own clothes! However, I know that the housewives of northern Teheran will all have new ziplock bags to marinate their lemon peppered chicken kabobs.
Anyone else have any good "please bring me" requests?
My mom always wants halibut, my aunt -- emergen-c (vitamin drink). No biggie and I'm happy to do it.
Now I am off for a trip to the homeland and my bags are full of:
ziplock bags (300)
lemon pepper (costco sized)
knorr chicken stock cubes
really bad lipsticks
small pill boxes and gift bags
centrum vitamins
vitamin c fizzy drinks
I have very little room for my own clothes! However, I know that the housewives of northern Teheran will all have new ziplock bags to marinate their lemon peppered chicken kabobs.
Anyone else have any good "please bring me" requests?