An unexpected Journey - Taco Bell Edition

March 28, 2013 10:10 AM

I have a very good friend who is overseas right now. He is craving Taco Bell. He has zero access to a Taco Bell as he is in a very remote location. He can receive mail and packages, but they take anywhere from 5 days to 14 days to arrive. It would leave the East Coast and arrive in an undisclosed location in the Middle East.

Is it possible to somehow mail Taco Bell?

I am willing to purchase whatever kind of accessories needed to make this a successful journey. I have considered vacuum-sealed bags, but I am unsure how the food would hold up. The taste is more important than the appearance of course, but I don't want to deliver Taco Bell Fungus soup. =xx

I have also considered cooking and mailing separate ingredients, but I think his craving is very specific (Taco Bell). I am willing to go this route if you guys think it would work better, however it wouldn't be quite the same thing.

Thanks!

posted by irishcoffee to Food & Drink (13 answers total)

You can buy Taco Bell taco mix, beans and hot sauce at the supermarket. They may have tortillas and taco shells too.

Just buy that and mail it.

Don't even think about trying to mail Taco Bell from the actual restaurant. It doesn't make it very well from the drive-thru to my house!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:14 AM on March 28, 2013 [11 favorites]

You know they make shelf-stable Taco Bell grocery items. That might be the thing to mail.
posted by steinwald at 10:15 AM on March 28, 2013

If your friend is deployed with the military, then don't do it. The military postal system does not handle perishables -- especially short-time perishables -- well.
posted by Etrigan at 10:15 AM on March 28, 2013 [1 favorite]

Just mail him the seasoning and maybe a recipe (I'm sure there are Taco Bell recreation recipes all over the internets). This is what we did to give ourselves some Taco Bell in Peace Corps and it was perfect.
posted by chaiminda at 10:28 AM on March 28, 2013 [1 favorite]

Doritos Locos Tacos chips will be in stores April 8. These are Doritos flavored to taste like the Taco Bell tacos that are flavored like Doritos.

It's heartburn all the way down, but hopefully should cure your friend of their craving.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 10:29 AM on March 28, 2013 [8 favorites]

Best answer: It could be fun to grab a ton of the Taco Bell sauce packets and throw them in your package as a bonus or as space filler (wrapped in plastic bags, though). Might be lighter than a bottle of sauce too.
posted by topophilia at 10:31 AM on March 28, 2013 [2 favorites]

Aren't there some Taco Bells inside US controlled compounds in the Middle East?
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:36 AM on March 28, 2013

perhaps toss in a few sporks while you're at it
posted by Sophont at 10:38 AM on March 28, 2013 [1 favorite]

If your friend is deployed with the military, then don't do it.

Seconding this. I just ordered a bunch of stuff on Amazon to be sent to my brother who is a Marine currently somewhere in Europe. Amazon projected a delivery date of April 9. And then who knows when my bro will actually see the package. I assume Marines have more important stuff to do than check their mail.

Shelf-stable non-perishable food items seem to be allowed, though. Lots of people send energy bars and the like.
posted by Sara C. at 10:49 AM on March 28, 2013

Is it possible to somehow mail Taco Bell?
Taco Bell food doesn't make it a few hours in a house unscathed, much less the mail. And frankly, the Taco Bell branded stuff in the grocery store doesn't taste like the restaurant version, either (I've been told that the spice packet in particular has no relation to the "real deal") although in my opinion tacos are damn good no matter what. I'd send him a few copycat recipes and some sauce packets.
posted by sm1tten at 4:01 PM on March 28, 2013

Taco Bell's twitter account is famous for the stuff they do. I'd ping them on twitter and see if there's any way that they can help you out; worst case is they can't.
posted by mendel at 7:40 AM on March 29, 2013 [1 favorite]

I'm one of those very people, sitting here in the middle of Iraq. (Let's be honest, they know we're here.)

The closest real Taco Bell is in the Avenues Mall in Kuwait City, Kuwait.

AAFES used to have Subway & Taco Bell locations on military facilities here but those are long gone. And as usual, the mail is awfully slow. It's ranging from 6 days to (infinity.) Stuff that was shipped from the US in late February has not arrived yet.

While it's a cute idea, it's just not practical, unfortunately.
posted by drstein at 5:41 PM on March 30, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks everyone.

I ended up grabbing a ton of the sauces (and random packets of whatever condiments they had, just for the hilarity factor) and sent it to him. He got the package the day before some taco buffet, and ate himself silly. Made a few friends as well. =pp

Thanks again!
posted by irishcoffee at 3:46 PM on April 29, 2013