dmkujat, this site wiil give you the restrictions on things to bring home.

http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/xp/cg...restricted.xml

illusion321, oranges and other citrus fruits are generally verboten. From the above site.

Fruits and Vegetables
Bringing home fruits and vegetables can be quite troublesome. That apple you bought in the foreign airport just before boarding and then didn't eat? Whether Customs will allow it into the United States depends on where you got it and where you're going after you arrive in the United States. The same is true for those magnificent Mediterranean tomatoes. Fresh fruits and vegetables can carry plant pests or diseases into the United States.

You may remember the Med fly hysteria of the late 1980s: Stories about crop damage caused by the Mediterranean fruit fly were in the papers for months. The state of California and the federal government together spent some $100 million to get rid of this pest. And the source of the outbreak? One traveler who brought home one contaminated piece of fruit.

It's best not to bring fresh fruits or vegetables into the United States. But if you plan to, call APHIS and get a copy of Traveler's Tips, which lists what you can and can't bring, and also items for which you'll need a permit. For more information, visit http://www.aphis.usda.gov/travel/ or www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/permits.


The USDA site says this:
All travelers entering the United States are required to DECLARE any meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, animals, and plant and animal products they may be carrying. The declaration must cover all items carried in baggage and hand luggage, or in a vehicle.

I recommend finding some fresh truffle spores ( you may need to rent a pig ). Be sure to report to the French authorities as you leave.
They are very appreciative of sharing their truffles with the world.
NOT

Poiret is an alcoholic drink made in Normandy out of fermented pear juice, as Lauren Kahn indicated.
Perret is a brand of alcoholic cider.

The pear cider is NOT called "perry."

Cider, Perry, Calvados and Pommeau

The juice extracted from the apple becomes cider after fermentation. Like a great wine, cider is described by its colour, its nose, its flavour and its taste. There are three sorts of cider: sweet cider, obtained artificially by stopping fermentation at 2.5?; dry cider which is not very sweet and has a characteristic taste of apples, between 4 and 5? proof; and traditional cider, which is much drier at 5? proof and is made and drunk on the farm.
Perry is made in the same way as cider, but from pears. It is a widespread drink in the region.
The famous Norman "calva" is made by distilling cider. Its manufacture is strictly controlled. Two distillations a year are allowed: one in spring and the other in autumn. To make a litre of calvados at 100% alcohol, one needs about twenty litres of cider at 5?, in other words, around 27 kg of apples. The calvados then ages in extremely dry oak barrels.
Since the 16th century, at harvest time, the fruitiest cider apple juice is mixed with the calvados in order to keep its taste. At the beginning of the 1970s, this mixture was named Pommeau of Normandy and in 1991 it received the "appellation d'origine contrôlée" (the label guaranteeing the origin of wines and cheeses).

The departmental council of Calvados presents its regional products.


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The Norman hole

In the middle of a lavish meal, it is traditional to drink a

StCirq, the following is a quote from the "Normandy gastronomique" cookbook:

"Poire (needs a backslash over the e), a delicate pear cider, is little known in France outside Normandy. Though farmers in other parts of the province make PERRY like the Joubin family, the only sizeable orchards are in the Domfrontais."

smith Lauren said Cider but poiret is a drink that is not a cider.
St Cirq's hobbie is attacking me.

Huh! PERRY is a pear cider. From the dictionary: fermented pear juice often made sparkling

dmkujat, I would bring back some small tins of pate. Could be foie gras or other kind of pate. The pure foie gras is very expensinve and not as tasty as some of the blends, in my opinion. There are several Comtesse du Barry shops in Paris that sell all types of exotic tinned pates as well as other souvenir food items. To find a list of their locations, you can go to www.comtessedubarry.com and enter paris in the search box. The gift shops at the airport and Eurostar station also sold Comtesse du Barry products. A little pate goes a long way, so you can bring back pretty small tins for souvenirs.

Another trick I learned was to watch the locals when they shopped in the grocery stores (if you are in a neighborhood where you can mingle with the locals). I discreetly checked out the pate they were all buying and bought some too. It was great and about a third the price of Comtesse du Barry.

Even though this one is Belgium you can get it in France, plenty of Cote D'or chocolate and bars of Roger & Gallet "Lettuce" Soap. Wish you could stock up on these for me?

ecat, you can buy te lettuce soap on line at several places. here's a few:
casacurazon.com
scentier.com

Poire, poiret or perry, I'd buy it and bring it back.

Who would have though pear cider would start a controversy? Ya never know on fodors.

No offense to you Lauren.

Thanks cicalechenta, I do already get it online but when I've been in Paris I stocked up because it's cheaper and it's suck a great little goft to bring back.

ugg sorry for typos - you get my meaning I hope.

A French chef told me that foie gras in the jar is much better than foie gras in the tin (even though you need to take more care with packing). We brought to jars back last month, no problem.

Thanks to all of you for the great suggestions! As for perfume...I am allergic, and its hard to pick out for others...but I have many "foodie" friends who will love the unique food and kitchen items....and I DID have to buy a second suitcase in Italy to bring everything home, but it was such fun!!!!

oh, i forgot about foie gras! when i was there in november, i remember walking by a new lafitte store in paris in ile st louis. it wasn't open yet but i bought a tin of their foie gras (marked "foie gras de canard en entier&quot at the grenelle market the year before and busted it open over christmas. it was heavenly, like butter!
and the inexpensive scarves and handbags at the stalls in front of the printemps department store are a good deal too.

No offense taken, cigalechanta.

Next time I plan to sample poire, poiret and perry.

I doubt any of them will make it into the luggage.

Thanks Lauren. Will you be at the Boston GTG?

There are some good, but complicated suggestions in heis thread (I now need to check out lettuce soap). My recomendation:

while in Paris buy one of hose little Eifel Tower replicas the tourist places carry - it is sure to be the one you wil cherish the longest!!! Trust me....I ook at mine every day and can not wait until "next time"