laura

I was very excited about all of the maple syrup suggestions until someone from Italy added they can get it there, as well as pancake batter. What else would make good host gifts?

Therese

Nearly every gift I have ever received in my lifetime has been something I could have found locally myself. It's not the gift, it's the thought. Yes, that sounds hackneyed, but that is what it comes down to. Use your own imagination instead of relying on the imagination of others.

Faina

I hope we don't stop buying gifts now when everything can be found on the Internet?

Local

I bet they can't buy maple syrup with a picture of Aunt Jemima on it over there!

SherriKardell

Hi Laura;<BR>I brought back all sorts of adorable coaster sets from France and Italy with faomous sites on them; also if you know a chef; olive oil or cooking molds are nice gifts.<BR>Sherri<BR>

mimi taylor

i once sent maple syrup to three different families in France . I found out later they didn't like it.

aunt

Aunt Jemima on Maple Syrup? On corn syrup yes, but since when did she rule corporate America from Vermont or Maine.

Lola

I always like scented candles,things for the bath,especially if they are hard to get in the US.such as Lush products.So there must be the equivalent in other countries.<BR>Also, if someone collect things,my son collects antique tins, so we had great fun looking at the flea markets in Paris for something for him.<BR>If all else fails, bring back mugs/coffee cups from the Cafe Deux Magots or something similar

Christina

I've received gifts from foreigners, and they were just nice, tasteful regular gifts, not routine cheap grocery items that were not a part of my diet and we don't eat in US. I just don't understand why people want to force unusual regional food tastes on others, it seems ethnocentric to me. I think the reason other countries don't have certain food items, like peanut butter, is usually because they don't like them, not because they can't figure out how to import them. If somebody were an expat and dying for something they couldn't get easily or there was a special request, okay, but just to presume someone wants some of that stuff seems wrong. Some good hostess gifts are a nice small piece of sculpture or pottery, unusual household linens like placemats or trivets, coasters, etc. I think a nice collection of expensive imported teas could be nice as tea isn't indigenous to anyplace I go (and can be expensive), but that would be for someone you knew drank tea a lot.

you don't like our ideas

Christina, can you give me the name of your source for cheap maple syrup and olive oil? I pay an arm and a leg and would love to get it at bargain prices.<BR><BR>Gee, laura, sorry our suggestions didn't work out for you. We're all stupid morons so you'd better ask for brilliant suggestions from another group.<BR><BR>Don't you just love people who ask for advice then get picky?

Alice Twain

Cristina<BR><BR>Honestly, if somene brought me a food that is not traditional of my own country and that I o not know whether I would like it or not, I would me much more happy than if I received a piece of furniture. Food is a much better way to get in contact with foreign countries than a sculpture or pottery, bring me something I can't find, something I do not know how to eat, and you will make me a happy person, bring me a pot and I will try to find a fast way to break it pieces while faking my best smile. It is just a different way to look at the world. I have never has marmite, for instace. I think that I would probably find the stuff disgusting, but yet I am damn curious about it!

Tina

Smoked salmon.

marina

i just returned from italy and met <BR>relatives for the first time. since <BR>i didn't know them i took american <BR>silver dollars, silver rounds with<BR>the world trade center on them (one<BR>relative did request the world trade<BR>center), and american proof sets. they<BR>make very nice gifts. now that i have<BR>returned and know them better i am<BR>preparing a box with linens (some sheets, tablecloths) stone<BR>coasters with american themes,and pretty<BR>bags with nice scenes on them for the<BR>ones who go to the market regularly.<BR>in the past, my relatives from greece<BR>always requested pretty sheets, tablecloths, and towels so i did take a few tablecloths to italy and they really liked them.<BR> <BR><BR>

xxx

To be honest I would not conisder food as a gift. It holds no memory of the person who gave it to you. <BR><BR>A small dish or pottery from the region where you live in the U.S. would be nice. <BR><BR>If you know them well linens and "american" towels are great. I cannot get decent linens unless I pay a fortune for them in Ireland i.e. 100% cotton sheets and fluffy towels. My mother bring them to me from America when she visits. I would only do this though if you know the person as they may find it insulting if you show up with linens implying theirs are not good enough.<BR><BR>No matter what gifts I receive I always like them because they remind me of the person who gave them to me! Give something that reflects yourself!

sofia

What about native jewelery (argent and turquoise) for little girls or teenagers?. They would love it and it is not so easy to find in Italy.

not

I'd be careful with linens too. I personally find American towels too smooth and prefer a rougher texture.<BR>Sheets could be a problem too because most Europeans use fitted undersheets and duvets.<BR>A friend of mine brought linen shopping bags with American birds on them and notelets also with American birds. I'm sure you can also find them with flowers.<BR>Anything handcrafted is fine too. My husband loves a handmade wooden pen a friend brought him from a craft fair near Seattle. The ethnic jewellery would be fine too.<BR>I'd agree with the no food thing. I personally detest peanut butter. Like marmite, you have to be brought up with it from birth.

Alice Twain

xxx<BR><BR>I do not agree with you. Generally speaking in Italy food (and drinks as well) is greatly valued as a gift because it may not be preserved in order to remember one person, but it allows to experience the foreign country this person comes from, in particular if the food is not the usual supermarket stuff which is likely to be found in Italy too (we Italians, generally speaking, are not fond of peanut butter, but it still can be found on the shelves of some supermarkets, for instance), but rather some delicacy that is hard to find and easy to preserve until you have arrived, in particular sweets an spirits are greatly appreciated (they are usually what we bring to our friend's houses when we are invited for dinner: either sweets or a couple bottles of wine). Food in italy is usually preceived like a culture, sometimes like a cult, so bringing food to italians you can't be wrong: we may not appreciate the taste of the food you have brought, but food is usually very appreciated. Obviously you can add to the food some other item that will last longer and be more decorative, but do bring food, and bring quality food.

Cristina

Do not send sheets unless you know for sure that they have American size beds. Beds here are 3 sizesm (single, matramonial and single and a half) and are all longer and narrower than American sizes. <BR><BR>Best gifts IMO are picture books of where you are from, silver dollars, and hand made gifts.