[Sca-cooks] Why no alcohol?

[Susan Fox-Davis]

Diana Skaggs wrote:

> I have heard about not sending goodies made with alcohol into Islamic nations. I know it has/had something to do with alcohol being banned. My question is, would our goodies be sent somewhere in the US and shipped by military transport to bases overseas? Or would we be trying to mail things individually?  Besides, its difficult to tell whether vanilla extract or vanilla sugar was used to make the cookies after they are baked.
> Liadan

Our troops are guests in the Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia.  We are trying to be good guests.  "Courtesy" is not just for the SCA, you know! ;-)  Pork products are not on the menu:  future generations may call this "the war without SPAM[tm]".  Likewise, we should not send our loved ones goodies with ingredients that are illegal in the countries where they are stationed.  I believe that vanilla extract cooks out;
anything that is safe to serve to children or recoving alcoholics should be safe to send overseas.

The passages from the Quran which pertain to alcohol are cited at:
<http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/scarves/alcohol.html>

At the moment, I am trying to find out if overseas US military personnel are allowed to receive packages of home-made goodies, or if they have been prohibited for safety reasons.

Selene Colfox